ABILENE — Redshirt freshman
Addison Martin led the way with 20 points,
Bella Earle and
Maleeah Langstaff each tallied 11, and the ACU women's basketball team got a much-needed win Monday afternoon at Moody Coliseum over Utah Valley to get back to .500 at 11-11 and back to 5-6 in WAC play. The Wildcats snapped a three-game losing streak with a dominant rebounding performance, topping the Wolverines (5-17, 2-9 WAC) on the boards, 47-23. ACU never trailed in the game, and is now 1-1 on this home stand that wraps up on Thursday night. ACU is in the midst of playing four games in eight days, and will host California Baptist later in the week before heading to UTRGV.
Key Plays
- Martin got the scoring started on the opening possession with a layup, and Langstaff followed with a basket and a three-pointer to open up a 7-0 lead.
- After UVU scored four in a row, Aspen Thornton buried a three-pointer to go right back up 10-4. The lead blossomed to as many as 11 in the first period (20-9), and ACU was in control.
- Earle hit back-to-back three's in the first 50 seconds of the second quarter, stretching the lead to 26-13, and forcing a Utah Valley timeout.
- Madi Miller, who reached 1,000 career points with a three-pointer on Jan. 14 at Utah Valley, buried one against the Wolverines again, this time to extend the lead to 31-16 with 5:57 to go in the half. ACU led 35-20 at halftime after a basket at the buzzer by UVU was wiped off after replay review.
- ACU, who scored the first seven of the first half, did the same thing to start the second half. Martin scored on back-to-back possessions before Earle hit another three, and the lead was 22, 42-20.
- Zoe Jackson came in off the bench and buried a three-pointer, one of 11 on the day for the 'Cats, and the lead was 26, 53-27, with 2:43 to go in the third. ACU took a 22-point, 55-33, lead into the fourth.
- Miller and Thornton each hit three's in the fourth, and late in the game it was Reagan Fox and Raychael Harjo hitting triples to keep the fun going at the end of the ballgame. ACU walked away with a 73-46 win.
Turning Point
The start of the game set the tone. ACU never trailed, and scored the first seven points to get going. UVU, down to just eight players due to injury, just did not have the ability to climb out of deficits on Monday, and ACU took advantage of that early on.
Stat Pack
- ACU tallied 47 rebounds, the most in a WAC game this season, and recorded 15 offensive rebounds, its second-highest total in a league game this year. ACU was +24 in the rebound department Monday.
- Three players finished in double figures, Martin dropping 20 on a ridiculous 10-12 shooting, while Langstaff tallied 11 on 3-6 (4-4 at the foul line) and Earle scored 11 on 3-5 from downtown. The 11 points for Earle were the most in a game for the sophomore since the WAC opener on Dec. 29 at Tarleton (12).
- ACU tallied 19 assists on 27 made baskets; the two most assisted games this season for ACU are both against Utah Valley (39 total).
- Earle and Miller led the way with eight rebounds apiece, while Langstaff and Martin grabbed six apiece. Brooke Jessen grabbed five off the bench, while Claire Graham tallied three boards.
- Miller scored eight points, while Thornton finished with six, and Harjo and Jackson each scored five off the bench.
- ACU finished at a minimum +5 in scoring in every quarter.
- ACU held a 26-16 edge in points in the paint, and an 18-3 lead in second chance points.
Up Next
The Wildcats will wrap up the home stand with California Baptist on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. The weekend will wrap in Edinburg, Texas on Saturday, Feb. 11 against UTRGV at 4 p.m. Both games will air on ESPN+.
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