By Jeff Craig, Sports Writer
Jamie Meyer led all scorers with 15 points as the women’s basketball team defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville 71-62, handing the Javelinas their first home loss of the season.
The Wildcats entered the game with a 9-7 record, and were facing a 14-4 Texas A&M-Kingsville team that had compiled 9-0 record at the Steinke Center in Kingsville. Head coach Shawna Lavender was pleased with how her team kept the Javelinas’ potent offense under control.
“I thought we came out and played some great defense, which was key in this game. I also really felt we did a good job of contesting some of their shots and forcing them out,” Lavender said.
The Wildcats shot 37.3 percent from the field while holding the Javelinas to just 29 percent. The Wildcats also seemed to find their groove from beyond the arc shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the three-point line. Perhaps the key stat of the game was bench scoring. ACU’s reserves outscored the Javelinas’ bench 24-11 in the contest, while Coach Lavender was particularly enthused with the play of Courtney Laing who chipped in 12 points off the bench and played a vital role in the game.
“I thought Courtney came into the game off the bench and gave us the spark that we needed,” Lavender said.
The Wildcats appeared well on their way to a major blowout, leading the Javelinas by as many as 27 points in the second half. With just over seven minutes remaining, ACU held a 61-37 advantage; however, the Javelinas would go on a 19-2 run to pull within seven points. ACU managed to hold off the Javelinas down the stretch to improve to 2-1 in conference play.
An individual milestone was also accomplished during the game. ACU center Audrey Maxwell-Lively scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her 30th career double-double. Guard Kelsey Darby also scored 11 points in the game.
ACU’s next game will be this Saturday when the Wildcats will battle Angelo State. The Belles come into the game with a record of 10-7 , the same record as the Wildcats. Angelo State also finds themselves 1-1 in LSC South Division play. The game tips off at 2 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.
