Strong Second Half Pushes Wildcats past Lady Javelinas
By: Eric Boynton
Updated: January 19, 2013
KINGSVILLE - Junior forward Renata Marquez poured
in 21 points Saturday afternoon to lead the ACU Wildcats to their fifth straight
victory, 76-61 over Texas A&M-Kingsville in Lone Star Conference women's
basketball action at the Steinke P.E. Center.
The win
pushes the Wildcats to 12-3 overall and 7-2 in the LSC as they matched their
overall win total and conference win total from last season when they finished
12-14 and 7-13. The Lady Javelinas, meanwhile, fall to 3-12 and 1-8 with the
loss.
ACU
will be back in action Wednesday in San Angelo when the Wildcats take on the
Rambelles of Angelo State at 5:30 p.m. the Junell Center.
After
leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Wildcats saw that lead
evaporate over the last nine minutes of play as Kingsville outscored ACU 20-4 to
take a 40-37 lead to halftime.
But the
second half belonged to the Wildcats as they scored the first four points of the
half on a layup by Marquez and a layup by Shannon Sanders to give them a 41-40
lead with 18:22 to play in the game. ACU would not trail again, and in fact
that 4-0 start was the beginning of a 23-8 run in the first 11:56 of the second
half that pushed ACU's lead back to double digits at 60-48 with 8:04 to
play.
Marquez
had eight points in the run with two 3-pointers to go along with the
half-opening layup. Sadie Dickinson added six points, Kynzie Newman three
points and Sanders, Savannah Smith and Emily Miller two points apiece. Marquez
capped the run with a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 12-point
lead.
ACU's
lead grew to as many as 17 points later in the second half before the Wildcats
settled for the 15-point win.
Aside
from Marquez's 21 points (7 of 12 shooting, including 3 of 3 from 3-point
range), Kelsey Smith had 14 points and Smith added a career-high 13 points. ACU
played without Mackenzie Lankford, who was injured late in Tuesday's home win
over Incarnate Word, but freshman Whitney West started in her place and had five
points, three rebounds and three assists.
