ABILENE, Texas — Even with the Wildcats holding a double-digit lead at halftime, ACU ultimately fell at home to the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks, 68-65.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats drew a crowd of 2,207, including 1,841 elementary students from across the Big Country, the crowd was the biggest it was since the 2019 Kids' Day game when ACU drew a total crowd of 4,524.
"It was disappointing that we are not able to pull off the win for them," head coach Julie Goodenough said. "They did everything they could to help us, and we really appreciate all the coordination from all the different campuses and all the different teachers and principals that made this happen today. We appreciated everybody coming out, so it was disappointing we weren't able to pull out the win for them."
The Wildcats got out to a strong start in the first half, shooting 41 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from the 3-point line. The first-half performance was highlighted by the 'ACU's second quarter, shooting 47.6 percent from the field, allowing the team to take a 42-32 lead into the locker room.
The tides began to turn for ACU in the third quarter, where at one point, the Ladyjacks went on a 19-2 run, shot 61.5 percent, and forced eight ACU turnovers to tie the game at 53-53 heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.
In the fourth quarter, SFA held ACU to shooting 26.7 percent shooting from the field and did not allow a single 3-pointer. The Ladyjacks gained their first lead with 5:11 left in the game, and despite ACU tying the game multiple times down the stretch, SFA was able to keep the 'Cats at arm's length and escape Moody Coliseum with a win.
"I felt like in the first half we turned the ball over too much against the pressure," Goodenough said. "Second half we didn't turn the ball over, but they just really rushed our pace, especially third quarter, we got in a hurry and didn't execute very well. We took uncharacteristic shots. We didn't settle into our zone offense. We just got to be more disciplined when teams get sped up like that and we also missed some shots we normally make."
Leading ACU was sophomore center Meredith Mayes, who finished with a career-high 20 points while adding a career-high 13 rebounds, also a career-high for Mayes. She also finished the game shooting 67 percent from the field and had a great game after struggling on the road at FIU.
"After struggling a little last game, my coaches told me just to flush it." Meredith Mayes said. "I knew that that was not normal for me and did not define me as a player. My coaches and teammates were all very, like uplifting and helping me with like my confidence on purpose."
Sophomore guard Payton Hull finished the game with 10 points while tying her career-high of five steals. Senior and defending WAC Player of the Week Bella Earle neared a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
Up next, the Wildcats hope to bounce back In a second straight game inside Moody Coliseum on Saturday at 12 p.m. as the Wildcats take on North Texas. This will be the second time the two have matched up in program history, with the first matchup being the Mean Green earning a 64-50 win on November 23, 2013. They will be part one of a double-header with men's basketball taking on Texas State also on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
"We're excited to have a doubleheader and hope to have a really big crowd," Goodenough said. "North Texas going to be a lot like us, a super scrappy. Our defense has got to be on point to keep them from getting wide-open shots. We're going to have to take care of the ball. They're going to put a lot of pressure on the ball and our passers. We've got several days to try to figure out some things that didn't go well today and make sure that we don't repeat some of those mistakes on Saturday."
The game will stream live on ESPN+ and 101.7 FM, The Patriot. If fans cannot make it in person to see the Wildcats, fans can also keep up with the 'Cats by following the team on X, Instagram, Facebook and acusports.com.
#RowTheBoat #GoWildcats
