ABILENE — The Wildcat women's basketball team opened up the new Moody Coliseum with a bang Wednesday night against familiar opponent Howard Payne, dominating the Lady Jackets, 89-37. Abilene Christian starts 1-0 for the sixth-straight season with the 52-point victory, and did most of it inside. ACU hit just five three-pointers, but scored 62 points in the paint, and were led by new point guard Zoe Jackson, who scored a career-best 22 points. The 'Cats used a 21-5 second quarter to pull away, led by 23 at halftime, and improved their scoring total in every quarter of the game. Every player that saw the floor scored Wednesday night in front of a raucous crowd in new Moody. Head coach
Julie Goodenough earned her historic 200th win at ACU in her 11th season on Wednesday night. She sits in second place all-time in women's basketball history.
Key Plays
- Jackson got the momentum going with a three-pointer in transition off a turnover to go up 6-0. It was the kick-start to her career night.
- Aspen Thornton, the nation's leading scorer at the Division II level a season ago, buried a three in a fast break, to open up an 11-3 advantage.
- Jackson got down the floor and scored inside with an and-one to push the advantage to 22-10 in the second quarter. The lead was starting to grow, and it would not change.
- Alexis Babineaux scored off the bench in the second quarter with a quick catch-and-turn with the right hand to go up 35-13. That came after newcomer Raychael Harjo scored four consecutive points.
- ACU shot just 29% in the first half, and hit just two of their 29 three-point attempts. However, things changed in the second half. ACU made a concerted effort to go inside, and it paid off. Addison Martin scored on a layup in the paint three-straight times to open the third period, setting the tone for the second 20 minutes.
- Thornton hit the first three of the third quarter to push the advantage to 49-21.
- Tristin Keller came in and buried a three as well, and the lead was 60-26 late in the third.
- Jackson scored six in a row in the fourth quarter, including a layup, a free throw, and a triple. The lead was 76-35.
Turning Point
Up by only seven after the first quarter, ACU turned it on with a 21-5 second stanza. ACU increased its total in each quarter, scoring 17 in the first, 21 in the second, 25 in the third, and 26 in the fourth.
Stat Pack
- ACU scored 62 points in the paint and tallied 26 offensive rebounds to own the interior.
- Despite shooting just 5-40 from distance, ACU still scored 89 points and scored 20 in the fast break. The bench also contributed with 36 points Wednesday night.
- Jackson's 22 points were a career-best for the Butler transfer. She hit 9-14 from the floor and added two assists with four steals.
- Bella Earle scored 12 points with 12 rebounds, a new career-high. It's the first career double-double for the sophomore.
- Addison Martin scored 11 points in her first collegiate game after sitting out all last season with an injury. The sophomore added nine boards, one shy of a double-double herself.
- Thornton scored nine in her ACU debut, hitting two triples and adding four rebounds and four helpers.
- Madi Miller tied Thornton with a team-high four assists.
- Harjo scored eight off the bench, while hometown girl Claire Graham added seven.
- Coach Goodenough is now 200-99 in her time at ACU. She took over in the 2012-13 season, and her first Wildcat win came on Nov. 10, 2012. Nearly 10 years later to the day, she earned win No. 200.
Zoe Jackson Interview
Bella Earle Interview
Coach Interview
Up Next
The Wildcats will head on the road this weekend to Houston for a date with Rice out of Conference USA. The game is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, and the game will be aired on CUSA TV. You can listen to the game on the ACU Sports Network and the Varsity Network app.
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