By Brian Roe, Sports Writer
Two days after securing a playoff berth, the Wildcats dropped an important game to Midwestern State and simultaneously dropped in the standings.
ACU, which was tied for first place in the Lone Star Conference South Division with Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M, now sits alone in second place.
ACU rallied late but could not rebound from a disappointing first half, losing the crucial LSC South Division game 78-75 to Midwestern State in Wichita Falls on Saturday.
“Midwestern is a dangerous team,” said head coach Shawna Lavender. “They were picked to win the LSC South Division in preseason polls.”
The loss snapped ACU’s six-game winning streak and also dropped the Wildcats to 17-8 overall and 9-3 in the LSC South Divi-sion.
Meosha Walker paced Mid-western State by scoring 22 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out five assists. Jel-Ani Armstrong also played strong for the Lady Indians, putting up 16 points and grabbing a game-high 17 rebounds.
Senior center Melanie Carter led the Wildcats with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guards Ashley King and Kierstan Barbee were the only other Wildcats to record double-digit points with 15 and 12 respectively.
“It’s important for us to finish the season strong and have some momentum going into the playoffs,” Carter said. “I think we may have an advantage over other teams because while some of them have been making the playoffs every year, this is the first time for this team.”
The Wildcats can still win the LSC South Division by a combination of winning their final two games and rival Angelo State also winning its final two games. The Wildcats will close out the regular season by hosting West Texas A&M Thursday at 6 p.m. and hosting Eastern New Mexico Saturday at 2 p.m.
The LSC Post-Season Tournament will begin Tuesday, March 2. The top four teams in each division will reach the tournament, and the top two teams in each division will host quarterfinal games on March 2.
ACU will host the first set of quarterfinal games if the Wildcats win both games next week and secure first place in the LSC South Division.
