RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Abilene Christian women's basketball will battle two of the top teams in the Western Athletic Conference this week as it takes on California Baptist and Southern Utah. The Wildcats head to the West Coast to play the Lancers at 1 p.m. Thursday before hosting the Thunderbirds at Moody Coliseum for ResLife Day at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
California Baptist tops the conference standings as the final undefeated team in WAC play, winning its first five games. Southern Utah joins ACU in a tie for second place in the conference with a 3-1 mark after dropping an 82-77 decision to the Lancers last Saturday.
A win versus California Baptist would cement ACU's best start to WAC play at 4-1 and its top start to conference action since the 2019-20 campaign, when it went 16-4 in the Southland Conference. The Wildcats are an undefeated 7-0 when playing on weekdays this season.
ACU has built Moody Coliseum into one of the top home-court advantages in the conference with a perfect 9-0 showing at home this year. The Wildcats have won their last 14 contests in Abilene with the opportunity to match the program's Division I-record home winning streak of 21 games this season.
The Wildcats split last season's series with the Lancers and the Thunderbirds, with ACU securing a 71-55 victory at California Baptist. It is undefeated against Southern Utah in Abilene, with its last two victories coming by an average of 27.5 points, including a 74-52 win last season.
ACU is coming off a sweep of in-state foes Tarleton State and UT Arlington at Moody Coliseum last week with a pair of gutsy wins. The Wildcats held off a late Texan run in a 64-59 victory on Jan. 8 before making a push of their own to beat the Lady Mavs, 59-56, on Jan. 10.
Erin Woodson stepped up for ACU with a 10-point, nine-rebound effort against Tarleton State before recording 21 points and eight boards versus UT Arlington. She rose to the occasion in the absence of second-leading scorer and top rebounder
Meredith Mayes, who was unavailable versus the Lady Mavs with an injury.
Through the beginning of conference play, the Wildcats continue to sport one of the most efficient offenses and top defenses in the WAC. ACU ranks second with 74.9 points per game, doing so with the league's top field goal percentage at .443. It will match up with California Baptist's conference-leading field goal percentage defense at .369.
The Wildcats rank 50th nationally with 57.9 points allowed per game, while their steals (12.8) and turnovers forced (23.2) per game are each within the top 20. Their +8.0 turnover margin is good for 17th. ACU's defensive pressure has guided it to an undefeated 11-0 mark in games when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points. Southern Utah touts the WAC's top offense with 77.0 points per game while ranking second in field goal percentage (.428).
Payton Hull has lived up to her billing as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, pacing the conference with 16.9 points per game while ranking fifth in field goal percentage at .406. She is third in free throw percentage (.821) and steals per game (2.7), and her 2.2 three-pointers per game are second in the conference. Hull's 3.0 assists per game are good for eighth.
Woodson has also showcased her versatility, landing in the WAC's top 15 in scoring (13.9 ppg), rebounding (5.8 rpg), assists (2.4 apg) and steals (1.9 spg).
