ABILENE, Texas — The Wildcats hope to snap a three-game losing skid on Thursday, as they return home to Moody Coliseum to take on the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers.
This is the second matchup between these two programs. The first matchup was last season on December 28, 2023, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where WKU was able to squeak out a 72-68 win. The matchup marks a second game against a Conference USA team, with the Wildcats already gaining one win against one on the road on November 8 at Florida International.
The Purple and White tip-off against the Lady Toppers at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Fans who can't make it to Moody 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 faced a defensive slug fest on Tuesday, causing a 40-66 loss on the road against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. ACU was able to hang with the Red Raiders in the first quarter, with the score knotted at 14-14 after the first 10 minutes. A two-point second quarter ultimately caused the Wildcats to falter and Texas Tech took control of the game from there. ACU finished the game causing Texas Tech to commit 27 turnovers while also having 13 steals to TTU's 11. Payton Hull led the way for ACU with 13 points in Lubbock.
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 15.6 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game. After the first week of the season, she also earned WAC Player of the Week Honors.
HULL ON A ROLL: Despite not being the leading scorer for the Wildcats Preseason All-WAC Team member and sophomore Payton Hull has made an impact this season. She has scored in double digits in three of the 'Cats first five games, with two of them being 20-point performances. She averages 15 points per game, second best on the team, as well as leads the team with 2.6 steals per game.
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 34.4 percent from the 3-point line. Chavez has made 11 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 continued as they traveled to Lubbock to play Texas Tech, who is in the Big 12, with the 'Cats ultimately falling 40-66. They wrap up the stretch at home on Thursday, Nov. 21 against Western Kentucky from Conference USA.
WAC PRESEASON POLL: In the WAC Preseason Pool, the Wildcats were chosen to finish fourth in the nine-team field. The preseason favorite was Grand Canyon, and they were followed by California Baptist and UT Arlington. Ranked below the Wildcats are Southern Utah, Tarleton State, Utah Tech, Utah Valley and Seattle U. Ultimately, all eyes will be toward the WAC tournament, with all nine teams hoping to earn the top prize, a tournament championship and an NCAA tournament bid.
COACH GOODENOUGH'S MILESTONES: Head coach Julie Goodenough will coach her 873rd career game on Thursday, and has earned 519 career victories, including 231 as the coach at ACU. Goodenough is in her 31st season overall and her 13th with the Wildcats.
History with Western Kentucky
- WKU leads the series, 1-0
- Current Streak: WKU, 1 win
- Last ACU win: n/a
- Last WKU win: Dec. 28 2023, 72-68
Scouting the Lady Toppers
- Western Kentucky is undefeated so far this season, sitting at a 3-0 record. The Lady Toppers' wins came at home against Indiana State and Kentucky State, plus on the road against Mercer in their most recent game on Nov. 12.
- Head coach Greg Collins is in his seventh year at the helm at WKU. In his seven seasons, he holds a 104-81 record.
- Acacia Hayes leads the Lady Toppers averaging 14.7 points per game while also adding 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 steals and 2.7 assists per game. Hayes also shoots a team-high 67.9 from the field.
- Four other Lady Toppers average double-digit scoring so far this season. Those players include Destiny Salary (13.3), Zsofia Teledy (11.7), Mackenzie Chatfield (11.0) and Alexis Mead (10.7).
#RowTheBoat #GoWildcats
