ABILENE — Maleeah Langstaff and
Aspen Thornton each scored 18 points, four players finished in double digits, but the ACU women's basketball team came up one possession short against California Baptist on Thursday night at Moody Coliseum. The Wildcats (11-12, 5-7 WAC) had the ball down one and down two in back-to-back possessions, but both shots came up just short and the Lancers (12-11, 8-4 WAC) came away with a 77-75 win. ACU hit 12 three-pointers and forced 14 turnovers in defeat, and outscored its guests 23-12 in the fourth quarter to erase a 13-point deficit. The Wildcats finish the home stand 1-2 before heading to UTRGV on Saturday.
Key Plays
- It was a back-and-forth game the majority of the way, and it got started right away. Addison Martin scored the first four points for the 'Cats in the game, while Grace Schmidt scored the first four for CBU.
- CBU took a five-point lead, but that quickly was erased with three-pointers from Langstaff and Madi Miller. Bella Earle then converted a layup to give ACU a 12-11 lead with 4:41 to play in the first.
- Both teams traded three pointers to open the second quarter, but eventually California Baptist built up a nine-point, 30-21 lead. But again, ACU responded with a three-pointer from Zoe Jackson and a layup from Martin, and it was right back to a four-point game. ACU would trail by six, 42-36, at halftime.
- Langstaff opened the third quarter with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to immediately cut the deficit to one, 42-41.
- Martin would convert an and-one to give ACU its first second-half lead, 446-45, with 7:21 to go in the third.
- Thornton would hit a three-pointer at the 6:03 mark to put ACU down 50-49, but there wouldn't be much left in the third for the 'Cats. CBU outscored ACU 15-3 the rest of the quarter, and led by 13, its largest lead of the game, going to the fourth.
- ACU opened the fourth with a 15-2 run to cut the deficit to two with 4:40 to play in the ball game. Thornton scored the first five in that stretch before Miller dropped five in a row. Then Langstaff's triple made it a two-point game.
- ACU eventually took the lead with a pair of free throws from Miller, 73-72, with 3:13 to play, but CBU would hit a layup and a pair of free throws to back up three late. Langstaff answered with a layup and it was a 76-75 game, with ACU getting the ball back to try to win it.
- Langstaff missed a pair of shot attempts with around one minute to play, but after a steal with 31 seconds left, ACU had the ball down one point with a chance to win it. On the next trip down, Thornton missed a three-pointer and CBU got the rebound with 13 seconds. ACU fouled, and the Lancers made one out of two at the line to go up 77-75. ACU had one last chance. Thornton drove left and the shot fell short and the time ran out on the Wildcats.
Turning Point
The ending was tough for the Wildcats. ACU had four opportunities to grab the lead late and missed shot attempts, but the team battled back tough from down 13 to start the fourth quarter. It was a quality game from both sides Thursday night.
Stat Pack
- Langstaff and Thornton each led the way with 18 points, and both players hit four three-pointers. Langstaff added dive rebounds and three assists.
- Martin scored 13 points with five rebounds and a pair of steals, while Miller scored 10 with nine rebounds and a team-high five assists.
- ACU hit 12 three-pointers, and the rebounding was tied at 36. CBU outscored ACU 34-26 in points in the paint, and held a 14-5 edge in second-chance points.
- The teams combined for 112 shot attempts including 62 three-point attempts. ACU went 11-15 at the foul line, while CBU finished 8-14.
- ACU will have to wait another game for the milestone for head coach Julie Goodenough. The head Wildcat still has 499 career wins in 29 seasons.
Up Next
The Wildcats will wrap up the crazy busy week with a game on Saturday at UTRGV at 4 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.
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