Playing with the hopes of post-season run, the Wildcats stomped out Incarnate Word on the road Wednesday night.
Tied 34-34 at halftime, the ‘Cats came back with a chance to take it all.
In what seemed to be a close game, ACU was finally able to pull away from the Cardinals late in the second half.
In the final minutes of the game, the Wildcats quickly replaced their lead from single to double digits. In a 60-55 game, Cecilee Perez banked two free throws followed a Renata Marquez jump shot.
Junior center Kelsey Smith continued the momentum with another shot upping the score 66-55. Sophomore Mack Lankford ensured the win with a layup, and in a matter of minutes, the ‘Cats were up by 17 points, and just over 1:00 on the clock.
“Having confidence in each other and making the right passes helped us to score big in the end,” said freshman center Paige Parliament.
Lankford led the game in points scored, finishing with 25 points. Smith followed with 21 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Marquez also was a huge assest to the team’s success with 15 points, five rebounds, four steals, and one assist.
“We put together another solid 40 minutes and came up with a huge road win,” head coach Shawna Lavender said. “We were very aggressive tonight and controlled the tempo of the game.”
Parliament agreed that the defense played a huge role in their success.
“Having a new zone defense really helped us get a new start,” Parliament said.
The win over the Incarnate Word improves the ‘Cats record to 10-13 overall and 5-12 in the Lone Star Conference. The Cardinals fell 12-12 and 7-12 after the loss.
The top eight teams in the conference all eligible to compete in the LSC Post-Season tournament following the regular season at the end of the month.
“We just have to keep playing like we have nothing to lose,” said Parliament.
After Wednesday night’s win, ACU is 1.5 games behind the current eighth place team, Texas A&M Kingsville.
The Wildcats return to their LSC tournament run Sunday, when they host Texas A&M Kingsville here in Abilene.
“Obviously this was a big win for us, and we just have to continue to take one game at a time,” Lavender said.
As both teams press forward in hopes of a position in the tournament, Sunday’s game would be a critical win on either side.
“Sunday we are going to have to be just as physical with them as they are with us,” said Parliament. “We just need to keep our heads up and continue to press on.”
