Wildcats and Trailblazers collide in Utah Wednesday

GAME #28
Abilene Christian (16-11, 8-8 WAC) at Dixie State (9-18, 5-11 WAC)
Wednesday, March 2, 2022  |  8 p.m. CT  |  Burns Arena  |  St. George, Utah

ST. GEORGE, Utah – The final week of the regular season is here, and the ACU women's basketball team closes with a pair of road games. First up is a date in Utah with Dixie State on Wednesday, March 2. It is a rematch of a game between the Wildcats (16-11, 8-8 WAC) and Trailblazers (9-18, 5-11 WAC) that took place on Jan. 1 on the very first conference weekend, with ACU winning that game at home, 71-53. The game tips at 8 p.m. central time, and the game will air on both ESPN+ and 102.7 The Bear.

SERIES HISTORY VS. DIXIE STATE

• ALL-TIME | 2nd meeting (ACU leads, 1-0)
• LAST MEETING | ACU 71, Dixie State 53 (Jan. 1, 2022 - Abilene, Texas)
• STREAK | ACU, w1
• IN ABILENE | ACU leads, 1-0
• IN ST. GEORGE | n/a
• NEUTRAL | n/a

ACU STORYLINES

• WHERE WE STAND IN THE WAC
  • ACU resides in sixth place in the WAC standings entering the final week, sitting a half game back of fifth-place Sam Houston (8-7) and a game back of fourth-place Utah Valley (9-7) with an 8-8 record. The fourth spot is so highly valued going into the conference tournament in Las Vegas, because the top four seeds are automatically exempt into the quarterfinal round of the bracket. The top two seeds go automatically to the semifinal round, so a top-four seed could go a long way to the success of the teams in WAC Vegas.
• #20 IN THE PROGRAM, #1 IN YOUR HEART
  • Grad transfer Jamie Bonnarens (#20) has been unbelievably consistent this season. The Colorado State transfer has led ACU in every which way in 2021-22, leading the way with 20 double-digit scoring games and four 20-point contests this season. Bonnarens is averaging 14.6 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the WAC, and is shooting 42.1% from distance, the third-best in the league and the 13th-highest mark in the nation.
• EARLE MAKING HER CASE
  • Bella Earle has definitely made a strong case for WAC Freshman of the Year this season, averaging 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, and is shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. The rookie has eight double-digit scoring games in her inaugural season in Purple and White.
• SENIOR DAY
  • ACU honored its six seniors after the game last Saturday against SFA. The three grad transfers, Tatum Barber, Jamie Bonnarens, and Emma Middleton join program veterans Madi Miller, Kamryn Mraz, and Paige Emborsky on the floor to be recognized for their achievements at ACU.
• THREE-POINT PARTY
  • ACU has hit 256 three-pointers so far this season, the 10th-highest mark in the nation. The Wildcats have 13 games with double-digit makes from distance. The team ranks 21st nationally with a 35.8 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 487 career victories, including 198 as the coach at ACU. Goodenough is in her 28th season overall and her 10th with the Wildcats.

SCOUTING DIXIE STATE (9-18, 5-11 WAC)

• The Trailblazers are coming off a road split last weekend at California Baptist and Seattle U, topping the Lancers 81-77 before falling to the Redhawks 69-61.
• Dixie State has attempted 821 three-pointers, and are led offensively by Shanaijah Davison's 16.8 points per game. Breaunna Gillen (15.2 points per game) and Emily Isaacson (12.6 points per game) join Davison in double figures.

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