Trailing by two with four minutes left in the game, women’s basketball was in good position to upset Texas Tech at home for the second time in three years. But the Red Raiders used a late run to hold off the Wildcats, making it a 71-65 final.
ACU entered the fourth quarter trailing by 10, after they ended the third on a 6-2 run with free throws from juniors Sydney Shelstead and Suzzy Dimba, and a jumper from junior Alexis Mason.
Texas Tech pushed the lead to 12 with 9:30 to play in the game, but over the next five minutes, the Wildcats went on an 18-8 scoring run to cut the lead to two at 62-60.
Senior Whitney West Swinford helped fuel the run scoring five points over the five-minute span, along with junior Lizzy Dimba, who scored six of her eight points during the run. Dimba was limited in the second half after she picked up her third foul with seven minutes to go in the third quarter.
Suzzy Dimba also added two free throws during the 18-8 scoring run and posted her second double-double in three games with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“I don’t feel like I was doing my part in the scoring and rebounding part of my game,” Suzzy Dimba said. “So I’ve been constantly reminding myself lately to keep going after the boards and to get myself in the paint as well for layups so I can get to the free throw line. I believe driving to the basket and rebounding are some of the things I’m best at, and I’ve just gotta set my head on it and get it done.”
Dimba finished 3-16 from the field, but was able to get the free throw line, shooting 8-10 from the stripe.
Despite the Wildcats early fourth-quarter push, the Red Raiders were able to stave off the comeback attempt and upset bid with a 9-3 run of their own. West did cut the lead to four on a three-pointer with nine seconds left, but trailing and forced to foul Texas Tech sealed the win with two free throws.
Head coach Julie Goodenough was very pleased, despite the six-point loss.
“Valiant effort in the fourth quarter on the back of intense defense that led to stops. We had great looks the last couple of minutes that just didn’t go in,” Goodenough said.
Texas Tech was the second and final Big XII team ACU will face this season. Suzzy Dimba said there were definitely some differences with the way they played the Red Raiders.
“Intensity, focus and determination were definitely some of the things that were different between our game against Texas Tech and Kansas State,” Suzzy Dimba said. “We had more of a ‘not going to give up’ attitude in the Tech game and didn’t throw in the towel when we faced adversity. We fought to the very end where as in Kansas State we just let up after we faced some adversity.”
With the loss ACU falls to 4-2 on the season and prepares to head to Colorado Springs, Colorado to take on Grand Canyon University and Eastern Michigan University this weekend.
