ABILENE – Senior
Madi Miller scored a season-high 18 points,
Jamie Bonnarens added 16, and the ACU women's basketball team got back to its winning ways Thursday night in front of a raucous crowd at the Teague Center. The Wildcats hit 12 three-pointers, and dominated the middle portion of the game against WAC opponent UTRGV, dominating the Vaqueros, 88-69. After trailing 10-0 out of the gate, the 'Cats turned it around immediately and built up as much as a 30-point lead on their way to a 19-point win. ACU (13-7, 5-4 WAC) outscored UTRGV 47-24 in the second and third quarter on their way to an important home win.
Program Milestone
The win marked the 900th win as a program. ACU is in its 51st year of women's basketball, and has averaged north of 18 wins per season.
Turning Point: Julie Goodenough's timeout.
ACU trailed 10-0 right out of the gate. At the 8:45 of the period, head coach
Julie Goodenough called a timeout. It worked. Miller started to get the crowd going with a three-point play on an attack to the rim. The senior then went right back to the rim the next possession, and cut it to 10-5.
Jamie Bonnarens then buried a three-pointer, and the game was back on. Miller hit another three a few possessions later to pull within one, and tied the game with another three. The senior scored 11 of the first 14 for ACU. The Wildcats then went on to outscore the Vaqueros 22-10 in the final seven minutes of the period, leading 22-20 after one. ACU never trailed again.
Key Plays
- 1Q | Miller scored 11 of the first 14, and then
Kamryn Mraz found
Bella Earle on a back door to go up 18-17.
- 1Q |
Emma Middleton hit a mid-range jumper to give ACU the two-point lead at the end of the period.
- 2Q | Bonnarens buried a three 11 seconds into the period to go up five.
- 2Q | After UTRGV cut the lead to three, 32-29, Miller responded with another triple to go right back up six.
- 2Q | Mraz hit a corner triple on the next possession to immediately go back up nine, 38-29.
- 2Q | Earle and Bonnarens buried back-to-back, and made it four-straight three's to lead by 15, building up a 12-0 run.
- 3Q | Earle converted back-to-back layups to stretch it to a 22-point lead; the Wildcats outscored the Vaqueros 19-8 in the third period.
- 4Q | Bonnarens hit a three to go up 28 points in the early moments of the fourth.
Stat Pack
- Miller recorded her seventh-straight double-digit effort, scoring all 18 points in the first half. The senior matched a career-best with seven assists, and added five rebounds as well.
- Four players finished in double digits, with Bonnarens adding 16 points with four three-pointers, and added four rebounds.
- Middleton dropped in 12 points off the bench with five boards and a pair of blocks.
- Earle added 11 off the bench with four helpers and three boards.
- Mraz scored seven points and dished out four assists.
- ACU hit 10 three-pointers, giving the team its third-straight game with double-digit makes from distance, and their 12th of the season.
- The 'Cats had a 23-11 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Up Next
ACU closes out the weekend with a familiar foe in the Lamar Cardinals on Saturday, Jan. 29. Tip-off is at 1 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.
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