Wildcats hold on late to top Lady Lions

ABILENE — As it always does, it took everything the Wildcat women's basketball team had to beat Southeastern Louisiana. Five of the last six games have been decided by eight points or less, and Saturday was no different. The teams went back and forth the entire game, with ACU holding no more than a five-point lead, until the final minute. ACU scored the last six in the contest to hold on, 80-72. The win is ACU's third straight, pushing them to 9-2 on the season and 2-0 to start Southland play for the sixth straight season.

Turning Points: The final minute of the first quarter and the end of the game.

• ACU trailed by as many as 10 in the first quarter Saturday. Southeastern Louisiana built a 21-11 lead late in the first, but Madi Miller, Taylor Morgan, and Anna McLeod combined to hit five free throws to end the quarter on a 5-0 burst. ACU trailed 21-16 and had some momentum going to the second quarter. Two minutes into the second frame, the game was tied.
• The final stretch showed just how clutch Julie Goodenough's team can be. The game saw 10 ties and 10 lead changes, and in that final quarter, the Wildcats held three separate five-point leads. Southeastern hit a layup to cut the lead to 64-62 with 1:17 left, then ACU went on a 6-0 run to end the game. Alyssa Adams hit a clutch jumper with 50 seconds, then McLeod got a clutch steal and was fouled and hit a pair of free throws. After a defensive stop, Miller hit two foul shots to seal the win.

Key Plays

• Adams got the second quarter started on the right foot after ACU got within 21-16. Her jumper kept the momentum going as ACU was working back from that early 10-point deficit.
• Freshman Alice Stevenson was clutch on the floor, and her first big moment was a three-pointer with 8:15 left in the second to put ACU down two, 23-21.
• McLeod scored five in a row to give ACU its first lead since leading 5-0 in the first quarter.
• Sarah Griswold score four straight points in the third quarter to put ACU up 41-40 with seven minutes to play.
• Stevenson, who had two triples made on the season coming in, hit her second of the game at the 4:42 mark of the third to put ACU back in front, 46-43.
• The game was tied at 50 heading to the fourth quarter, and Adams and McLeod pushed the lead to five. No matter how many times ACU built up a lead, Southeastern came back with shot after shot to keep it a one-score game until the end.

Stat Pack

• ACU outrebounded SLU by a remarkable margin of 48-27, leading to a 12-5 advantage in second-chance points.
• McLeod recorded her fourth 20-point game this season, leading the way with 23 points, matching her second-highest total this season.
• The redshirt senior added six rebounds and a pair of steals.
• Miller dropped 14 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers and adding six rebounds.
• Griswold recorded her first double-double as a Wildcat with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
• Adams was close to her fourth straight double-double, scoring 11 points and adding nine more boards.
• Stevenson was big-time with seven points off the bench.

Up Next
ACU has a key road date on Wednesday, Jan. 20 with the Sam Houston Bearkats in Huntsville, Texas. It's a part of a men's / women's doubleheader that begins at 5:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on 102.7 FM The Bear.