CEDAR CITY, Utah - Abilene Christian women's basketball dropped a defensive slugfest to Southern Utah, 49-46, at the America First Event Center on Wednesday night. The loss snapped the Wildcats' three-game winning streak and shifted them to 16-10 and 5-6 in Western Athletic Conference play this season.
Meredith Mayes' 21 points and 12 rebounds weren't enough to power ACU to victory as she picked up her fourth double-double of the season. She knocked down eight of 15 field goal attempts and sank five of eight free throws for her second-most points of the season.
Bella Earle made her return to the Wildcats' starting lineup and dished out a team-high five assists to go with six rebounds, three steals and five points.
Breanna Davis played the game's entire 40 minutes and tallied eight points.
ACU hit 19 of 68 field goal tries at a 27.9% clip and netted one of its 21 shots from three-point range, coming off the hands of Davis. On the defensive end, the Wildcats forced 21 Thunderbird turnovers, turning them into 18 points, and came away with 11 steals.
Daylani Ballena powered Southern Utah with a 19-point effort as she shot 8 of 15 from the field. She hit two of the Thunderbirds' three shots from long distance and posted three assists. Lexi Bull reeled in 14 rebounds, while Ava Uhrich brought down nine boards with seven points.
The first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, as both teams battled to a 9-9 tie through 10 minutes. ACU made four of its 14 shots, while Southern Utah nailed just three of 15. The two squads combined for a 4-of-17 effort from deep.
The Wildcats and the Thunderbirds remained close through the second quarter as ACU grabbed a 25-24 lead at halftime. ACU notched its most productive quarter of the game by scoring 16 points at a 38.9% clip, including six points from Mayes. Southern Utah, meanwhile, hit seven of 11 shots.
The Thunderbirds grabbed a 37-36 lead by the end of the third quarter after the Wildcats sank just four of 20 field goal tries at 20%. For the second quarter in a row, they went 0-of-6 from three-point range.
ACU was limited to 10 points in the fourth quarter, eight of which came from Mayes. The Wildcats' final points came on Mayes' layup with 3:28 to go and put them ahead, 46-45, but they were shut out for the remainder of the game. Ballena's jumper with 3:10 left put Southern Utah up for good, and her layup with 1:36 to go added key insurance.
ACU wraps up its three-game road trip at Utah Tech on Saturday. Tipoff from Burns Arena in St. George, Utah is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
