Postgame Press Conference
ABILENE - Led by four scorers in double figures, Abilene Christian women's basketball breezed to an 86-59 win over Northwestern State at Moody Coliseum on Thursday night. The Wildcats opened Postseason WNIT play with a victory, their second postseason tournament win of all time and their first since 2017.
The night also served as head coach
Julie Goodenough's 900th career game in 31 years as a head coach (538-362). She's accrued 538 wins, 249 of which have come at ACU, where she's in her 13th season leading the program (249-142). Goodenough has the second-most wins in ACU history, trailing Burl McCoy's 299, and second-best winning percentage at .637, trailing Suzanne Fox's .780.
Coming off the bench for the first time in two months,
Erin Woodson sparked ACU with 21 points, two points shy of tying her career best, on 6-of-7 shooting and a trio of three-pointers. Woodson entered the starting lineup on Jan. 18 after
Payton Hull suffered an injury, but Hull's return to action allowed her to reclaim her starting spot.
Hull, playing in just her second game since Jan. 16 and starting for the first time since then, showed little rust with 15 points for the second consecutive game. She added five rebounds to go with four assists and two blocks, both team highs.
Meredith Mayes scored 14 points with seven boards, while
Emma Troxell led the Wildcats on the glass with nine rebounds. Senior
Bella Earle, in her final game at Moody Coliseum, tallied 13 points and six rebounds while writing her name in the ACU record books.
Earle came away with four steals to give her 77 this year, the most in a single season in the program's Division I era. She has 166 across her four-year career, good for fourth-most in team history. Earle's 13 points moved her into a tie for the third-most in a season with 455.
Taking on a Lady Demon squad that ranks in the nation's top 25 in both field goal defense and three-point defense, the Wildcats surpassed their season averages in shooting 46.2% from the field and 40.9% from long distance. It was the most points ACU has scored in the 2025 calendar year.
Northwestern State entered the night ranked 16th in the country in rebounds per game, but was outrebounded by ACU, 45-32. The Wildcats came away with 18 turnovers, turning them into 26 points.
Mya Blake and Sharna Ayres recorded 14 points each for Northwestern State and combined for seven of its 10 assists. Vernell Atamah had 11 points and six rebounds, while Zhane Thompson knocked down three of six three-point tries.
What started as a slow start to the first quarter for ACU turned into a monster run into the second period as it grabbed a 30-14 lead. The Wildcats had scored just six points six minutes into the quarter before launching a 24-4 rally in the final four minutes. They nailed nine of 10 field goal attempts, including four consecutive three-pointers.
Woodson led the way with 11 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting, including two shots from beyond the arc. Mayes added seven points with a 3-of-4 mark from the field, and Hull did a bit of everything with five points and two rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
On the defensive end, ACU forced six Northwestern State turnovers with just one of its own. The Wildcats turned those turnovers into 15 points. They shot 55% for the quarter with a 50% clip from three-point range.
ACU maintained its 16-point lead going into halftime at 44-28 as both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter. Mayes powered the Wildcats with five points and three rebounds, while
Zoe Jackson became the fifth ACU player to notch a three-pointer.
Mayes and Woodson each entered the break in double digits, while Ayres scored 11 points in the first half for the Lady Demons. The Wildcats hit half their shots in the first half and outrebounded Northwestern State, 22-14.
ACU stretched its lead to as much as 20 in the third quarter before Northwestern State built an 8-2 run to end the period and cut its deficit to 64-51. The Lady Demons launched their most productive quarter with 23 points on 47.4% shooting and five three-pointers, three of which came from Thompson.
The Wildcats came out of the gates roaring in the fourth quarter, using a 10-0 run to stretch their lead to as much as 27. Woodson and Hull scored six points each as ACU shot 50% compared to a 7.7% clip from Northwestern State.
ACU moves onto the second round of the Postseason WNIT, where it will meet Central Arkansas at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Conway, Ark. Local fans can tune into the action at the Farris Center on
101.7 FM The Patriot.
