ODESSA, Texas - Abilene Christian women's basketball suffered a 67-57 loss as it battled an undefeated Texas Tech squad at the Odessa College Sports Center on Sunday.
Payton Hull recorded her fourth 20-point game of the season, while
Emma Troxell notched her second double-double of the year.
The Wildcats return to Moody Coliseum next weekend for the ACU Christmas Classic. They'll take on Montana at 5:30 p.m. Friday before meeting Buffalo at 3 p.m. Saturday. Tarleton State is also in the field and will play Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. Friday ahead of a matchup with Montana at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Hull paced ACU's offense with 23 points, including a career-high nine free throws. She finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards, matching her career best. Hull, the Western Athletic Conference leader with 17.9 points per game, played the game's entire 40 minutes.
Hull added a team-high three steals as the Wildcats forced 15 turnovers. They went 25 of 35 at the charity stripe, good for their most free throws of the season. ACU held Texas Tech to a tie for its fewest points in a game this season.
Troxell turned in 11 points and 11 rebounds, also setting a career best by going a perfect 8 of 8 at the free throw line.
Breanna Davis scored a season-high 11 points as her and
Erin Woodson each collected two steals and two assists. Hull, Woodson, Troxell and Davis each played at least 36 minutes.
ACU grabbed a 16-15 lead through the first quarter after limiting Texas Tech to a 6-of-16 mark from the field. After beginning the game with a 10-3 deficit, the Wildcats built a 6-0 run to get within a point, featuring four points from Hull.
Woodson's fast-break layup gave ACU its first lead at 13-12, and Hull's three-pointer with three seconds left pushed the Wildcats in front to end the quarter. ACU made seven of eight free throw attempts in the period.
The Lady Raiders engineered their top offensive showing in the second quarter with 25 points. Fourteen of the Wildcats' 16 points came at the free throw line, with Hull again leading the way with seven points. Texas Tech led by as much as 12, but two free throws by Davis and Hull's layup at the buzzer made it a 40-32 Lady Raider lead at halftime.
ACU grabbed momentum out of the gate, as a fast-break three-pointer by Hull and a fast-break layup by Woodson got it within five. Troxell then sank a shot from beyond the arc to make it a 44-40 ballgame with 7:05 to go in the third quarter.
The Wildcats kept their feet on the gas, as a Hull free throw and layup got them within 47-45 with three minutes remaining. Texas Tech controlled the tempo for the remainder of the quarter, taking a 55-46 edge into the final period. ACU shot most efficiently in the third quarter at 41.7%.
With the Lady Raiders ahead by 11 with 5:33 remaining the Wildcats continued to scratch and claw. They got within six points on two occasions, but Mayes' layup at the 2:47 mark gave ACU its final points of the game.
