DENTON, Texas - Abilene Christian women's basketball used elite defense and a late surge to pull out a 60-51 victory versus North Texas at the Super Pit on Wednesday afternoon. The Wildcats scored 18 points in the game's final three minutes to take the lead and put it on ice, doing so with 14 free throws.
ACU is off for over a week before heading to Florida to compete in the Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip Off in Fort Myers, Fla. The Wildcats will meet Northwestern on Friday, Nov. 28 and Bradley on Saturday, Nov. 29.
The Mean Green were limited to a .340 field goal percentage on 18-of-53 shooting and hit just one of 20 three-point tries at an .050 mark. It's the lowest three-point percentage the Wildcats have allowed since holding UT Arlington to an 0-of-10 clip from beyond the arc on Jan. 7, 2023. ACU forced 26 North Texas turnovers.
It's also the lowest three-point percentage allowed by ACU in the Division I era when an opponent attempts at least 15 shots from long distance. North Texas entered the day as the nation's leading three-point shooting team at .482 through three games. It ranked within the country's top six in points per game and field goal percentage.
The Wildcats capitalized on their trips to the charity stripe, sinking 21 of 30 free throws.
Payton Hull scored 16 points, her 25th game in a row scoring in the double digits, with five rebounds.
Meredith Mayes finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine boards, adding a trio of steals.
Erin Woodson totaled 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with five rebounds and a team-high four steals.
Emma Troxell played 32 minutes of turnover-free basketball with 11 points and five rebounds.
Mayes powered ACU in the early going, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first quarter. Hull recorded five points and four rebounds while seven Mean Green players logged points. North Texas took a 17-15 edge through 10 minutes despite the Wildcats registering their top-shooting period of the game at .438.
ACU took a 28-27 lead into halftime after limiting the Mean Green to 10 points in the second quarter. Hull and Woodson combined for nine of the Wildcats' 13 points as North Texas turned the ball over 11 times.
The Mean Green retook a 40-38 advantage through three quarters as Woodson scored six of ACU's 10 points in the third period behind a pair of three-pointers.
The Wildcats doubled up on North Texas in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 22-11. ACU shot 15 of 20 from the free throw line, led by Troxell's eight points and Hull's six. A fast break three-pointer by Troxell tied the score at 42, and her pair of free throws with 2:23 remaining pushed the Wildcats ahead for good.
An 8-0 ACU run moved the visitors ahead by as much as 10 with 23 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach. North Texas made just three of 14 attempts from the field to close the game.
