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With just four games left in this year’s regular season, the women’s basketball team gears up for the road one final time in a rematch with Houston Baptist.
The two teams met earlier this season in Moody Coliseum, when the Wildcats defeated the Huskies 77-60. At the time the win was ACU’s 13th straight during a historic 14-game winning streak.
In their last meeting, the game was decided on the boards and in the paint, where ACU earned advantages of 50-27 and 36-20 respectively. The Wildcats also received an outstanding individual effort from junior guard Alexis Mason who converted her first double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite the rebounding advantage, HBU’s senior forward Anna Strickland single-handedly pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, three of which were offensive, to compliment her 16 points and five steals.
Head coach Julie Goodenough said the team will have to step up its rebounding against HBU, especially in the absence of leading rebounder, junior forward Lizzy Dimba.
“They have two tremendous offensive rebounders and obviously after they see this video and see how much we were lacking blocking out I think we’ve really got to be ready to only allow one shot, and it’s got to be a contested shot, and we have to get it down on the boards,” Goodenough said.
The Wildcats are coming off a narrow 72-70 victory over Southeastern Louisiana, in a game which extended their home winning streak to 11. Junior forwards Sydney Shelstead and Suzzy Dimba each produced double-doubles, as Shelstead posted 24 points and 10 rebounds and Dimba recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Houston Baptist escaped with its own narrow victory in recent action, as it defeated Incarnate Word 62-61 on the road. HBU is currently an even .500 in Southland Conference play at 7-7 and sit sixth in the standings.
“Houston Baptist is jockeying for the best bracket position they can possible get in the conference tournament, so a win would be really big for them,” Goodenough said.
Although the Wildcats dominated the stat line the last time these teams met, HBU is a very different team at home. In fact, their winning percentage is doubled in Sharp Gym where they are 7-4 this season.
Clearly the Wildcats are no slouch on the road, boasting a 9-3 record away from Moody, but after the nail-biting win over Southeastern Louisiana, ACU knows all records go out the window after tip-off.
A win over HBU would cut ACU’s magic number to clinch the Southland Conference Championship to two wins, with their last three games coming at home against competition with less than .500 records.
