Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Makayla Mabry
Meda Bow

Women's Basketball

Wildcats officially open Southland slate Saturday

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Well, we made it. It took a little extra time, but we have officially made it to the start of the Southland Conference schedule for the Abilene Christian women's basketball team. ACU was slated to open the league schedule on Saturday, Jan. 2, but due to COVID issues, the first two games were rescheduled. The Wildcats officially open their Southland slate on Saturday against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders down south. It's the latest Southland opener for the Wildcats since they joined the league in 2013. The tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Dugan Wellness Center on AMCC's campus, and can be seen on the Islanders Digital Network and heard on 98.1 The Ticket.

FOLLOW THE GAME

SERIES HISTORY

It's an entertaining series history between the Wildcats and Islanders. Corpus swept the season series last year on their way to a regular season Southland Conference championship, and it just felt like the two teams were headed for a second-straight tournament championship game. The last win for ACU over Corpus came in the 2019 Southland Tournament Championship Game in Katy, Texas, with the 'Cats winning 69-68 to clinch their first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance. Overall, ACU leads the series 9-5, but the series is tied 3-3 all-time in Corpus and the teams have split their last six matchups.

ACU STORYLINES

  • The Wildcats are off to a stellar 7-2 start, and come in receiving votes in the College Insider Mid Major Top 25 poll.
  • Senior Alyssa Adams has recorded three double-doubles this season, including in each of the last two games. The San Antonio native has six for her career.
  • Makayla Mabry has recorded multiple double-digit rebound games in her career, but did not have her first career double-double until this season. Mabry logged 17 points and 13 rebounds against Stetson. It was ACU's first game this season with a pair of double-doubles.
  • ACU won its final game in the Sunshine State over Stetson, 70-55, on Dec. 20, and have had a long break before opening conference play.
  • Redshirt senior Anna McLeod leads the team in scoring at 17.0 points per game, and is shooting 49% from the field and 48% from the three-point line.
  • ACU's 266 three-point field goals attempted and 102 three-pointers made are both the second-most in the country behind Florida Gulf Coast, who leads the nation in that category with 103 makes and 309 attempts.
  • Madi Miller is ACU's third player in double-figures in scoring, averaging 11.2 points per game. Miller is also tied with Kamryn Mraz for the team lead in assists with 34.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI

  • The Islanders come in at 2-8 and are 0-2 to start league play. AMCC is coming off its toughest loss of the season, a 100-41 defeat to SFA on Wednesday in Nacogdoches.
  • Alecia Westbrook is the leading scorer at 12.7 points per game, and is the only Islander averaging double-figures. Newcomer Paige Allen is just shy of that mark at 9.6 for the season.
  • Corpus returns only three players with quality playing experience from last year's regular season title squad.
  • Head Coach Royce Chadwick has been a long-time staple in the Southland Conference, coaching at Sam Houston State, SFA, and now Corpus Christi. Chadwick, the 2020 Southland Conference Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season at AMCC, and his father, Kelly, coached ACU coach Julie Goodenough.