Cats Finish Home Schedule This Week

Thursday, February 29

Abilene, Texas

6 p.m.

Abilene Christian

Southern Utah

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Photo by: Aly Bayliss

2/27/2024 1:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Ray Fink

ABILENE – Abilene Christian plays its final two women's basketball games in Moody Coliseum this season with Southern Utah visiting Thursday at 6 p.m. and Utah Tech coming in for a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday.

On Saturday, ACU will honor Clare Traeger and Brooke Jessen in the final home games of their careers.

ACU enters the week at 11-14 overall and 7-9 in the Western Athletic Conference after a loss on Saturday at Grand Canyon.

Southern Utah is 7-18 this season and 5-11 in league play following a 78-70 home loss to Texas-Arlington on Wednesday.

Utah Tech, which plays at Tarleton State on Thursday, is 16-11 overall and 10-6 against the league after whipping UTA 88-69 on Saturday.

ACU Storylines

A Chance to Clinch: ACU is in sixth in the WAC standings and can win a spot in the WAC Tournament this week with any combination of ACU wins or Tarleton State losses that equal two.

Trends: ACU has lost its last three games: at home against Stephen F. Austin and road games at California Baptist and Grand Canyon. In that slide, ACU is averaging 65.3 points and shooting 33 percent from three-point range. The Cats are sending opponents to the free throw line 21 times per game. Payton Hull averages 19.3 points and Bella Earle averages 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. Addison Martin is the assists leader in the last three games with eight.

Winning Numbers: In their 11 wins this season, the Wildcats average 79 points and get to the free throw line 19 times per game. ACU out-rebounds opponents 46-33. Payton Hull (15.5), Bella Earle (14.5) and Addison Martin (10.8) average in double figures in scoring when ACU wins. Bella Earle gets 8.5 rebounds and five assists per game in ACU victories.

Home Cats: ACU is 9-4 at home this season with Payton Hull (14.1), Bella Earle (12.8) and Addison Martin (11.1) all averaging 10 or more points. The Cats average 74.2 points per game in Moody.

Against the WAC: In their 16 conference games this season, ACU is 7-9 overall and 6-2 at home. Bella Earle averages 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in league games while Payton Hull leads the team with 16.8 points and 2.1 steals per game. Addison Martin averages 10.3 points. Emma Troxell shoots 52 percent from the field, 42 percent from three-point range and 73.7 percent from the free-throw line against the league.

Raining Threes: ACU is eighth nationally with 28.4 three-point attempts per game and 17th in the NCAA with 8.6 three-pointers made per game. Payton Hull is second in the WAC at 35.3 percent from the perimeter and leads the conference with 2.6 made three-pointers per game.

Earle to Work: Bella Earle leads the conference with 34.5 minutes on the floor per game. She also is third nationally with her two triple-doubles, which came in back-to-back games last semester at Navy and home against Texas-Arlington.

Team Leaders: Payton Hull leads the Cats with 15.2 points and 1.6 steals per game. Bella Earle averages 12.5 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Addison Martin averages 10.7 points.

Last Game: Abilene Christian had a good second half but couldn't overcome a 13-point halftime deficit and fell at Grand Canyon on Saturday, 66-55. Bella Earle led ACU with 17 points and six rebounds while Payton Hull added 10.

History with SUU: ACU is 1-1 all-time against SUU after an 82-80 loss at Cedar City last month. Payton Hull had 27 points and Meredith Mayes added 18 for the Cats. Ava Urich had 25 points for the Thunderbirds. ACU trailed by as many as 13 points in the game.

Scouting SUU: Daylani Ballena leads Southern Utah with 15.5 points per game and Ava Urich gets 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds on average. The Thunderbirds average 67 points per game.

History with Utah Tech: ACU is 1-3 all-time against Utah Tech after the Blazers' 78-69 win in St. George last month. Bella Earle had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead ACU while Emma Troxell and Payton Hull added 12 points each. Maggie McCord had 21 for Tech.

Scouting the Blazers: Utah Tech has won four of its last five road games. Breaunna Gillen leads the team with 16.9 points with Maddie Warren at 16.4 and Macie Warren at 14.3. Gillen leads the way with 7.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.