Women's basketball back home for GCU and NM State

GAME #16
Abilene Christian (11-4, 3-1 WAC) vs. Grand Canyon (9-5, 2-1 WAC)
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022  |  6 p.m.  |  Teague Special Events Center  |  Abilene, Texas

GAME #17
Abilene Christian (11-4, 3-1 WAC) vs. New Mexico State (5-6, 1-0 WAC)
Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022  |  6 p.m.  |  Teague Special Events Center  |  Abilene, Texas

ABILENE – The ACU women’s basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Teague Center this week to wrap up a busy week on the hardwood. The Wildcats (11-4, 3-1 WAC) will play games three and four of the week, all of which happened in an eight-day span, when they host Grand Canyon and New Mexico State. It will be the third-ever matchup between ACU and GCU on Thursday night, and the same can be said when ACU plays NM State on Saturday night. Both games tip at 6 p.m., and both games will air on ESPN+.

ACU STORYLINES

• ROAD WEEKEND SPLIT
  • ACU, down three of its five starters and three of its top four scorers, went on the road last weekend and beat Sam Houston on Saturday, 70-59. The Wildcats fell to SFA on Monday night, 81-65, to split the weekend. The Wildcats were without their leading scorer Jamie Bonnarens, their starting point guard Kamryn Mraz, and their starting post Sarah Griswold. Multiple players stepped up in the win over Sam Houston, with Taylor Morgan leading the way with 21 points, while Tatum Barber and Madi Miller each contributed with 17 and Emma Middleton scored 10.
• WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
  • Morgan was named the WAC Player of the Week after her performance against the Bearkats in Huntsville. The sophomore played all 40 minutes, scored a career-high 21 points, and grabbed seven rebounds. Morgan also added a pair of assists and a steal in the 70-59 win over Sam Houston. It was the first time the point guard played all 40 minutes in a game, and was a key factor in ACU getting a huge road win.
• THREE-POINT PARTY
  • ACU has hit 159 three-pointers so far this season, the fourth-highest mark in the nation. The Wildcats have nine games with double-digit makes from distance. The team ranks 16th nationally with a 36.9 clip from behind the arc, which was moved back to match the men’s line in the off-season.
• SHARP SHOOTER
  • Kamryn Mraz has been outstanding from behind the arc this season. The fourth-year Wildcat is hitting 49.2 percent of her looks, the best mark in the country. Mraz has 32 makes from downtown, and is hitting 2.5 three’s per game.
• COACH GOODENOUGH’S MILESTONES
  • Head coach Julie Goodenough earned her 482nd career win against Sam Houston, and her 193rd as the coach at ACU. Goodenough is in her 28th season overall and her 10th with the Wildcats.

SCOUTING GRAND CANYON (9-5, 2-1 WAC)

• The Lopes are coming off a home split with UTRGV and Lamar, falling to the Vaqueros, 62-50, before topping the Cardinals with a buzzer-beater, 73-72.
• GCU turns teams over at a high rate, forcing 24.0 turnovers per game, the sixth-highest mark in the country. The Lopes are No. 8 in the nation in turnover margin this season (+7.4).
• Amara Graham leads the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game, while Jay McChristine averages 10.2 per contest.

SCOUTING NM STATE (5-6, 1-0 WAC)

• The Aggies have had multiple games moved on the schedule due to COVID-19, so they have just the one conference game played so far. NM State will take on Tarleton on Thursday night in Stephenville before coming to Abilene on Saturday.
• NM State gives up just 61 points per game, and scores nearly 70 per contest. The Aggies are led by Bigue Sarr, who averages 15.4 points per game. The other Aggie in double figures this year is Taylor Donaldson at 10.3 PPG.

Follow ACU on Social Media
Twitter: @ACUsports | @ACUWBB
Instagram: @acusports | @acuwbb
Facebook: /ACUSports | /ACUWomensBasketball

#GoWildcats