The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / Sports / Lady Wildcats start South play with loss: Angelo State beats ACU in South opener; Cats look to NE State

Lady Wildcats start South play with loss: Angelo State beats ACU in South opener; Cats look to NE State

January 16, 2004 by Brian Roe

By Brian Roe, Sports Writer

ACU opened Lone Star Conference South Division play Tuesday night with a 71-63 loss to the 13th-ranked Rambelles of Angelo State.

Natalja Tsurbakova scored 26 points and Sharon Ballengerto added 18 to lead the visiting Belles over the Wildcats.

Senior center Melanie Carter recorded a double-double, scoring 20 points and 10 re-bounds, while sophomore guard Ashley King chipped in 12 points and six assists for ACU.

The Wildcats led by 12 points with five minutes remaining in the first half before capitulating to the Belles in the first five minutes of the second half. Angelo State nailed the coffin by outscoring ACU 18-4 in the initial five minutes of that second half, proving what a difference five minutes can make.

“Those five minutes were the difference in the game,” said head coach Shawna Lavender. “Take away those five minutes and we probably win the game. We pretty much outplayed them the rest of the game, but they came out ready to play in the second half and we didn’t.

“We played great defense for about 35 minutes of the game, but it was those five minutes at the beginning of the second half that just killed us.”

The Wildcats charged late in the game, trimming the lead to 59-55 with a shade over five minutes left in the game. Reserves Stephanie Riles and Meredith Doyle sparked ACU during the comeback. Riles finished with eight points and three rebounds, while Doyle had five points and seven rebounds.

However, Angelo State remained strong and finished off the Wildcats by going on an 8-2 run

“There were a lot of positives from this game like Melanie played a good game and Leah Wilson played great defense,” Lavender said. “We knew going in that it would be a tough game. We responded well but against a good team like that you can’t afford to have a lapse like that.”

ACU will face another strong team on Saturday in Moody Coliseum against Northeastern State at 2 p.m. The game will be the third straight home game for the Wildcats, who did not play their first home game until after the new year.

Filed Under: Sports

Other Sports:

  • Out with the WAC, in with the UAC

  • Women’s golf drives for success despite young mid-major status

  • More than money: FBS games bring in revenue, impact program

About Brian Roe

You are here: Home / Sports / Lady Wildcats start South play with loss: Angelo State beats ACU in South opener; Cats look to NE State

Other Sports:

  • Out with the WAC, in with the UAC

  • Women’s golf drives for success despite young mid-major status

  • More than money: FBS games bring in revenue, impact program

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
26 Jun

The United Athletic Conference is officially taking the place of the Western Athletic Conference in the 2026-2027 athletic year. The UAC is a joint football effort between the WAC and the ASUN but will now extend to all sports. #acuoptimist #acuathletics #wac #uac

Reply on Twitter 1938240320854008109 Retweet on Twitter 1938240320854008109 2 Like on Twitter 1938240320854008109 7 Twitter 1938240320854008109
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

1 years ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved