ABILENE, Texas — The Wildcats will hope to snap their two-game losing skid on Tuesday as they head to United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
This will be the tenth matchup between the Wildcats and Red Raiders since 1974, and the fifth game against each other since ACU reached the Div. I level. The last time the two teams faced off was December 19, 2018, when Texas Tech took a 105-54 win.
Fans who can't make it to Lubbock can stream the game live on ESPN+. Fans can also keep up with the 'Cats by following the team on X, Instagram, Facebook and acusports.com.
ACU STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: The Wildcats saw a 71-60 loss inside Moody Coliseum against the North Texas Mean Green. Despite outrebounding and causing more turnovers than UNT, struggles in the second quarter caused ACU to drop their second-straight game. Payton Hull led the 'Cats with 21 points while also adding two assists. Bella Earle had her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Earle also added five assists and two steals.
SENIOR STATUS: Senior guard Bella Earle is his her fourth year as a Wildcat proven crucial for ACU this season. Earle leads the Wildcats in three different categories. She leads the way with 17.5 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game. After the first week of the season, she also earned WAC Player of the Week Honors.
HULL ON A ROLL: After struggling in Tuesday's game against SFA, sophomore Payton Hull got back in a rhythm on Saturday. The Preseason All-WAC team member finished the game with 21 points, her second 20-point performance of the season.
DOMINATING THE PAINT: Sophomore Meredith Mayes has made her presence felt in the post for ACU this year. Mayes leads the 'Cats shooting 56 percent from the field and also leads the team with steals and blocks per game. Mayes also recorded the first double-double of the season from ACU, scoring a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds in the Wildcats' game against SFA.
NATALIA OF ARCH: Junior guard and transfer from New Mexico, Natalia Chavez, has made an impact off the bench for the Wildcats. The transfer leads the Wildcats 42.9 percent from the 3-point line. Chavez has made nine 3-pointers so far this season.
TOUGH STRETCH: The Wildcats are in the midst of their toughest three-game stretch of the season, where the Wildcats will play two Group of Five schools and one Power 4 school. The stretch started on Saturday against North Texas from the American Conference, where ACU fell 60-71. The stretch continues as they head to Lubbock to play Texas Tech, who is in the Big 12. They wrap up the stretch at home on Thursday, Nov. 21 against Western Kentucky from Conference USA.
History with Texas Tech
- TTU leads the series, 7-2
- Current Streak: TTU, 3 wins
- Last ACU win: Dec. 22 2013, 58-57
- Last UNT win: Dec. 19 2018, 105-54
Scouting the Red Raiders
- Texas Tech is 4-0 so far this season, with four straight home wins against UIW, Houston Christian, New Mexico and Washington State.
- Head coach Krista Gerlich is in her fifth season as the Red Raiders head coach and in her 19th season overall. She is 62-65 in her first five seasons at Texas Tech and boasts a 351-212 overall record.
- Jasmine Shavers leads the team with 15.3 points so far this season. Shavers shoots 42.1 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from the 3-point line. Shavers also adds four rebounds, one steal and one assist per game.
- Bailey Maupin is the second Red Raider that averages in double-digits. Maurine averages 10.8 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the field.
#RowTheBoat #GoWildcats
