Women's basketball returns to Moody Monday for familiar matchup

ABILENE – The ACU women's basketball team returns to Moody Coliseum for the first time in 17 days when it hosts a former rival from the Southland Conference. The Wildcats (4-5) welcome in the Nicholls Colonels on Monday, Dec. 19, and it will be the first time the teams will play at Moody since January 2015. The last meeting in Abilene in 2019 was played on the Hardin-Simmons campus due to Sing Song, and the two will now meet for the second-straight season in a non-conference matchup. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m., and the game will air on both ESPN+ and the ACU Sports Network.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NICHOLLS

• ALL-TIME | 10th meeting (ACU leads, 6-3)
• LAST MEETING | ACU 97, Nicholls 71 (Dec. 4, 2021 - Thibodaux)
• STREAK | ACU, w1
• IN ABILENE | Tied, 1-1
• IN THIBODAUX | ACU leads, 5-1
• NEUTRAL | Nicholls leads, 1-0
• POSTSEASON | Nicholls leads, 1-0
• NOTES | Julie Goodenough and DoBee Plaisance have been the coaches for these teams every time ACU and Nicholls have met

ACU STORYLINES

• TOUGH BATTLES ON THE ROAD
  • ACU went on the road last week and played in two tough games under challenging circumstances. The Wildcats fell to New Mexico, 71-61, in The Pit, without Bella Earle (flu) and Raychael Harjo (concussion) making the trip. ACU got both players back for the trip to Tulsa to take on Oral Roberts, and fell 87-81 in a close game last Sunday.
• THORNTON ON A TEAR
  • Sophomore transfer Aspen Thornton is playing her best basketball as a Wildcat, scoring in double figures in three-straight games, increasing her total each night. Thornton scored 10 against Alabama State, dropped 17 at New Mexico, and scored a season-best 26 at Oral Roberts. Thornton is shooting 48% (20-41) from the floor, including 41% (7-17) from the three-point line. She is averaging 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during that stretch as well.
• WELCOME BACK RAYCHAEL
  • Raychael Harjo, back in action on Sunday for the first time since Nov. 27 against Louisiana, came back and scored 17 points in 16 minutes against ORU. Harjo made eight of her 12 shot attempts and grabbed a pair of rebounds.
• MILESTONE FOR MAL
  • Maleeah Langstaff reached a career milestone at Oral Roberts on Sunday. The grad student scored her 1,000th career point. Mal started her career at Winthrop (three seasons), and played last year at Northeastern State. Langstaff now has scored 1,006 career points.
• LEADING SCORERS
  • Langstaff leads the way with 12.7 points per game, while Miller is right behind at 11.8 points per contest. Langstaff is shooting 51% from the floor, and also leads the ‘Cats with 11 steals defensively. Addison Martin leads the way inside defensively with 10 blocks, and is right behind Langstaff with nine steals. Bella Earle also has nine steals, and leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game.
• COACH GOODENOUGH’S MILESTONES
  • Head coach Julie Goodenough will coach her 817th career game on Monday, and has earned 492 career victories, including 203 as the coach at ACU. Goodenough is in her 29th season overall and her 11th with the Wildcats.

SCOUTING NICHOLLS (3-6, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)

• The Colonels are coming off home losses to New Mexico and South Alabama, and also look to snap a two-game skid.
• Nicholls is scoring 60.0 points per game and is shooting 38% from the floor for the year.
• Kyla Hamilton leads the team in scoring at 13.1, and paces a trio averaging double figures this season. Lexi Alexander is averaging 11.9 points per game and Deonna Brister is averaging 10.9 points per contest.

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