WBB: Déjà Vu in a Rivalry Renewed
ACU and SFA renew a rivalry that dates back a decade to when the programs were in the Southland Conference together...this time though in non-conference action
ABILENE—Déjà Vu.
According to Webster’s Dictionary it’s a feeling that one has seen or heard something before.
Tuesday morning in Moody Coliseum on Education Day, that’s exactly what transpired.
The Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian women’s basketball teams met in a non-conference matinee game beginning a home-and-home agreement after the Ladyjacks returned to Southland Conference membership last Summer.
Both ACU athletic director Zach Lassiter and SFA’s first-year AD Michael McBroom have emphasized the institutions keeping this rivalry alive, despite the fact that it’s no longer a conference rivalry.
Abilene Christian rushed out to a 15-point lead just 50 seconds into the second half.
The Ladyjacks then were able to pull even after three quarters and overcame 23 turnovers to prevail 68-65, staying undefeated on the young season as they prepare to host Louisiana Tech.
ACU falls to 2-1 and hosts North Texas of the American Athletic Conference on Saturday.
It’s the ninth straight Ladyjack victory in the series, which gives SFA a total lead of 17-3 since the series began in January of 2014 in Nacogdoches. SFA’s average margin of victory in those nine matchups is 10.7 points per game.
“We have to be more disciplined offensively against teams who pressure us like SFA did today going forward and it’s good to get a similar test in North Texas on Saturday,” Wildcats coach Julie Goodenough said. “In that first half, you saw just how good our defense can be but we have to finish possessions with rebounds and we didn’t do that late.”
ACU’s defense was the story of the first half, holding SFA to 29 percent shooting from the field in total with 11 turnovers…four of those on steals from Payton Hull.
University of New Mexico transfer Natalia Chavez led a balanced ACU attack with nine points while the Wildcats shot 5-18 from 3-point range.
Paula Pique hit a 3-pointer to give ACU their largest lead of the half at 15 points with 5:12 left in the second quarter and then another, giving the Wildcats a 10-point lead at the break after a scoring correction.
Meredith Mayes’ layup with 8:25 left in the third quarter gave ACU its final lead of 15 points.
From there the Ladyjacks, behind a suffocating full-court press, closed the quarter on a 19-4 run to pull even at 53.
“We have a lot to learn from today but we have to flush this and move onto Saturday,” Mayes said. “Doing well in those five starts last year gave me the confidence that I could step into a full-time starter’s role this year.”
Mayes tied the game three different times in the fourth quarter…at 55, 57, and 59 before Avery Van Sickle hit a 3-pointer with 3:11 left off an assist by Ashlyn Traylor-Walker to give SFA a 62-59 lead.
Faith Blacksone’s jumper with 37 seconds left was the final lead change. VanSickle hit a pair of free throws to make it a 3-point lead and eventual win after a Bella Earle 3-pointer missed as time expired.
Van Sickle led SFA with 23 points, three rebounds, and three steals while Traylor-Walker added 19 points for the Ladyjacks.
Mayes had a career day in the loss with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Hull added 10 points, five steals, three assists, and three rebounds.
ACU led for nearly 26 minutes in Tuesday’s game and won the points off turnovers, second chance opportunities, fast break, and bench production categories.
It’s a tough pill to swallow considering the Wildcats led in nearly every statistical category except the one that mattered most: the scoreboard.