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Contributed by Lance Fleming Associate Director of Athletics for Media Relations
ABILENE - Abilene Christian women's basketball held Sam Houston State's league-leading scorer to single digits and limited the Bearkats to just 32.7 percent shooting in a 67-55 win Wednesday night at Moody Coliseum.
The Wildcats improved to 20-3 overall and 11-1 within the Southland Conference, led by junior guard Alexis Mason 's 17 points from and a combined 27 points from twins Lizzy and Suzzy Dimba . The Bearkats, meanwhile, fell to 8-14 and 4-8 as Shernise Robertson, who came into tonight's game averaging 18.1 points per game, finished with just eight points on 2-17 shooting.
Robertson missed all nine of her 3-point field goal attempts and scored half her eight points from the free-throw line. Guard Kamry Orr picked up some of the slack in finishing with 15 points, and center Angela Beadle had a solid night with 17 points, two blocks and nine rebounds; however, two of the Bearkat starters were shut out on 0-6 shooting and the bench players combined to go 3-for-11 (27.2).
If not for 26 trips to the free throw line and three 3-pointers in the waning minutes, Sam Houston State likely would have finished with less than 40 points. The Bearkats began the game 0-15 from 3-point range, and in the second quarter made only 1-of-8 field goals but stayed close on the scoreboard with nine free throws.
ACU went into halftime ahead 38-23 as its bench players sparked a stealthy 8-2 run over the final two minutes after the Bearkats closed to within nine points on a pair of free throws by Laurynn McGowen.
The Wildcats started to pull away on a layup by freshman guard Sara Williamson and then Sydney Shelstead (7 points / 9 rebounds) made one of two free throws. McGowen again hit two free throws on the ensuing possession, but ACU responded with a 3-pointer from senior guard Paris Webb off an assist by Alyssa Echols with 50 seconds to go.
Sam Houston whiffed on two more 3-pointers despite getting an offensive rebound in between, but after its last miss Webb pulled down the defensive board and flung the ball up court to Williamson, who found a wide-open Sierra Allen for the uncontested layup.
Williamson scored four points in 18 minutes off the bench but also had four assists and four crucial offensive rebounds as ACU outpointed Sam Houston 22-7 in second-chance points.
In some ways it's incredible Williamson remained in the fray for as long as she did. Tonight's game served as ACU's annual 'Play 4Kay' night and during a pregame ceremony Williamson walked out to center court with her mother, Sue, who has been battling breast cancer since last semester.
A GoFundMe.com page was recently set up by ACU Athletics to help the Williamson family cover their medical expenses. The goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of February.
The mother and daughter received a warm and well-deserved standing ovation from the assembled crowd, and it was hard to look anywhere on the court or in the stands and not see someone crying into a loved one's shoulder or hiding their face in their hands as they joined in prayer.
Following that emotional ceremony, the Wildcats got right to business. Lizzy Dimba (13 points / 3 rebounds / four assists) knocked down her free throws eight seconds into the game and then back-to-back 3-pointers from the twins around the five-minute mark pushed ACU's lead out to six points, 12-6.
Mason hit her first of three treys with 1:40 left in the first that put ACU ahead, 19-8, and from there the Bearkats wouldn't get any closer than six points (9:43 in second quarter) for the remainder of the game. ACU maintained its double-digit lead throughout the second half in completing the season sweep of the Bearkats.
The Wildcats won their first meeting in Huntsville, 87-76.
ACU reached another milestone tonight in playing the 500th women's basketball game at Moody Coliseum, where the women own an all-time record of 379-121 (.785). The Wildcats are currently in the midst of a 13-game home winning streak and are 10-0 this season with four home games left on the schedule.
ACU's 20-win season is the 18th in program history and first as a DI program. Head coach Julie Goodenough led the Wildcats to a 21-7 record during her first season of 2012-13, which was the team's last as members of the Lone Star Conference.
The Wildcats are off from competition until next Wednesday, Feb. 17 when they visit Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the first of two meetings. Tip time is 7 p.m.
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ABILENE - Abilene Christian women's basketball held Sam Houston State's league-leading scorer to single digits and limited the Bearkats to just 32.7 percent shooting in a 67-55 win Wednesday night at Moody Coliseum.
The Wildcats improved to 20-3 overall and 11-1 within the Southland Conference, led by junior guard Alexis Mason 's 17 points from and a combined 27 points from twins Lizzy and Suzzy Dimba . The Bearkats, meanwhile, fell to 8-14 and 4-8 as Shernise Robertson, who came into tonight's game averaging 18.1 points per game, finished with just eight points on 2-17 shooting.
Robertson missed all nine of her 3-point field goal attempts and scored half her eight points from the free-throw line. Guard Kamry Orr picked up some of the slack in finishing with 15 points, and center Angela Beadle had a solid night with 17 points, two blocks and nine rebounds; however, two of the Bearkat starters were shut out on 0-6 shooting and the bench players combined to go 3-for-11 (27.2).
If not for 26 trips to the free throw line and three 3-pointers in the waning minutes, Sam Houston State likely would have finished with less than 40 points. The Bearkats began the game 0-15 from 3-point range, and in the second quarter made only 1-of-8 field goals but stayed close on the scoreboard with nine free throws.
ACU went into halftime ahead 38-23 as its bench players sparked a stealthy 8-2 run over the final two minutes after the Bearkats closed to within nine points on a pair of free throws by Laurynn McGowen.
The Wildcats started to pull away on a layup by freshman guard Sara Williamson and then Sydney Shelstead (7 points / 9 rebounds) made one of two free throws. McGowen again hit two free throws on the ensuing possession, but ACU responded with a 3-pointer from senior guard Paris Webb off an assist by Alyssa Echols with 50 seconds to go.
Sam Houston whiffed on two more 3-pointers despite getting an offensive rebound in between, but after its last miss Webb pulled down the defensive board and flung the ball up court to Williamson, who found a wide-open Sierra Allen for the uncontested layup.
Williamson scored four points in 18 minutes off the bench but also had four assists and four crucial offensive rebounds as ACU outpointed Sam Houston 22-7 in second-chance points.
In some ways it's incredible Williamson remained in the fray for as long as she did. Tonight's game served as ACU's annual 'Play 4Kay' night and during a pregame ceremony Williamson walked out to center court with her mother, Sue, who has been battling breast cancer since last semester.
A GoFundMe.com page was recently set up by ACU Athletics to help the Williamson family cover their medical expenses. The goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of February.
The mother and daughter received a warm and well-deserved standing ovation from the assembled crowd, and it was hard to look anywhere on the court or in the stands and not see someone crying into a loved one's shoulder or hiding their face in their hands as they joined in prayer.
Following that emotional ceremony, the Wildcats got right to business. Lizzy Dimba (13 points / 3 rebounds / four assists) knocked down her free throws eight seconds into the game and then back-to-back 3-pointers from the twins around the five-minute mark pushed ACU's lead out to six points, 12-6.
Mason hit her first of three treys with 1:40 left in the first that put ACU ahead, 19-8, and from there the Bearkats wouldn't get any closer than six points (9:43 in second quarter) for the remainder of the game. ACU maintained its double-digit lead throughout the second half in completing the season sweep of the Bearkats.
The Wildcats won their first meeting in Huntsville, 87-76.
ACU reached another milestone tonight in playing the 500th women's basketball game at Moody Coliseum, where the women own an all-time record of 379-121 (.785). The Wildcats are currently in the midst of a 13-game home winning streak and are 10-0 this season with four home games left on the schedule.
ACU's 20-win season is the 18th in program history and first as a DI program. Head coach Julie Goodenough led the Wildcats to a 21-7 record during her first season of 2012-13, which was the team's last as members of the Lone Star Conference.
The Wildcats are off from competition until next Wednesday, Feb. 17 when they visit Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the first of two meetings. Tip time is 7 p.m.
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