STEPHENVILLE
- A cold-shooting night from every spot on the floor Saturday night
spelled doom for ACU on Saturday as the Wildcats lost for the first time
this season in conference play,
dropping a xx-xx decision to Tarleton State at Wisdom Gym.
The
loss keeps the Wildcats from starting Lone Star Conference 4-0 for the
first time since the 2004-05 season. The ACU women are now 4-2 overall
and 3-1 in the LSC, while the TexAnns
move into first place at 5-2 and 3-0.
The
Wildcats led by as many as seven points in the first half before the
TexAnns completely turned the game around, pushing out to as much as an
11-point first-half lead before settling
for a nine-point lead at halftime (37-28).
But
thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Mackenzie Lankford and Kelsey Smith
and a layup from Sadie Dickinson, the Wildcats were able to cut the
Tarleton State lead to 37-36 in the first
49 seconds of the second half.
The
TexAnns, however, ran off the next eight points to re-establish a
nine-point lead (46-37) with 15:35 to play in the game. Tarleton's lead
would not dip below seven points the rest
of the way as the TexAnns won their eighth straight game over the
Wildcats.
ACU
missed 14 layups in the game, including eight in the first half, and
they shot just 25.8 percent (17 of 66) from the field. The Wildcats
also hit just 5 of 23 shots from 3-point
range (21.7 percent) and only hit 67.7 percent (21 of 31) from the free
throw line.
Lankford hit 6 of 16 shots from the field on her way to 16 points, while Sadie Dickinson was 4 of 16 for 11 points.
The
Wildcats will return to action Dec. 17-18 when they play in the Lady
Buff Christmas Classic. ACU will take on Arkansas-Fort Smith at 4 p.m.
on Dec. 17 and will then play No. 21 Emporia
State (Kan.) at 4 p.m. on Dec. 18.