by TULSA, Okla. — Aspen Thornton went off for her best game as a Wildcat with 26 points, Raychael Harjo scored 17, Madi Miller and Maleeah Langstaff each dropped in 11, but the ACU women’s basketball team came up just short on Sunday afternoon at the Mabee Center against Oral Roberts. The Wildcats (4-5) led at halftime, but were outscored by seven in the third quarter and fell just short in the fourth quarter, dropping the game 87-81. Oral Roberts (3-7) got up seven with 1:25 to play, and held on with late free throws to top ACU. The Wildcats shot 43% from the field and made 10 three-pointers, falling in an absolute shootout in Tulsa.
Key Plays
- Miller set the tone for the shooting performance with a three-pointer a minute-and-a-half into the game to tie it at 3-3.
- Trailing 15-7 with 6:20 to play in the first quarter, ACU went on a 12-0 run to capture the lead. Thornton and Raychael Harjo hit consecutive three-pointers, then the two combined for consecutive layups to gain the advantage, 19-15.
- Miller hit the final three of the frame, giving ACU a 25-21 lead after one.
- Oral Roberts got within one, 27-26, early in the second, then Thornton scored inside to push the lead back to three.
- ORU took the lead, 33-31, then Miller hit a triple to put the Wildcats back in front. It was a back-and-forth second quarter, with ACU pushing their lead out to five, 43-38, and the ‘Cats led 47-44 at the break when Zoe Jackson hit a layup at the buzzer.
- ORU got the lead back in the third quarter with 6:26 to play, and ultimately pushed it out to a four-point, 64-60, lead at the end of the third. ACU scored just 13 points in the third quarter and went just 1-7 from the three-point line.
- Addison Martin scored on back-to-back buckets in the fourth to cut the deficit to one, 65-64, but ORU went on a quick 4-0 run to go back up 69-64.
- Down 73-68 with 5:20 to play, the ‘Cats made a final push. Maleeah Langstaff scored inside, then Thornton hit a big three to tie it up at 73 apiece.
- Oral Roberts went on a 7-0 run to go up 80-73 in a stretch of 2:10, and with 2:18 to play, it looked like a daunting task.
- Thornton hit a jumper and Lanstaff scored on a layup to get back within three, 81-78, but there were only 30 seconds left. Oral Roberts hit free throws late to hold on for the win.
Turning Point
The 7-0 run from the 4:20 mark to the 2:18 mark in the fourth quarter effectively ended the game for the Golden Eagles.
Stat Pack
- ACU shot 43% from the floor, and took 76 shot attempts Sunday. The 76 attempts are the second-highest total for the season, and the most since the opener (86) against Howard Payne.
- ACU hit 10 three-pointers, marking the third time this season the ‘Cats hit double digits from the outside.
- The ‘Cats went to the line just eight times, and made five of those. On the contrast, ORU finished 19-21 at the foul line.
- Four players finished in double figures in points, led by a remarkable 26 from Thornton. The sophomore is on a tear as of late, scoring in double digits in three consecutive games. Thornton hit 10 of her 16 shot attempts, including four three-pointers, and added four rebounds and two steals.
- Harjo, back from her concussion, scored 17 points off the bench, and hit 8 of her 12 shot attempts.
