Friday, March 13
Las Vegas, Nev.
4:30 p.m. (CT)
Abilene Christian
23-9,13-5WAC
70
vs
50
UT Arlington
12-21,4-14WAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT Arlington | 12 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 50 |
| Abilene Christian | 23 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 70 |
Photo by: Luke White
ACU Downs UT Arlington to Advance to WAC Tournament Championship
3/13/2026 9:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS - No. 2 Abilene Christian women's basketball defeated No. 6 UT Arlington 70-50 in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals at Orleans Arena on Friday afternoon to advance to the WAC championship. The Wildcats won their first-ever WAC Tournament game and will play in their first conference title game since 2018-19 versus top-seeded California Baptist.
ACU will battle the Lancers for the fourth time this season at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday. Krista Blunk (play-by-play) and Layshia Clarendon (analyst) will be on the call for ESPNU, while Andy Penney (play-by-play) and Ron Holmes (analyst) will cover the action on the ACU Sports Network.
The Wildcats used a stifling defensive effort to take control versus the Lady Mavs, allowing their fewest points since Feb. 5 and the lowest field goal percentage since Jan. 17. ACU answered by sinking nearly half its shots at .479, its highest shooting clip since Jan. 17 and its third-highest versus a Division I opponent this season.
The Wildcats forced 20 turnovers behind 13 steals and turned them into 24 points. They connected on seven of 16 three-point attempts and 17 of 22 tries from the charity stripe.
WAC Player of the Year Payton Hull defended her title with a 21-point effort on 6-of-10 shooting, including an 8-of-10 mark from the free throw line. She dished out three assists and came away with a team-high four steals. Hull reached 1,460 career points, good for third-most in ACU's Division I era. Aimee Flippen matched her career best with 10 points, while Jazmyn Stone tied her season high with 10 points of her own.
Flippen was 5 of 9 from the field, while Stone tied her career best with seven made free throws on eight attempts. Natalia Chavez and Emma Troxell combined for 13 points, with Chavez leading ACU with a career-high five assists and Troxell collecting seven boards. Both grabbed a pair of steals.
All-WAC Second Team selection Erin Woodson tallied nine rebounds with four assists and two steals.
The Wildcats started off hot and didn't look back with a 9-of-12 showing from the field in the first quarter for a 23-12 lead. They made three of four three-point tries. Hull rattled off 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting as ACU ended the period on a 12-2 run.
The Wildcats took a 41-26 lead into halftime after outscoring the Lady Mavs 18-14 in the second quarter and forcing nine turnovers. ACU ramped up its defensive intensity in the third period, limiting UT Arlington to just seven points at a 2-of-11 clip.
ACU fended off a late UT Arlington run in the fourth quarter while making two of four shots from beyond the arc and each of four free throw tries.
ACU will battle the Lancers for the fourth time this season at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday. Krista Blunk (play-by-play) and Layshia Clarendon (analyst) will be on the call for ESPNU, while Andy Penney (play-by-play) and Ron Holmes (analyst) will cover the action on the ACU Sports Network.
The Wildcats used a stifling defensive effort to take control versus the Lady Mavs, allowing their fewest points since Feb. 5 and the lowest field goal percentage since Jan. 17. ACU answered by sinking nearly half its shots at .479, its highest shooting clip since Jan. 17 and its third-highest versus a Division I opponent this season.
The Wildcats forced 20 turnovers behind 13 steals and turned them into 24 points. They connected on seven of 16 three-point attempts and 17 of 22 tries from the charity stripe.
WAC Player of the Year Payton Hull defended her title with a 21-point effort on 6-of-10 shooting, including an 8-of-10 mark from the free throw line. She dished out three assists and came away with a team-high four steals. Hull reached 1,460 career points, good for third-most in ACU's Division I era. Aimee Flippen matched her career best with 10 points, while Jazmyn Stone tied her season high with 10 points of her own.
Flippen was 5 of 9 from the field, while Stone tied her career best with seven made free throws on eight attempts. Natalia Chavez and Emma Troxell combined for 13 points, with Chavez leading ACU with a career-high five assists and Troxell collecting seven boards. Both grabbed a pair of steals.
All-WAC Second Team selection Erin Woodson tallied nine rebounds with four assists and two steals.
The Wildcats started off hot and didn't look back with a 9-of-12 showing from the field in the first quarter for a 23-12 lead. They made three of four three-point tries. Hull rattled off 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting as ACU ended the period on a 12-2 run.
The Wildcats took a 41-26 lead into halftime after outscoring the Lady Mavs 18-14 in the second quarter and forcing nine turnovers. ACU ramped up its defensive intensity in the third period, limiting UT Arlington to just seven points at a 2-of-11 clip.
ACU fended off a late UT Arlington run in the fourth quarter while making two of four shots from beyond the arc and each of four free throw tries.
Team Stats
UTA
ACU
FG%
.380
.479
3FG%
.300
.438
FT%
.474
.773
RB
27
36
TO
20
20
STL
10
13
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
10
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
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