Abilene Christian's Lone Star Conference Starting 5 Fan Poll ... VOTE TODAY!
ABILENE – The Abilene Christian women's basketball team returns to Canyon, Texas and the First United Bank Center Monday and Tuesday for the annual West Texas Golf Cars Lady Buff Christmas Classic.
ACU will meet Arkansas-Fort Smith (3-4) for the first time Monday at 4 p.m. before turning its attention to Emporia State (3-3), which recently dropped out of the
USA TODAY Sports D-II Top 25 Coaches' Poll after suffering consecutive losses to Northeastern State and Central Missouri. Last year's Hornets' team finished 23-9 en route to the south central region championship game.
Despite being longtime regional rivals, the Wildcats and Hornets haven't faced each other in the regular season since 1997-98. Emporia State won that meeting, 91-70, and again in the 1998 regional championship, 95-64. ACU's only win in the four-game series was a 74-64 triumph during the 1987-88 season.
The Wildcats (4-2, 3-1 LSC) captured one of their biggest wins of the season in Canyon last month, beating West Texas A&M, 81-76, and at last year's Christmas Classic, defeated both 2012 NCAA D-II Champion Shaw, 70-66, and Southwestern Oklahoma State, 64-57. Junior forward
Renata Marquez was the Wildcats' top performer in each of those three games, averaging a double-double of 16 points and 11.5 rebounds.
The win at West Texas set ACU off on a three-game winning streak that also featured victories over Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M-Commerce, but the Wildcats quickly went cold during a 78-60 loss last Saturday at Tarleton State.
ACU missed 14 layups vs. the TexAnns, including eight in the first half, and 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.
Even with that one-game slump, ACU still ranks 25th among all D-II schools in scoring offense with 76.8 points per game and is among the top 10 with 8.2 3-point field goals made per game. Sophomore
Sadie Dickinson netted 11 points vs. Tarleton and continues to the lead the Wildcats with 14.2 ppg and a field-goal percentage nearing 50 percent (.492).
The Lions of Arkansas-Fort Smith recently beat Evangel, 63-53, Wednesday night and will again play Friday vs. Northeastern State before making the seven-hour drive across Oklahoma to Canyon. Senior forward Katie BenAmor led the Lions with 20 points vs. Evangel to raise her season scoring average to 13.3 ppg, while junior post Angi Ramey chipped in 11 points and seven boards. Ramey is second on the team in scoring (12.0) and first with 9.1 rebounds. She and BenAmor also have combined for 33 of the Lions' 40 blocks.
Although they're 0-2 vs. the MIAA, the Hornets are 3-1 this season vs. non-conference foes, which includes wins over Newman, Western State (Colo.) and Kansas Wesleyan. Laura Patrick leads her team with 13.5 ppg and is 15 of 33 from 3-point range, while Merissa Quick is second with 12.5 to go along with 7.7 rebounds per game and 15 blocks.
ACU finishes its 2012 schedule Dec. 29 at St. Edward's before resuming conference play at home against Midwestern State on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
