ACU (6-5) saw two straight wins for the first time this season in a hometown rivalry matchup against the McMurry Warhawks (7-5, 2-4), 82-52.
The Wildcats started the game with a quick run, but the Warhawks were able to stay with their Division I rival. But, it was the second quarter where the Wildcats began pulling away from McMurry.
Head coach Julie Goodenough’s squad finished the second quarter shooting 53 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line. This allowed ACU to score 23 points in the second quarter and to take a 42-25 lead into the locker room.
This trend continued into the second half, with ACU outscoring McMurry 16-9 in the third quarter and 24-18 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field while scoring 10 3-pointers.
Along with the strong shooting performance, ACU forced McMurry to have 22 turnovers and scored 25 points off those turnovers. The Wildcats also had 32 points in the paint, 26, second chance points and 36 bench points.
In the Wednesday night matchup, players off the bench led the way for ACU. Sophomore forward Raychael Harjo led all scorers with 16 points and six rebounds.
Three other Wildcats scored in double digits. Redshirt freshman forward Addison Martin scored 15 points and freshman guard Claire Graham added 12 points from the bench. Graduate forward Maleeah Langstaff earned her second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, which also eventually earned her WAC Player of the Week honors.
Now, the Wildcats prepare to start Western Athletic Conference play with a win as they travel down I-20 to Stephenville to take on the Tarleton Texans. The Wildcats and the Texans split their conference matchups last season, but ACU took a 80-60 win on the road on March 5.
The I-20 rivalry will renew on Jan. 29 in Wisdom Gym at 5 p.m. CST with the game streaming live on ESPN+ and the ACU Sports Network.
Quotes from Goodenough will be added following the next press conference.