Abilene Christian (21-12, 9-7) vs. Central Arkansas (23-9, 15-3)
Monday, March 24 | 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Conway, Ark. | Farris Center
Postseason WNIT - Second Round
GAME LINKS
CONWAY, Ark. - When Abilene Christian women's basketball meets Central Arkansas at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Farris Center, it will find itself in a situation the program hasn't seen in eight years.
With an 86-59 win over Northwestern State on Thursday night, the Wildcats advanced to the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament, doing so for the first time since 2017. It's just the second postseason tournament win in the team's Division I history, and, with a win, ACU will advance to the third round of a postseason tournament for the first time ever.
For the second game in a row, the Wildcats will meet a former Southland Conference foe in the Sugar Bears, who competed alongside ACU from 2013-14 to 2020-21 before joining the Atlantic Sun. Central Arkansas has built its most successful season since 2016-17 with a 23-9 record and a 15-3 mark in conference action under second-year coach Tony Kemper.
In their last time out, the Sugar Bears fell in the ASUN Championship Final to Florida Gulf Coast, 68-51. They earned an automatic bid to the WNIT and received a bye for the first round of play. Central Arkansas won 14 of its last 16 conference matchups in the regular season, including a 12-game winning streak at its peak.
ACU head coach
Julie Goodenough made the first significant change to the Wildcats' starting lineup in two months with the addition of
Payton Hull. After suffering an injury on Jan. 16 that sidelined her for the remainder of the regular season, the sophomore made her way back into that starting rotation on Thursday in place of
Erin Woodson.
Woodson responded with a team-high 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench, while Hull scored 15 points for the second game in a row.
Meredith Mayes and
Bella Earle joined them in double digits with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Earle made history on the defensive end with four steals to give her 77 for the year, good for the most in a single season in ACU's Division I era. She owns the record for most field goals in a season with 171, and she's 25 minutes away from claiming the crown for most minutes played in a season with 1,114.
Earle remains within striking distance of entering the program's top three ranks for career rebounds and steals, currently sitting in fourth in both categories. She needs just three boards to surpass Lizzy Dimba, while six steals would move her beyond Alexis Mason.
Mayes, just a sophomore, has also established herself in the Wildcats' record books for blocks and offensive rebounds. Her 36 blocks this year have positioned her sixth in the single-season top 10, leaving her three away from fifth place and seven away from fourth.
With 99 offensive rebounds, Mayes is three away from taking second place in the single-season category. She grabbed two offensive boards against Northwestern State to insert herself into the program's career top 10 with 144, and she needs just one to take ninth place. Mayes' 52 career blocks are sixth in ACU history.
Like they saw versus the Lady Demons, the Wildcats will meet a Sugar Bear squad with a penchant for strong field goal defense and a powerful presence on the glass. Central Arkansas' 37.9% field goal defense ranks second in the ASUN and 54th in the nation, and it will be met by ACU's 43.3% field goal clip, ranking second in the WAC and 85th in the country.
The Sugar Bears reel in 38.4 rebounds per game with a +4.0 rebound margin, both figures that rank in the top 85 overall. Both teams boast an offense in the nation's top 100, and, after knocking down nine of 22 three-pointers on Thursday, the Wildcats have an opportunity to attack Central Arkansas' 314th-ranked three-point defense.
Jade Upshaw, a First Team All-ASUN selection, is one of three Sugar Bears to start each game of the season, averaging 16.1 points to rank third in the conference. Leah Mafua scored 17 points in Central Arkansas' last time out and averages 12.2 per game with a 36.9% clip from beyond the arc. She was named to the Second Team.
Bree Stephens earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honors while leading the conference with 2.5 blocks per game. Her 2.6 assists pace the Sugar Bears, while her 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals are each second on the team.
Monday's game will be streamed on
ESPN+ with JB Brazeal and Bobby Swofford on the call. Local fans can tune into the action on
101.7 FM The Patriot as
Luke White calls the action.
