ACU women’s basketball never gave Howard Payne a chance to settle in on Monday night.

The Wildcats forced 34 turnovers, turned them into 49 points and beat the Lady Jackets 108-32 at Moody Coliseum to open the season. The 76-point margin was ACU’s largest since a 108-21 win over Southwest Adventist in 2012.

The pressure started right away. ACU outscored Howard Payne 26-2 in the first quarter, and the Lady Jackets turned it over 10 times in the first 10 minutes. The Wildcats led 54-10 at halftime and finished with 22 steals.

“We like to say that turns into the offense and kind of gets us going and brings us energy,” senior forward Emma Troxell said.

Senior guard Payton Hull led the defense with a career-high eight steals. She said the plan was to control where Howard Payne’s ball handlers could go.

“We’re not allowed to let them go middle,” Hull said. “And then also just anticipating passes and getting those steals.”

Head coach Julie Goodenough said ACU’s length made the difference.

“I just think our size caused problems,” Goodenough said. “We utilized our length today.”

The Wildcats were just as sharp from deep, hitting 17 of 46 3-point attempts. Hull led ACU with 20 points and went 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. Troxell added 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three, and grabbed her 500th career rebound.

Troxell said the shooting comes from a simple rule.

“Coach Goodenough always likes to say don’t turn down open shots,” Troxell said. “If it’s there, I’m gonna shoot it and I’m going to have confidence in it.”

Hull said the open looks won’t come as easily against better teams.

“Tonight was just easy to get open shots, so I know once we play harder teams, it’ll be a little harder,” Hull said. “But just keep working in practice and on my own for those threes.”

Sophomore guard Riley Grohman may have been the most versatile player on the floor. Off the bench, she set career highs with 15 points, five assists and four steals, shooting 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-7 from three in 20 minutes. She also played four positions along the way.

“If you’re just watching the game, you probably don’t know she played four different positions today, and she is so smart,” Goodenough said. “It’s like, ‘OK, now you’re the four. OK, now you’re the point. OK, now you’re the two.’ And she was just in her element.”

Goodenough said Grohman’s best stretch came at point guard.

“She didn’t try to force anything,” Goodenough said. “She just got us into the offense, made really good decisions, kind of took what the defense gave her.”

Troxell said Grohman looks like a different player in her second season.

“I think she’s coming in way more confident than last year,” Troxell said. “That’s just how she’s hitting all those shots, playing her game, playing how we know she can play.”

Ten Wildcats scored, and five reached double figures: Hull, Troxell, Grohman, Erin Woodson with 12 and Molly Daugherty with 10. Newcomer Samara Morrow had seven assists in her ACU debut, and ACU finished with 28 assists on 42 made baskets.

ACU (1-0) goes on the road for its first Division I test at 6 p.m. Friday against Houston Christian at Sharp Gym in Houston.

The Huskies are coached by a familiar face. Drew Long spent five years in ACU’s athletic department, starting in 2016 as associate director of athletics for internal affairs.

He served as interim director of athletics from June to October 2018, then was deputy director of athletics for internal operations until 2021. He then coached McMurry for four seasons, taking the War Hawks from 2-16 the year before he arrived to 23-6 and a Division III Sweet 16 in 2024-25.

Long went 8-21 in his first season at HCU, including 6-16 in Southland play. ACU beat the Huskies 76-48 in an exhibition at Moody last October.

After two more road games, ACU returns to Moody on Nov. 18 to host Northwestern, its first home game against a Power Five opponent since Arkansas in December 2018. Goodenough said the crowd will matter.

“We need the ACU community and we need the Big Country to come out in big numbers,” Goodenough said. “It’s rare to get a Power Five school to come play in Abilene.”