The ACU women’s basketball team faces off against Northwood University on Nov. 19. The game will be the final one in the ‘Cats four-game home stand.

Northwood has started the season with a busy schedule. Already through five games, it is clear their offense is explosive, grabbing multiple commanding victories. They posted an impressive 117 points against Southwestern Adventist University.

While the Wildcat defense will have their hands full, coach Goodenough said she believes her young team has already improved.

“We are really starting to understand our defensive philosophy and our man rules,” Goodenough said.

Still, guard Cemetra Jenkins said she believes ACU has to get better.

“I think we can improve on transition and communication. We have got to talk more,” she said.

Regardless, it has been the team’s upperclassmen that led it to this point. Senior Renata Marquez went for 30 points in game one and Jenkins went for 21 points in game two. Meanwhile, Whitney West added 19 and 20 points respectively. However, Marquez thinks her leadership is less about her scoring and more about her effort.

Marquez said, “Whether I am the leading scorer or not, I just want to always do my best.”

This lesson of continual effort is something that Goodenough is trying hard to impress on the Freshmen players.

“They are still making a few mistakes, but I just keep telling them to go hard everyday and good things will happen,” Goodenough said.

The intensity is already beginning to show up on the court. Against Wayland Baptist, the bench accounted for 29 points, and the ‘Cats also managed 13 second-chance points. This production will be key against a Northwood Knights team, which tends to jump on opponents early.

The Knights will be ACU’s second National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics opponent of the year. Goodenough said games such as this one are important for establishing an identity as well as confidence for later in the year. It also goes a long way in creating a fan base for a team that will spend nearly all of December on the road. Following the Tuesday game against Northwood, ACU will have only one remaining home game before students leave for the holidays.