The Wildcats pulled out all the stops against California Baptist as they took a 70-58 win over the Western Athletic Conference leaders.
Heading into this game, the Lancers were undefeated in WAC play with a 5-0 record, outscoring conference opponents by double digits in all but one of those games.
This is the third year in a row that the Wildcats have snapped California Baptist’s perfect conference record. However, as they came into this game, Head Coach Julie Goodenough knew what her team needed to focus on.
“We were just like, they’re playing really good, and so we have got to be locked in and focus on things that we can control, and our players just showed a lot of toughness and did that today,” Goodenough said.
The Wildcats were led by a trio of players who dominated offensively against the Lancers.
Erin Woodson, junior guard from Richmond, Virginia, led the charge with 23 points, seven of those coming from the free-throw line. On top of this, Natalia Chavez senior guard from Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico, and Payton Hull, junior guard from Peaster, both put up double-digit points, building a lead that the Wildcats never relinquished to the Lancers.
On the other side of the court, the Wildcats continued to apply that pressure on defense, allowing only two 3-pointers all game. The Lancers’ score was their lowest this season against conference opponents.
“Their main focus was on defense today, and that’s how we hold an opponent like Cal Baptist to 58 points on their home floor,” Goodenough said.
The Wildcats were without Meredith Mayes, junior center from Bixby, Oklahoma, who is in her third season at ACU. Mayes started in 16 games this season, averaging just over 15 points a game, before suffering an injury this past week.
Despite losing one of their veteran players, the Wildcats were able to adjust their strategy and secure a huge road win.
With this game in the books, the Wildcats now look to their next game against Southern Utah. The team will travel back to Abilene on Friday, with a primary focus on recovery.
“We just figure out what we can do about the quick turnaround and the travel and just want to make sure our girls are physically recovering as much as possible,” Goodenough said.
The Wildcats will face the Redhawks at 1 pm Saturday at Moody Coliseum in their first matchup of the season.
