Wildcats and Bearkats collide with fourth-place on the line

GAME #25
Abilene Christian (15-9, 7-6 WAC) vs. Sam Houston (12-12, 7-6 WAC)
Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022  |  6 p.m.  |  Teague Special Events Center  |  Abilene, Texas

ABILENE – The premiere matchup in the WAC Thursday night takes place at the Teague Center when ACU women's basketball team welcomes in Sam Houston. The Wildcats (15-9, 7-6 WAC) and Bearkats (12-12, 7-6 WAC) are a pair of 7-6 squads that are tied for fourth place in the league standings. ACU won earlier this season against Sam Houston in Huntsville, and now the rematch will take place in Abilene Thursday night. The game tips at 6 p.m., and will air on ESPN+.

SERIES HISTORY

• ALL-TIME | 28th meeting, ACU leads 18-9
• LAST MEETING | Jan. 8, 2022 - ACU 70, Sam Houston 59 (Huntsville, Texas)
• STREAK | ACU, w1
• IN ABILENE | ACU leads, 7-3
• IN HUNTSVILLE | ACU leads, 8-2

ACU STORYLINES

• PREMIERE MATCHUP IN WAC STANDINGS
  • ACU and Sam Houston are currently tied for fourth place in the WAC standings entering Thursday’s game. Both hold a 7-6 record, with ACU currently holding the tiebreaker via the team’s win in Huntsville on Jan. 8. The top four teams get a double-round bye in the WAC Tournament, with the top two teams earning a three-round bye. Both teams are 2.5 games back of the two-seed California Baptist and the three-seed Grand Canyon, who are both 9-3 on the season. SFA holds a comfortable cushion for the regular-season title with a 12-0 mark.
• SHORT-HANDED ‘CATS WON FIRST TIME AROUND
  • ACU was without three of its top scorers at the time, and three of its five starters on the road Jan. 8 against Sam Houston, but still came away with a 70-59 victory. Sophomore Taylor Morgan had a career-best 21 points, earning her WAC Player of the Week honors. The win put ACU at 3-0 in WAC play at the time, marking the fourth-straight 3-0 start in conference play for the program. Four players scored in double-digits, including Tatum Barber’s season-high 17 points. Madi Miller added 17 herself, and Emma Middleton, getting the start inside, scored 10.
• EARLE MAKING HER CASE
  • The freshman Bella Earle has definitely made a strong case for WAC Freshman of the Year this season, averaging 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, and is shooting 47.0 percent from the floor. The rook’s 17 points last Monday at Chicago State was a new career-high, hitting just 4-of-5 shots, but all three of her three-pointers. Earle went 6-of-7 at the foul line, and added a career-best five assists to go with four rebounds.
• PROGRAM MILESTONE
  • The victory over UTRGV for the Wildcats was the 900th as a program. ACU started women’s basketball in 1971, and is in its 51st season on the hardwood. The ‘Cats have averaged almost 18 wins per season to date.
• THREE-POINT PARTY
  • ACU has hit 227 three-pointers so far this season, the eighth-highest mark in the nation. The Wildcats have 12 games with double-digit makes from distance. The team ranks 36th nationally with a 35.3 clip from behind the arc, which was moved back to match the men’s line in the off-season.
• COACH GOODENOUGH’S MILESTONES
  • Head coach Julie Goodenough coached her 800th career game against Chicago State, and has earned 486 career victories, including 197 as the coach at ACU. Goodenough is in her 28th season overall and her 10th with the Wildcats.

SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON (12-12, 7-6 WAC)

• The Bearkats are the hottest team in the WAC, winning each of their last seven games after starting 0-6 in league play. Sam Houston is 6-0 since welcoming head coach Ravon Justice back to the bench after she took a leave of absence in November.
• Sam Houston averages 67 points per game, the third-highest in the WAC, and is led by Faith Cook's 15.5, the second-leading scorer in the league.
• SHSU gets to the foul line and rebounds better than any team in the league, totaling 385 makes at the line and averaging 39.6 boards per game.

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