The Wildcats dropped their home opener 105-91 against Texas-Permian Basin, unable to overcome 35 turnovers.

The loss drops the Wildcats to 0-3 on the season as the Falcons improved to 3-0. ACU will be back on the court next Tuesday in San Antonio when it takes on St. Mary’s University in a non-conference game.

“When you look at the stat sheet, we are not going to win the game giving up 25 offensive rebounds and 35 turnovers,” head coach Shawna Lavender said. “We have a lot of players that are still trying to learn to play with each other.”

ACU had two players score at least 25 points, but even that was not enough. Sophomore guard Kelsey Smith was 15-21 for the game, scoring 32 points. Freshman guard Mack Lankford added 25 points.

The Wildcats were tied at halftime 47-47 despite outshooting the Falcons in the first half. The game stayed close in the second half as the Wildcats led with 15 minutes left at 60-59. The Falcons then went on a 13­-4 run to regain the lead at 72­-64 with 13:04 left to play.

ACU fought to get back in the game and cut the Falcons lead to two at 75-73. The Falcons answered by going on a 15-2 run over the next five minutes to put the game away. The Falcons cruised to an 106­-91 victory.

“It is about becoming more disciplined and understanding what you have to do to compete at this level,” Lavender said. “The girls are learning, and we have a lot of competitors on this team.”

The Wildcats have been plagued with turnovers this season, committing 25, 31 and 35 turnovers in their first three games respectively, leading to a 0­-3 start.

ACU will be back on the court next Tuesday in San Antonio when it takes on St. Mary’s University in a non-conference game.

“Obviously we  are disappointed on how we have started,” Smith said. “We feel that most the mistakes we are making is because we are young, so we are working on taking care of the ball and maturing as a team.”