With their 10th straight win the women’s basketball team is 5-0 in conference and look to keep rolling when they travel to Sam Houston State and Incarnate Word to wrap up a three-game road trip.
The win streak is the longest since the 1997-98 season, as ACU used a dominating fourth quarter to take care of Stephen F. Austin, 85-70, for the first time in school history.
“The momentum will help us continue to work hard and prepare for our next opponent,” said junior forward Sydney Shelstead. “At the end of the day it is about us being the best team, no matter where we play or who we face.”
Sam Houston State started conference play 2-1, but after losing their last two, find themselves in the middle of the pack at 6-9 overall and 2-3 in the Southland. Despite their record the Bearkats still have the Southland Conference’s leading scorer in senior Shernise Robertson averaging 17.5 ppg.
Wildcat’s head coach Julie Goodenough knows it won’t just take one player to slow down Robertson.
“It will take a united team effort to contain Sam Houston State’s [Shernise] Robertson,” Goodenough said.
However, ACU brings its own scoring threat in the junior duo of Alexis Mason and Shelstead. Mason ranks third at 16 points per game and earned back-to-back Southland Conference Player of the Week award. While Shelstead is close behind in sixth with 14.9 ppg. The Wildcats also rank first in team scoring and second in scoring defense, while Sam Houston State ranks eighth in those categories.
The Wildcats have won two of the last three match ups against the Bearkats, including a 63-48 victory, last time the teams met in Huntsville.
After SHSU, women’s basketball takes on another struggling team in Incarnate Word in the final game of a three-game road trip. UIW is currently 11th in the Southland with a 1-3 record and averaging just 55.5 points each contest.
ACU had its way with Incarnate Word a season ago winning two match ups by a combined 34 points.
The Cardinals did pick up a win in their most recent match up against Southeastern Louisiana 70-66, scoring over 60 points for the first time this conference season. But at the top of the conference the Wildcats should expect everyone’s best game.
“We play day by day, so right now we are worried about working as hard as we can and trying to be the best team we can be,” Shelstead said. “I’m excited for the upcoming weeks of basketball and look forward to working hard with my team.”
