The Wildcats battled all game in Moody Coliseum on Saturday night, going possession for possession before a late shooting surge from CBU resulted in a 74 – 71 loss.
Emma Troxell, junior forward from Bushland, led ACU with 22 points, while Payton Hull, junior guard from Peaster, added 19.
The third quarter looked bright for the Wildcats as they outscored CBU 25–9. That did not last long, however, as the fourth quarter was a different story for ACU. CBU outscored the Wildcats 25 – 13.
“I thought the third quarter was so much fun for us and fun for the fans,” Head Coach Julie Goodenough said. “Then, the fourth quarter was just a little bit stagnant. Hard-fought battle.”
Much of CBU’s late run came courtesy of Khloe Lemon, junior guard from Omaha, Neb. Lemon, in her last two seasons in the big country, is averaging 27 points per game and finished with 25 points in this contest.
“I like to play here; they have a good crowd,” Lemon said. “I just trusted my teammates to give me the ball, and I did my job. My job is to make catch-and-shoot 3s. I didn’t do anything special, but I did what was needed to help us win the game.”
Goodenough pointed to defensive shortcomings down the stretch as the deciding factor.
“What a great player; she doesn’t need much time or space to get her shot off,” Goodenough said. “That’s what you put on the scouting report. I felt like we played off her too far. On the last shot of the game, we shouldn’t have done anything but deny out there.”
Despite the loss, Goodenough praised her team’s effort after playing three games in five days and holding the No. 1 team in the WAC to the final seconds.
The Wildcats now shift their focus to a key WAC matchup against UT Arlington on Thursday. UT Arlington opened WAC play on a four-game losing streak but has since won two straight games, both at home in overtime.
“We’ve got to take care of business every single game,” Goodenough said. “It’s important that we prepare really hard and take every opponent seriously.”
In the last meeting against UT Arlington, Erin Woodson, a junior guard from Richmond, Va., led the Wildcats with 21 points in the win. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Arlington.
