LAS VEGAS — The two veterans
Maleeah Langstaff and
Madi Miller laid it all out on the floor at the WAC Tournament on Monday afternoon, scoring a combined 44 points in a first-round defeat to Sam Houston, 82-81. The eighth-seeded Wildcats (15-15) closed the season with a hard pill to swallow at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay. ACU led by as many as 15 with 5:45 to play in the ballgame, and ultimately fell in the end on a three-point play with two seconds. The half-court shot was off line and the 'Cats were left looking up wondering how it all happened with shock on their faces. The Wildcats led for all but 21 seconds on Monday, but it was Sam Houston who will move on to play top-seeded SFA on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
"It's hard to process right now," said head coach
Julie Goodenough. "I truly am proud of how we played and fought. I felt like we did enough to win the game, but you look up and then we lost by one, and it's hard to fathom. I still don't really know what to think about the way the game ended and what happened in that fourth quarter."
Key Plays
- ACU jumped out to a massive lead. After trailing 3-2, the 'Cats turned it on and built up a 15-3 advantage in the first quarter. Langstaff hit her first triple in that stretch to build up a lead of a dozen.
- Langstaff hit another three and Miller responded with one as well, and it was a 21-11 lead after 10 minutes of play.
- Every time Sam Houston made a run at things, ACU always had a response. This began in the second quarter. The Bearkats went on a 14-5 run to close the gap to one, 26-25, but it was the Wildcats who answered.
- Zoe Jackson took over. The lefty scored seven straight points including a pair of jumpers and a big-time three-pointer. The Wildcat lead was pushed back out to eight, 33-25, and ACU would eventually build back up a 10-point advantage.
- Jackson hit a couple of free throws with eight seconds until the half, and ACU led 40-32 at intermission.
- Sam Houston immediately trimmed its deficit to three very early in the third, and it was ballgame on. But the 'Cats responded again. Miller got an open look and buried a three to go up 45-39 with 5:53 to go in the period.
- The Bearkats got it to a 49-45 game, with ACU in front, but the Wildcats then responded with an 11-5 run to close the third quarter. Addison Martin hit a mid-range jumper and Langstaff buried another triple to extend the lead going to the fourth. It was a 60-50 lead after three.
- ACU led 67-57 early in the fourth, and then Martin and Thornton combined for five a row, including a triple in the corner from Thornton to go up 15, the largest lead of the game, 72-57. Things were looking bright. But Sam immediately answered with a three on the next possession to cut it right back to 12, 72-60. The Bearkats then started making everything.
- Sam Houston got it to eight, 73-65, then with a three with 2:12 to go to trail by five. ACU needed a response, and it was a jumper from Thornton to go back in front, 75-68, with 1:52 remaining. Sam responded with a basket, and Martin made just one of her two foul shots, and the Bearkats hit another three, and it was a 76-73 game with 1:01 to go.
- Martin responded with a beautiful finish after Langstaff ran the length of the floor, and the lead was back to five, 78-73, with 51 seconds left.
- Sam answered with a prayer of a three that went in with 37 seconds left to cut it to two, 78-76. Mal answered with a bucket of her own with 25 seconds to go back up four, 80-76.
- Sam hit another wild three with 16 seconds left to go back down one, 80-79, and it came down to the end.
- After ACU got the ball in-bounded, Miller was fouled and hit one of the two free throws to go up 81-79 with nine seconds left. Sam got the rebound off the miss and went the length of the floor and hit a running layup with two seconds left, and was fouled in the process. The free throw put the Bearkats up one, and Thornton's half court shot was off line at the buzzer.
Turning Point
Sam Houston scored 32 points in the fourth quarter, including seven three-pointers. That period was everything the Bearkats could have hoped for. So many things had to happen to finish the game the way it did, and they all went Sam Houston's way.
Stat Pack
- ACU shot 47% for the game from the floor including going 10-19 from three-point land. ACU did, however, go 13-20 from the foul line, including 5-10 in the fourth quarter.
- Langstaff dropped 26 points on 11-18 shooting including a career-high four three-pointers and dished out a team-high six assists. The grad transfer played in her final game Monday, and left it all on the line, finishing with over 1,300 career points at three schools.
- Miller scored 18 points, hauled in eight rebounds, and handed out four assists. Miller also hit four trifectas and left it all out the floor in her fifth season. The long-time vet finished with with 1,100 career points and will go down as one of the all-time greats, playing a school-record 147 games.
- Thornto scored 13 points on 4-10 shooting to go with a pair of steals.
- Martin and Jackson each finished with nine points, and Martin hauled in a team-high nine rebounds.
- ACU was out-rebounded 41-37, including giving up 17 offensive rebounds to Sam Houston, who ranks in the top 10 in the country in that category.
- Langstaff, Miller, and Miller each blocked two shots apiece as well.
That's A Wrap
The Wildcats finished 15-15 on the season and a 9-9 mark in league play. The 'Cats will lose both Miller and Langstaff to graduation, but will return 11 players who all are either sophomores or freshmen this season. There is a very bright future for a young, talented group of Wildcats, who will go into 2023-24 under 12th-year head coach
Julie Goodenough.
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