ACU (10-8, 4-3) earned its second straight conference win on Saturday in a nail-biting win against the University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (7-11, 1-6), 69-65.

This was the first time the two teams had faced off since March 9, 2o22, where the Vaqueros upset the Wildcats, 73-70, sending ACU packing from the Western Athletic Conference tournament in the first round of play. With the win, the Wildcats now sit as the seventh-ranked team in the WAC standings.

Despite the win, the Wildcats got out to a slow start. The Vaqueros started the game on a 10-0 run, causing head coach Julie Goodenough to call a timeout early in the first quarter. After the timeout, the Wildcats outscore the Vaqueros 16-5, giving ACU a one-point lead heading into the second frame.

“What a horrible start, I don’t know how else to define it,” Goodenough said. “I felt like we were really ready to play today, but evidently we were not. So I felt like we needed a time out just to kind of get our minds right and they responded really well. They went out and just took care of business and took the lead before the quarter ended.”

The game stayed a tight race throughout the remainder of the game, with both teams staying neck-and-neck. UTRGV took a one-point lead at halftime and ACU took a 47-45 lead heading into the fourth quarter while having two starters out due to injuries during the game. In the end, the final three minutes proved to matter the most.

Redshirt freshman forward Addison Martin scored in the paint while being fouled, converting the free throw to give ACU a 59-55 lead. But the Vaqueros would not go away quietly. The Vaqueros were led by sophomore guard Iyana Dorsey, finishing the night with a career-high 34 points, who scored in two straight possessions to tie the game. The next possession, Martin scored one free throw to give ACU a one-point lead.

With the Vaqueros having a chance to take the lead, their possession ultimately led to a turnover, which ACU converted into a dagger 3-pointer by sophomore guard Zoe Jackson, scoring her first points of the game with 45 seconds left on the clock. The 45 seconds dragged on with continuous scoring possessions for the Vaqueros and free throws for the Wildcats. Ultimately, the Wildcats’ 10 made free throws in the fourth quarter gave them the win.

Though the Wildcats have played plenty of close games this season, they have struggled to come away with a win until Saturday. With the win, Goodenough saw the young team’s maturity progress while hoping the win boosts their confidence.

“For us to be able to do that with two starters injured on the bench showed a lot of maturity and growth of our team,” Goodenough said. “These games we have lost in the past with all the starters out there, so for us to have some of our backup players on the game making plays on both ends was huge. As we’re getting into mid-January and to be able to finish off the game like this was really big and something that hopefully we will use this game to move forward.”

ACU finished Saturday night shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from the 3-point line compared to UTRGV’s 40 percent and 38 percent, respectively. Turnovers almost costed the Wildcats having 22 to UTRGV’s 15, but made it up by outrebounding the Vaqueros 33-23 and making. 18 free throws to UTRGV’s 11 makes.

Two Wildcats finished Saturday in double digits. Graduate forward Maleeah Langstaff finished with 18 points and nine rebounds while making two clutch free throws down the stretch to help give ACU the lead. Martin finished the game leading her team with 21 points and five rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field.

After the game, Martin said the win was huge for her team and hopes the momentum will continue throughout the rest of the season.

“It’s very big to us because we’ve been back and forth, win-lose, lose-win, and we were trying to get off that track, and now here we go with a win-win,” Martin said. “There were lots and lots of smiles, screaming, yelling, and happiness in the locker room, it was a big game for us. We’re just hoping to keep that going and roll it into next week.”

Up next, the Wildcats will head to Las Cruces, New Mexico to take on the New Mexico State Aggies (10-10, 5-3), the fifth-ranked team in the WAC standings. In their last matchup, the Wildcats narrowly defeated the Aggies in the Teague Center, 76-73, on January 15, 2022.

The Wildcats aim to climb up the standings in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Pan American Center, with the game streaming live on ESPN+ and the ACU Sports Network.