ACU returned to its winning ways on Thursday night beating the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at the Teague Special Events Center, 88-69.
Thursday night’s win also caused ACU women’s basketball to earn its 900th win in program history. After the game, head coach Julie Goodenough talked about how significant the win was to the 51-year old program, and how much it meant to her in being a part of the 900th win.
“I really appreciate being the women’s basketball coach here for the past ten years,” Goodenough said. “When I first came here, ACU was known for winning and championships, and I wanted to be a part of that. So, it’s a big deal to me to be a part of the 900th victory, especially in the short time the program has existed.”
Despite the Vaqueros starting the game on a 10-0 run, the Wildcats were able to come back and take a 22-20 lead into the second quarter. ACU then went on a 14-0 run and never looked back. They continued to build their lead in the third, where they outscored UTRGV 19-8. The Vaqueros ended up scoring more than ACU in the fourth frame, but ACU made the game out of reach.
After the game, Goodenough was encouraged by the second-quarter performance, especially given the team’s struggles with it through the entire season.
“The second quarter has been our nemesis in a couple of games this year,” Goodenough said. “It was big deal that our players got to lock down, get stops and be able to execute to get the shots that we wanted, which eventually allowed us to go on that run. It really showed some maturity and some steps forward for our team.”
By the end of the night, ACU shot 53 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line. They outscored the Vaqueros in the paint 42-24 and scored 28 points off of their 18 turnovers. Goodenough credited the team’s offensive performance to their ability to read the defense and being shot ready.
“We were shot ready and shot the ball really well from the 3-point line,” Goodenough said. “But when the threes were covered up, we went for paint balls. We took what the defense gave us, so when they guarded us tight on the perimeter, they were more vulnerable to out backdoor cuts and drive.”
There were multiple Wildcats in double figures on Thursday night but leading all scorers was senior guard Madi Miller. She scored a season-high 18 points on 75 percent shooting while adding seven assists and five rebounds. According to Miller, her teammates are treating each game as the most important one on their schedule.
“It was a must-win game but every WAC game especially thus far and to come, is going to be a big game,” Miller said. “Our mentality as a team for the rest of the year will be focusing on scouts each game at a time. We knew tonight that this game biggest game on our schedule and the game on Saturday will be the next big game on our schedule.”
With this historic win, the Wildcats are 5-4 in Western Athletic Conference play and currently stand as the fifth-ranked team in the conference standings.
Now the Wildcats will aim to earn their tenth win of the season and overtake the fourth seed in WAC play at home this season versus a familiar opponent, Lamar University. Though the Wildcats have the most recent win from 2021, the Cardinals currently boast the winning 7-6 overall record. And as the Wildcats enter the second half of conference play, every game will be crucial.
“Every single game is important with seeding,” Goodenough said. “There are opportunities to get a bye or even a double-bye and we want our team to get the seeding that allows them to be successful in the conference tournament. In order to do that, we’ll take each game one night at a time and focus on controlling what we can control, which includes winning at home.”
These Southland Conference turned WAC foes will face off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Teague Special Events Center for Alumni Day. The game will also be streaming live on ESPN+.
