WBB opens WAC play at Tarleton and SFA

ABILENE – The Abilene Christian women's basketball team closes out 2022 and opens WAC play at the same time when it heads to Stephenville and Nacogdoches to battle a pair of in-state rivals. The Wildcats (6-5) take on former long-time rival and rekindled rival Tarleton on Thursday night at 5 p.m., before heading to Stephen F. Austin on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. It's a tough road trip to open league play, and it begins with a pair of rivals who know ACU well. It's a 90-mile trip to Stephenville on Thursday night, and a five-and-a-half hour trip to Nac to battle SFA on Saturday to close out the week and the 2022 calendar year. Both games will air on ESPN+.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TARLETON

• ALL-TIME | 13th meeting (Tarleton leads 9-3)
• LAST MEETING | ACU 80, Tarleton 60 (March 5, 2022 - Stephenville)
• STREAK | ACU, w1
• IN ABILENE | Tarleton leads, 3-1
• IN STEPHENVILLE | Tarleton leads, 6-2
• NEUTRAL | n/a
• POSTSEASON | n/a

SERIES HISTORY VS. SFA

• ALL-TIME | 16th meeting (SFA leads, 12-3)
• LAST MEETING | SFA 80, ACU 62 (Feb. 26, 2022 - Abilene)
• STREAK | SFA, w4
• IN ABILENE | SFA leads, 6-1
• IN NACOGDOCHES | SFA leads, 6-2
• NEUTRAL | n/a
• POSTSEASON | n/a

ACU STORYLINES

• PLAYER OF THE WEEK
  • Fifth-year senior Maleeah Langstaff was named the WAC Player of the Week, becoming the first Wildcat to win a women's hoops player of the week award this season after putting together a pair of double-double performances last week in wins over Nicholls and McMurry. Mal averaged 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in two wins, and made 12 of 25 shots from the floor (48.0%). Langstaff went 4-9 from the three-point line (44.4%), recorded a pair of double-doubles (17 pts/10 reb vs. Nicholls, 11 pts/10 reb vs. McMurry), and blocked three shots as well.
• MILLER CONSISTENT AS EVER
  • Fifth-year senior Madi Miller has been remarkably consistent for ACU this season. No. 31 had her streak of eight-straight games of double-digit point totals snapped last week against McMurry, when she scored nine. Miller is averaging 11.5 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game this season, and ranks second on the team with 27 assists.
• THORNTON ESTABLISHING HERSELF
  • Sophomore transfer Aspen Thornton is playing her best basketball as a Wildcat, scoring in double figures in four-straight games before last week's game against McMurry. She also increased her total each night for the first three games. Thornton scored 10 against Alabama State, dropped 17 at New Mexico, scored a season-best 26 at Oral Roberts, and finished with 10 against Nicholls. Thornton shot 51% (24-47) from the floor, including 45% (9-20) from the three-point line in those four games. She is averaging 8.5 points per game this season and is shooting 41% from the field.
• CONFERENCE OPENERS
  • ACU has won eight consecutive conference openers. The last loss on the opening night of the conference season was during the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats' second year as a member of NCAA Division I. Since moving to Division I in 2013, the program is 8-1 in league openers, combining the eight years in the Southland and the first year in the WAC. ACU won at home against Utah Valley to open league play last season.
• MILESTONE FOR MAL
  • Maleeah Langstaff reached a career milestone at Oral Roberts on Dec. 11; 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 1,034 career points.
• COACH GOODENOUGH’S MILESTONES
  • Head coach Julie Goodenough will coach her 819th career game on Monday, and has earned 494 career victories, including 205 as the coach at ACU. Goodenough is in her 29th season overall and her 11th with the Wildcats.

SCOUTING TARLETON (6-5, 0-0 WAC)

• The Texans dropped their final two games of the non-con, falling to Ball State and Richmond in Puerto Rico last week. Tarleton is in year three as a member of NCAA Division I and the WAC, and formerly were rivals of ACU back in the Lone Star Conference of NCAA Division I prior to ACU moving up in 2013.
• Tarleton averages 68.0 points per game, and is led by Teresa Da Silva's 16.0 points per night and Tyler Jackson's 10.6 PPG. Nyajah Mitchels is shooting it 50% from the floor, while Da Silva leads the way on the glass with 4.7 boards per night.

SCOUTING SFA (10-2, 0-0 WAC)

• The reigning WAC regular season and tournament champion Ladyjacks open league play with ACU on Saturday. SFA has won five in a row with wins over Arizona State, Bradley and George Mason in that stretch.
• SFA is averaging 77.8 points per game is only allowing 57 on the defensive end each night. Aiyana Johnson, the last line of Johnson sisters at SFA, leads the way with 13.3 points per game, while Kurstyn Harden comes off the bench and drops 11.2 points per game. Jordan Harrison rounds out the trio in double figures with 10.1 points per game.

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