California Baptist University
16-8,10-1WAC
Abilene Christian University
17-7,8-3WAC
Monster Fourth Quarter Leads CBU to Critical Road Win over ACU
2/7/2026 1:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ABILENE, TX--- The California Baptist University won the battle for first place in the conference on Saturday afternoon as they defeated the Abilene Christian Wildcats 74-71 at Moody Coliseum in a thriller.
The win snaps ACU's 16-game home winning streak, which dates back to January 30, 2025. The Lancers are now in sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference standings and hold a two-game lead over the Wildcats with the victory. CBU improves to 10-1 while the Wildcats drop to 8-3.
Both teams had it going from deep early as the Lancers and Wildcats combined for seven made threes in the opening quarter of action. The two WAC heavyweights went back and forth in the opening ten minutes of play, with neither team having a lead that surpassed one possession.
ACU had a little momentum early in the second quarter, but the Lancers turned up the intensity as the quarter progressed, particularly on defense. CBU would force the Wildcats to shoot under 35% from the floor and force four turnovers to flip the momentum back in their favor. The Lancers would close the period on an 8-0 run led by the scoring of Khloe Lemon to take a 40-33 lead into the locker room. CBU shot a blistering 61% from the field in the first half, led by a 13-point performance from Lemon, compared to just 38% for ACU.
The Wildcats came out with a vengeance in the third quarter as they would outscore the Lancers a staggering 25-9 in the period. CBU did not score in the frame until the 3:40 mark off a Lemon triple. ACU would lead by as many as ten in the period as the game transitioned to the fourth quarter. The Lancers would completely flip the script in the fourth quarter as they would open the period on a 16-4 run that would culminate in a Filipa Barros triple that would give CBU the lead with 4:06 remaining. ACU tied the game at 67 a few possessions later as the two teams battled for late-game momentum.
Emma Johansson would break the tie at 1:47 on a drive to the basket, and Lauren Olsen would push the lead to two possessions on the next offensive set for the Lancers. ACU would convert free throws on its next possession to cut the lead to two with 39 seconds remaining. The Lancers would huddle up to draw up a play, and it would pay off with a corner triple by Lemon that would seal the game 74-71 in favor of the visitors.
Lemon was the hero of the night with a game-high 25 points off the bench with six made triples. The six triples were a season-high, and the 25 points were one off a season-high that she set against Boise State in non-conference action. Lemon outscored ACU's bench 25-4, giving the Lancers a significant advantage in that department. Olsen and Barros combined for 28 points in the backcourt for CBU while connecting on a pair of triples.
NEXT: The Lancers will return home on Thursday, February 12, to begin a three-game homestand against Southern Utah.
