Wildcats head to Denton for UNT Thanksgiving Tournament

DENTON, Texas – The ACU women's basketball team heads east for Thanksgiving weekend over in Denton for the UNT Thanksgiving Tournament hosted by the University of North Texas. The Wildcats (2-2) will play a pair of games, opening with Montana State on Friday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. The weekend ends with a game against Louisiana on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 12 p.m. It's games against the Big Sky Conference and the Sun Belt Conference, giving ACU a great pair of matchups over the weekend. Neither game will have a live stream, but there will be live stats available.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MONTANA STATE

• ALL-TIME | First meeting
• LAST MEETING | n/a
• STREAK | n/a
• IN ABILENE | n/a
• IN BOZEMAN | n/a
• NEUTRAL | n/a
• POSTSEASON | n/a

SERIES HISTORY VS. LOUISIANA

• ALL-TIME | First meeting
• LAST MEETING | n/a
• STREAK | n/a
• IN ABILENE | n/a
• IN LAFAYETTE | n/a
• NEUTRAL | n/a
• POSTSEASON | n/a

ACU STORYLINES

• TOUGH ROAD BATTLE
  • Grad transfer Maleeah Langstaff had her best day in Purple and White, Madi Miller had her best game of the season, and the Wildcat women's basketball team fought all the way to the final seconds against a good UTSA team on the road Sunday afternoon. ACU never led, but stayed within nine the entire game and slightly outshot the Roadrunners (46%-45%). UTSA pulled away a bit late in the third quarter, and held on in the fourth to top the 'Cats, 76-70.
• 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 812th and 813th career games this weekend, 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 MONTANA STATE (3-1, 0-0 BIG SKY)

• The Bobcats are off to a 3-1 start and are coming off a win against North Dakota State. They battle San Jose State on Tuesday before the UNT Tournament.
• Averaging 72 points per game, MSU is led by Darion White's 13 points per game, the lone player averaging double digits.

SCOUTING LOUISIANA (1-4, 0-0 SUN BELT)

• The Ragin' Cajuns have lost four in a row, but three of which are against Power 5 opponents in #3 Texas, Colorado, and Texas Tech.
• Averaging just 46 points per game, led by Tamera Johnson's 9.6 points per game.

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