The Wildcats’ shooting struggles returned to haunt them on Wednesday as they fell to the Lady Lions, 51-46.
After going 12 days without playing due to weather and COVID-19 protocols, ACU started the first half strong, reducing turnovers, scoring and holding SLU’s offense to only 20 points. They continued to keep control of the game throughout the start of the third quarter, and at one point, took a 14-point lead.
Then, the Lady Lions went on a 15-0 run with about four minutes left in the third quarter that extended midway through the fourth quarter. After ACU was able to stop the initial run, SLU went on a 10-3 run to end the fourth quarter, allowing them to take control and win the game.
“It was a very unusual prep heading into this game,” head coach Julie Goodenough said. “We didn’t score really well; we didn’t shoot the ball enough and had too many turnovers. Watching the lead we had diminish was pretty demoralizing, and it was a very disappointing loss to everyone in our program.”
Leading the Wildcats in scoring once again was senior guard Anna McLeod. In a low-scoring game, she posted 14 points for the Wildcats while nearing a double-double with eight rebounds.
“Anna really played tough,” said Goodenough. “She has a target on her back, and everyone knows she’s our big scoring threat. So she’s had to be really physical to get open, but I thought she did a good job of holding her composure through that.”
Just behind McLeod in scoring was sophomore guard Kamryn Mraz with 13 points.
Turnovers proved costly for the Wildcats on Monday, turning the ball over 20 times.
The Wildcats’ 46 points in this game were the lowest they scored in a game this season. By the end of the night, they shot a season-low 37 percent from the field and shot 29 percent from the 3-point line. ACU also hand only 10 assists, which tied their season-low in that category.
“The first half we really executed well and got the shot we were looking for, but we just didn’t put them in the hole,” said Goodenough. “In the second half, we did a poor job of reading the defense, especially in the fourth quarter. We didn’t get the ball in the hands of our wide-open players.”
The Wildcats face a quick turnaround Wednesday at home against Sam Houston. The matchup will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.
“We got home this afternoon, did our scouting report and had a really good practice today,” said Goodenough. “We’ll be ready to go, and hopefully, the girls will eat a good dinner and get to bed early tonight so they’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
