ACU’s womens basketball team is riding a three-game winning streak after defeating the Incarnate Word Cardinals 69-54 on Tuesday, leaving the Wildcats closer to clinching a playoff spot.
The Wildcats began the game well, using the front line’s height advantage and consistently getting the ball into the paint, a strategy that continued to prove effective throughout the night.
Coming out of a 35-27 halftime lead, ACU began the second half cold and gave up five straight points before sparking a 12-2 run to regain control of the game.
Incarnate Word made another run later in the half, cutting the deficit to five points with seven minutes remaining. Sophomore Emily Miller then scored six straight points after coming off the bench for Smith when she picked up her fourth foul.
“After they got within five, we just had to focus on playing our game and playing solid defense,” said senior guard Autumn Whitaker. “Every team’s going to go on runs, and we just had to make sure we came back with a run ourselves.”
Sophomore center Kelsey Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Freshman Guard Mack Lankford snatched second on the team with 14 points and added four steals.
“Kelsey’s a major presence on the floor. It’s hard for people to score over her, and she’s a tough matchup offensively,” said Head Coach Shawna Lavender. “Once she got into foul trouble, we just needed someone to step in and make some plays for us, and they did that.”
ACU kept the Cardinals to just 33 percent shooting with an aggressive defense that led to seven steals and 20 Cardinal turnovers. The Wildcats shot 5-11 from behind the arch and allowed the Cardinals just 23 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Junior forward Chloe Wallace led Incarnate Word with 16 points and 17 rebounds.
The game was played on McMurry’s campus as Sing Song preparations tied up Moody Coliseum, resulting in ACU losing some of its home-court advantage.
The Wildcats now are 7-4 in Lone Star Conference and third place in the South Division, with a spot in the postseason tournament still on the table.
