ABILENE - Abilene Christian women's basketball couldn't stave off California Baptist's fourth-quarter comeback as it suffered a 74-71 loss at Moody Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
Emma Troxell's career-high 22 points and nine field goals weren't enough to help the Wildcats avoid their first home loss in over a year.
ACU looks to return to the win column with a pair of in-state matchups on the road next week. The Wildcats visit UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Thursday before closing out their season series versus Tarleton State in Stephenville at 2 p.m. Saturday. It will be ACU's first game at the Texans' EECU Center, which opened this season.
The Wildcats took a 58-49 lead into the game's fourth quarter after routing the Lancers in the third period, 25-9. CBU stormed back with an offensive barrage of their own, outscoring ACU 25-13 in the final 10 minutes.
After Troxell's three-pointer tied the game at 67 with 3:10 to play, the Lancers took the lead for good at the 1:41 mark. Their fifth three-pointer of the quarter served as the dagger, pushing them ahead by five with 14 seconds remaining.
The matchup featured nine ties and 16 lead changes. ACU connected on 10 three-pointers, its most since Dec. 2, 2025 versus McMurry. The Wildcats were dealt their first home loss of the season and their first since Jan. 30, 2025, also by three points to CBU. ACU had won its previous 17 games at Moody Coliseum.
The do-it-all Troxell delivered one of the top games of her career on 9-of-16 shooting, including a 2-of-3 mark from beyond the arc. She brought down six rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, with two assists and three steals. The Wildcats turned the Lancers' 18 turnovers into 22 points.
Payton Hull followed with 19 points and a trio of three-pointers, giving her an average of 24.7 points at a .558 clip in three games this week. She was 12 of 25 from three-point range. Hull sank each of her six free throw tries on Saturday and added six boards, four assists and three steals, tying or holding the team lead in each statistic.
Erin Woodson, who has scored in the double figures in all but two games this season, chipped in 10 points with six rebounds and three assists.
Natalia Chavez and
Breanna Davis combined for 15 points and seven boards.
ACU earned a slight 20-18 advantage through the first quarter as Chavez scored each of her eight points in the first 10 minutes. She went 3-of-4 from the field, knocking down both of her three-point attempts. Troxell added six points and three offensive rebounds. The Wildcats ended the quarter with five straight points, capped by Chavez's three-pointer. ACU capitalized on CBU's four turnovers, turning them into 11 points.
The Lancers tipped the scales in their favor in the second quarter by a 22-13 margin. They were nearly perfect from the field, draining 10 of 11 shots. Hull ran the show for the Wildcats with eight points at a 3-of-5 mark, including 2 of 3 from long distance. She added an assist and a steal. CBU ended the half on a 13-3 run to take a 40-33 lead into halftime.
The third quarter belonged to ACU, who outscored CBU by 16 with a complete effort on both ends of the floor. The Wildcats scored the first 17 points of the period, with the Lancers not logging points until the 3:40 mark. ACU knocked down nine of 16 shots while limiting CBU to a 3-for-17 showing.
Troxell and Hull registered seven points apiece, with Troxell chipping in a couple of steals. She engineered an emphatic finish to the quarter where, after having a shot blocked, she collected a steal and drained a two-point jumper to beat the buzzer.
Undaunted by the Wildcats' nine-point advantage, the Lancers built a rally of their own with a 16-4 run to open the fourth quarter. CBU hit 10 of 16 field goal attempts, including a 5-of-8 effort from beyond the arc. A three-pointer tied the score at 62 with 4:46 remaining, and another shot from deep pushed the Lancers in front with 4:06 to go.
After Troxell sent the game to its final tie, consecutive CBU layups pushed it in front for good. Two Hull free throws got ACU within a couple points before the Lancers' final three-pointer put the game on ice.
