By Michael Freeman, Assistant Sports Editor
The Wildcats staved off a second-half comeback to beat Texas A&M-Commerce 88-82 Thursday afternoon in Bartlesville, Okla. The victory marked the first ACU win in the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament since the 2004-05 season. With the win, the women’s basketball team improved to 18-10 overall and advanced to the semifinal round of the tournament. Texas A&MCommerce’s season ended with a 19-9 overall record.
“We tried to get the ball down low from the start,” said head coach Shawna Lavender. “We really wanted to force the inside game, so it would open up the outside game a little bit for us. And it worked. I think the biggest thing was that we had a balanced attack.”
Three Wildcats scored in double-figures during Thursday’s game, including center Audrey Maxwell, who recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Guard Alex Guiton posted 22 points and six assists, while guard Kelsey Darby finished with 10 points. Forward Jody Meyer ended the game with eight points and 14 rebounds.
The Lions attempted to counter with a 38-point performance by guard Britney Jordan. Jordan also tied a LSC Tournament record by dishing out 12 assists. Forward Katedria Mosley scored 14 points, giving her 1,601 for her career – a new Texas A&M-Commerce school record. But their efforts were futile, especially in the first half.
ACU jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in the opening three minutes. By the 6:31 mark, the Wildcats had built their lead to 39-25. Going into halftime, ACU led 49-38.
“Defensively, I thought we did a really great job,” Lavender said. “They really rely on their second and third shots, and we were able to take them out of that. When they weren’t able to get
second and third shots, they didn’t know what to do after that.”
Starting the second half however, the Lions were able to get a few secondshot opportunities. At the 11:08 mark, Mosley gave the Lions the lead 55-54 with a layup. ACU retaliated with an 11-0 run to retake the lead for the rest of the game.
“We maintained our composure,” Lavender said. “We knew if we kept attacking and if we were patient with the ball that we would get the shots that we wanted.”
ACU only allowed Texas A&M-Commerce to grab eight offensive rebounds – 10 fewer than the Lions’ season average. The Wildcats also made it to the free throw line 34 times,
and drained 70.6 of their free throws. ACU also committed only 17 turnovers – a deadly statistic the last time the Wildcats played the Lions. On Jan. 26, the Wildcats turned the ball over 31 times in an 86-80 overtime loss.
Next up for ACU is Central Oklahoma who beat Tarleton State 72-68 in its quarterfinal game on Thursday. The semifinal match-up is scheduled for Saturday at noon in Bartlesville.
“We have a pretty good idea of what they do,” Lavender said. “I think the girls will be ready.”
