After taking care of Incarnate Word 66-58 earlier this week, the women’s basketball team clinched at least a share of the Southland Conference regular season championship and earned a bid to the Women’s NIT tournament.
Now at 16-1 against Southland Conference opponents, the Wildcats have the opportunity Saturday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to earn their first outright Southland Conference championship in women’s basketball history.
When the two teams met earlier this season it was the Wildcat’s first game without junior forward Lizzy Dimba, but ACU managed a 71-65 win.
In that game the Wildcats committed a glaring 22 turnovers and were outscored 37-0 in bench scoring. However, a stellar 25-point, eight-rebound performance from junior Suzzy Dimba paced ACU’s offense and helped it to the six-point victory.
The Wildcats will be hoping for another strong performance from Dimba as well as from Southland Conference player of the year candidate, junior guard Alexis Mason. Mason recorded 19 points in the two teams previous meeting and remains second in the Southland averaging 17.6 points per game.
The win over the Islanders was ACU’s third straight after having their historic 14-game win streak ended against Lamar. Since this win the Wildcats have rattled off four more and pushed their current win-streak to seven.
Meanwhile TAMCC enters the game having lost four out of its last five and it has failed to score above 70 points in any of those games. The Islanders have also struggled mightily on the road this at 2-8, while ACU is a perfect 13-0.
Three-point shooting will look to be an emphasis Saturday as the Islanders boast the second best percentage in the conference at .359 and the Wildcats lead the conference in makes per game at 7.9. ACU is also first in three-point field goal percentage forcing opponents to an average .285 clip.
ACU is one of two teams to have clinched a WNIT bid, while the full bracket will be announced March 14. Saturday’s game will be the men’s and women’s home and season finales, the teams are undefeated when they play back-to-back.
Seniors Paris Webb and Whitney West will also be honored with their families before the game as part of Senior Day. Webb joined the team last season and played in all but two games, and has started the last five games in place of the injured Dimba.
West, former 2012-2013 Lone Star Conference freshman of the year, is finishing her fourth full season with the Wildcats and is the lone player remaining from ACU’s Div. II playing days.
A win against TAMCC would clinch the regular season championship for the Wildcats, but in the event of a loss, ACU can still clinch if McNeese State beats Central Arkansas. Central Arkansas barely escaped Nicholls State 56-51 in its previous matchup.
