ODESSA, Texas - Abilene Christian women's basketball meets Big 12 Conference foe Texas Tech in a neutral site matchup at the Odessa College Sports Center at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Wildcats aim for their third win over a power conference opponent in program history and first since 2017.
The matchup between the Wildcats and the Lady Raiders will be streamed on ESPN+ with Mark Finkner (play-by-play) and Chuck Heinz (analyst) on the call. There will be a pregame meetup for ACU fans at Buffalo Wild Wings in Odessa from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Register here.
The Wildcats are looking for their third victory in a row to match their best start since the 2021-22 season. Texas Tech has won its first 11 games of the year after beating Washington State 82-51 on the road on Friday night. The Lady Raiders received 24 votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 to be the second team left out of the poll.
ACU's last victory over a power conference foe came in a 66-56 win over Oklahoma State in the WNIT on March 16, 2017. The Wildcats earned their first power conference victory in their debut Division I season in 2013, defeating Texas Tech, 58-57.
ACU is coming off a 72-55 victory at East Texas A&M on Dec. 6 that saw both
Meredith Mayes and
Erin Woodson record double-doubles. Mayes registered her third double-double of the season, while Woodson picked up the first of her career.
It was the second double-double in a row for Mayes, who was named the Jersey Mike's A Sub Above Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Monday. The junior center tallied 20 points and 13 rebounds versus McMurry before a 19-point, 13-rebound effort at East Texas A&M. The Wildcats' 112-60 win over the War Hawks featured their most points scored in a game in the Division I era.
The Wildcats are 1-4 versus the Lady Raiders since 2013, with Texas Tech coming out on top in the last four matchups. The programs met each other in Lubbock, Texas last season, where the Lady Raiders grabbed a 66-40 victory.
Payton Hull paced ACU with 13 points and four steals.
ACU touts top 50 marks in scoring offense and field goal percentage, averaging 77.9 points per game while shooting at a conference-leading .457 clip. It will meet Texas Tech's third-ranked field goal percentage defense at .313 and top-15 scoring defense, allowing just 52.0 points per game. The Wildcats bring defensive pressure of their own, landing in the top 25 for steals (12.7) and turnovers forced (23.0) per game.
The Wildcats have shown an affinity for shooting beyond the arc, averaging 27.8 three-point attempts per game. They'll take on the Lady Raiders' top-five three-point defense, with opponents hitting 23.1% of shots from long distance.
ACU boasts two of the WAC's top three scorers in Hull (17.3 ppg) and Mayes (15.7 ppg), with Mayes leading the conference in field goal percentage (.709). Hull is fourth, shooting at a .419 clip, and is second in free throw percentage at .813.
