ABILENE - Abilene Christian women's basketball scratched and clawed its way to a 64-59 win over Tarleton State in the I-20 Rivalry at Moody Coliseum on Thursday night. The Wildcats improved to an undefeated 8-0 at home this season while earning their fourth victory in a row versus the Texans in Abilene.
ACU continues Western Athletic Conference play versus UT Arlington at Moody Coliseum at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats will recognize Girl Scouts in the Big Country on Girl Scout Day.
ACU never trailed in the contest but saw a 13-point lead with three minutes to go shrink to six points with 1:09 left.
Payton Hull sank four clutch free throws while the Wildcats held the Texans to a 1-of-5 showing from the field in the final minute for enough cushion to pull out the win.
The Wildcats connected on 24 of 55 shots and forced 19 turnovers behind 11 steals.
Meredith Mayes powered ACU with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting, raising her season field goal percentage to .682, ranking third in the nation.
Mayes, who missed much of the fourth quarter with an injury, brought down six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Her defensive pressure resulted in a season-high three blocks and three steals.
Hull stretched her ACU Division I-record streak of games with double digit points to 36 consecutive games with her late free throws. She registered 13 points with six steals and four assists. Hull drained each of her six attempts from the charity stripe, boosting her free throw percentage to .815.
Erin Woodson was the final Wildcat in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and a team-high nine rebounds and five assists.
The Wildcats controlled the tempo from the get-go, grabbing a 19-8 lead through the first quarter behind a 15-2 rally worth over five minutes of game time. ACU knocked down eight of 17 field goal attempts, with Mayes leading the way with six points on 3-of-4 shooting. She added two offensive rebounds and two blocks. Hull was a force on the defensive end, coming away with four steals as ACU forced seven turnovers.
ACU took a 30-20 lead into the break after Woodson recorded four points and three rebounds in six minutes in the second quarter. Mayes and Hull collected two steals apiece, while Mayes chipped in her third block of the half. The Wildcats rattled off nine points in a row over two minutes to provide the bulk of their scoring.
Tarleton State wasted little time jumping to a hot start out of halftime, opening the third quarter on a 9-2 run. ACU answered with eight straight points of its own to restore a double-digit advantage and end the period ahead, 47-37. The Wildcats nailed half their shots at a 7-of-14 clip, with Mayes scoring eight points at a 4-of-4 mark. Woodson contributed three assists and three rebounds.
Hull scored six points in the fourth quarter, four of which came from the free throw line. The Wildcats made each of their six free throw attempts, compared to a 4-of-8 clip from the Texans.
