The Wildcats lit up Moody Coliseum Wednesday night, stomping Texas A&M Commerce and keeping their post-season hopes alive.
The ‘Cats came ready to play, never once trailing behind the Lions. An early 16-5 run set the tone for the game, and Commerce didn’t challenge it.
“I felt like we came out ready to play last night,” said head coach Shawna Lavender. “We talked about taking them out of the game early and not letting up. It was a great tean effort and hopefully we can carry this momentum into Saturday’s game.”
Sophomore guard Mack Lankford finished the game with 23 points, followed closely behind by Renata Marquez with 21. Marquez played one of her best games this year, contributing six rebounds, one assist, and three steals.
The 93-55 win over the Lions was a poor reflection of the ‘Cats overall season, as the women’s basketball team barely managed to win seven out of 12 conference games this year.
After defeating Texas A&M Commerce, ACU’s entire season comes down to one game.
This Saturday, they have a chance to redeem themselves and to clinch the eighth spot in the Lone Star Conference Post-Season tournament as they take Tarleton State on the road.
The Wildcats are ranked at 10 out of the 11 conference teams, just behind Eastern New Mexico University and Texas A&M Kingsville. ENMU pulled out a 72-64 victory over Cameron Wednesday night in overtime, and TAMU-K managed to come out with a 63-58 win over Texas Woman’s.
Wednesday’s games leave Incarnate Word and ENMU tied in seventh place, followed by Kingsville, and finally ACU.
In order to have a shot in the tournament, Saturday’s game against the TexAnns is critical for the ‘Cats to win.
If ACU beats Tarleton this weekend and Eastern New Mexico loses at Midwestern State, they will be in a three-way tie with ENMU and TAMU-K for the final spot in the tournament.
In a tie-breaking situation, the Wildcats will advance to the eighth place spot because of their overall record against the other two teams that they are tied with.
Saturday’s contest will be difficult for the ‘Cats, having lost the last six meetings with Tarleton State. The last time ACU was able to win in Stephenville was in 2009.
But as a final effort, the women’s basketball teams hopes to come off strong. Their three game win streak has brought a new momentum to the team. phenville was in 2009.
But as a final effort, the women’s basketball teams hopes to come off strong. Their three game win streak has brought a new momentum to the team.
“We know we are in a must win situation on Saturday and we need a little help from some other teams,” Lavender said. “All we can do is take care of our end and see what happens from there. We will be ready to go on Saturday.”
