ABILENE – Breanna Wright scored 25 points, all five seniors were on the floor at once in the fourth quarter, and the Wildcat women's basketball team secured a top four seed in the upcoming Hercules Tires Southland Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon after taking apart Central Arkansas, 93-71. ACU (22-5, 14-4 SLC) will not play until at least the quarterfinal round in the league tournament after sweeping the Sugar Bears for the second consecutive season.
Southland Significance
- By virtue of ACU's win and the New Orleans loss to Nicholls, the Wildcats secure a top four seed in the tournament. However, the team currently sits in third place at 14-4 (Sam Houston State is also 14-4, but ACU swept SHSU this season), and is just a game out of first place in the league.
- SFA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are both at 15-3, and the Ladyjacks come to Abilene next Tuesday. ACU would not hold a tie-breaker against the Islanders since AMCC swept the Wildcats.
Turning Point: The final five minutes of the second quarter on.
- After trailing 15-14 through the first 10 minutes, ACU rattled off 27 points in the second quarter, but it took some time.
- UCA build a 32-23 lead with 5:16 left, but it would not last. The Wildcats would go on to score 70 points in the final 24 minutes of the game, and it began with a quick 7-0 run propelled by back-to-back three-pointers from Breanna Wright and Makayla Mabry.
- Mabry hit a three with 1:15 left in the half to put ACU up 35-33, and ACU would never trail again.
Key Plays
- Taylor Sells of UCA was fouled with just 14 seconds left in the half, and made both free throws to get the Sugar Bears within three points, 38-35. On the ensuing possession, Brea Wright was trying to force a shot at the buzzer, and drew a foul on the right wing beyond the arc to shoot three free throws. Wright hit all three shots and ACU took a six-point lead to the break.
- Mabry hit the first three-pointer of the third quarter just 32 seconds in, and Anna McLeod followed it up with a transition layup to give ACU an 11-point lead, 46-35, at the 8:21 mark of the third.
- McLeod was right in the middle of it throughout the entire game, getting loose balls on the floor and making incredible passes for layups. The junior added 11 points, scoring in double figures for the sixth time in the last eight games.
- Central Arkansas never got it close in the fourth quarter in large part thanks to Lexie Ducat and Lexi Kirgan. The two seniors combined for 13 points, with Kirgan scoring nine on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field.
Stat Pack
- ACU will play in the quarterfinal round of the league tournament for the third consecutive season; the team will earn the first-round bye for the second straight year.
- The 187 points scored this week is the most in a two-game stretch since the team scored 111 and 104 in back-to-back games against McMurry and Southwest to open the season.
- Wright finished with 25 points on 6-of-11 from the floor, and connected on 9-of-9 at the free throw line.
- ACU snapped a stretch of four straight single digit makes from behind the three-point line, hitting 11 Saturday.
- Lexie Ducat scored 15 points, while Golightly added 14.
- Mabry just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds; the junior hauled in 24 boards this week.
- Golightly, Ducat, Wright, Kirgan, and Pamela Herrera were all on the floor at the same time in the fourth quarter. The quintet has combined for 84 total wins and 52 in league play to go along with a pair of Southland championships.
Up Next
- ACU welcomes in the current leader of the Southland Conference, the SFA Ladyjacks on Tuesday, March 3. The final home game of the season takes place at 5:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader, and the game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on 98.1 The Ticket.
