Wildcats head to the Alamo City for Sunday matinee

SAN ANTONIO – The ACU women's basketball team hits the road once again this weekend when it takes on UTSA down in the Alamo City. It's the home opener for the Roadrunners (0-2), who play in Conference USA, and host a Wildcat team (2-1) that goes for road win number one and its second-straight victory. It is the return trip from a year ago when the teams met in the Teague Center in Abilene, with ACU winning the game, 72-53. The game tips at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center and will air on CUSA TV.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UTSA

• ALL-TIME | 6th meeting (UTSA leads, 3-2)
• LAST MEETING | ACU 72, UTSA 53 (Nov. 13, 2021 - Abilene)
• STREAK | ACU, w1
• IN ABILENE | ACU leads, 2-0
• IN SAN ANTONIO | UTSA leads, 3-0
• NEUTRAL | n/a
• POSTSEASON | n/a

ACU STORYLINES

• KIDS DAY WIN
  • ACU topped the University of the Southwest to Moody for the annual Kids Game, where over 1,000 elementary school kids packed in to watch ACU. The Wildcats used a huge first quarter (27-6) to cruise to a 77-36 victory and move to 2-0 at home in the new arena.
• OPENING WEEK TOP PERFORMANCES
  • Newcomer Zoe Jackson had a career game in the season opener against Howard Payne, dropping in 22 points on nine made shots, including a pair of three-pointers. Transfer Raychael Harjo went off on Sunday, scoring a career-best 22 at Rice, all while battling with four fouls. Harjo shot 10-14 from the floor with a pair of triples.
• PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
  • Sophomore Bella Earle was named to the preseason second team in the WAC Coaches Poll, while senior Madi Miller was named preseason all-league by the media. Earle shined as a rookie in 2021-22, playing in 30 games with seven starts, and scoring 7.3 points per game. She shot 44.5% from the floor and 86% from the foul line, while dishing out 63 assists. Miller accepted her fifth year to come back for one more ride with ACU, and her 120 career games played ranks sixth in ACU’s Division I history. Miller’s experience with 56 starts and her understanding of the culture and the locker room is invaluable to this team.
• PRESEASON POLLS
  • ACU was picked fifth in both the coaches and media poll in the WAC prior to the season starting. SFA was picked to win the league in both polls, followed by newcomer UT Arlington, Grand Canyon, and California Baptist.
• BRAND NEW MOODY
  • Moody Coliseum originally opened in February 1968, and after 32 years, the renovation process began. ACU moved over to the Teague Center for two seasons during the renovation, and finally the building was done for the 2022-23 season. The Wildcats are 2-0 at home this season.
• FRIENDLY FACES
  • ACU returns just four from last year’s roster, and only three saw the floor. Fifth-year Madi Miller joins sophomores Bella Earle and Alexis Babineaux as returners with minutes, while sophomore Addison Martin returns, but will play for the first time after spending last season out with a knee injury she suffered in the preseason.
• TRANFERS
  • ACU brought in five transfers for the second consecutive season. Maleeah Langstaff (Northeastern State / Winthrop) is the lone grad transfer, while Apsen Thornton (Ouachita Baptist), Zoe Jackson (Butler), Brooke Jessen (UTRGV), and Raychael Harjo (Central Florida) are all sophomore transfers with three years left of eligibility.
• ROOKIES
  • The Wildcats signed four freshmen last November, and they get their first action this season. Reagan Fox joins Hampton Williams, Tristin Keller, and Claire Graham who will all compete for minutes.
• COACH GOODENOUGH’S MILESTONES
  • Head coach Julie Goodenough will coach her 811th career game on Sunday, and has earned 490 career victories, including 201 as the coach at ACU. Goodenough is in her 29th season overall and her 11th with the Wildcats.

SCOUTING UTSA (0-2, 0-0 C-USA)

• The Roadrunners have opened with two tough games on the road, falling to SFA, 68-63, to open the season in Nacogdoches, and falling at TCU, 74-67, in Fort Worth. It's two close losses to really good teams for UTSA under Karen Aston, who is a long-time respected head coach who has stops at Texas, North Texas, and Charlotte. She is in her second season as the UTSA head coach.
• UTSA is averaging 65 points per game, and are led by Jordyn Jenkins (16.5 ppg) and Elyssa Coleman (11.0 ppg). Coleman is averaging 7.5 rebounds per contest as well, while Kyra White paces the squad with 12 assists through two games.

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