ST. GEORGE, Utah - Abilene Christian women's basketball looks to return to the win column as it wraps up its three-game road trip at Utah Tech on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from Burns Arena is slated for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Wildcats saw their three-game win streak snapped on Wednesday night as they fell at Southern Utah, 49-46. They dropped to 16-10 overall with a 5-6 mark in Western Athletic Conference play, good for sixth in the league.
Utah Tech is in the midst of an eight-game skid, with its last victory coming on Jan. 16 versus Seattle U. The winner of Saturday's matchup will take the series lead in matchups between the Wildcats and the Trailblazers, with each school claiming three wins apiece.
In the teams' first matchup of the season on Feb. 6, ACU shot the ball the best it has all season at 58.5% en route to an 84-66 victory. It knocked down 16 of 33 three-pointers, its most makes from long range this year. That 48.5% rate was the Wildcats' best three-point shooting mark of the season before nailing 10 of 20 at Seattle U two games later.
Emma Troxell powered ACU with a career-best 19 points, shooting 7-of-10 with a 5-of-7 clip from deep.
Bella Earle added 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with seven assists, tying her season-high.
Meredith Mayes recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards as the Wildcats overpowered the Trailblazers on the glass, 38-22.
Mayes has stayed hot over the past month, recording double-digit scoring in each of her past eight games. She has three double-doubles in that span, with the latest coming at Southern Utah thanks to 21 points and 12 rebounds. Mayes is averaging 16.5 points and 8.6 boards over her eight-game heater.
Erin Woodson has scored 11 points or more in six of her last eight games as another offensive weapon for ACU. Since scoring six total points through the first three games of WAC play, she's averaged 13.1 points per game.
Troxell is aiming to return to the same form that had her averaging 13.6 points through the first eight games of WAC action. That average has sunk to 7.7 points over her last three contests, including a two-point effort on 1-of-12 shooting at Southern Utah.
Emily Isaacson has charged the Utah Tech offense to the tune of 13 points per game while averaging 5.6 rebounds, both team highs. She scored 19 points in the squads' first meeting and is two games removed from a 27-point performance against California Baptist. Isaacson's 48.2% shooting percentage and 42.2% clip from three-point range lead the Trailblazers.
Ellie Taylor averaged 7.4 points through nonconference play but has surged to score 13 points per game in WAC matchups. Chardonnay Hartley has been Utah Tech's workhorse, logging 34.6 minutes per game to lead the conference. She's also the WAC leader in assists with 6.5 per game.
