Tarleton State Women’s Basketball’s WAC road trip wraps up at ACU Thursday

ABILENE, Texas – Tarleton State Women's Basketball finishes a three-game road trip with the I-20 rivalry at Abilene Christian Thursday at 6 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.

The Texans enter Thursday's game looking to get back to their winning ways after dropping their first two conference road contests of the season. ACU enters Thursday's contest with a 1-1 conference record.

Three of the five WAC Preseason All-Conference players will be on the floor Thursday (Jakoriah Long - Tarleton State, Meredith Mayes and Peyton Hull-ACU). ACU was the preseason favorite to win the WAC in 2026, returning all five of their starters from last year.

Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ and also listen to Clayton Neville's radio call on Tarleton Sports Network.

STARTING STRONG

All five starters (Gia Adams, Jakoriah Long, Kyriana Jones, Shadasia Brackens and Elodie Lutbert) have accounted for the majority of Tarleton State's scoring this season.
When those five start, the starters have scored 76% of the Texans' points. Tarleton State has a 6-2 overall record with that starting five combination.
All five starters scored in double figures in back-to-back games on Dec. 2-7 (at Mississippi Valley State, vs. Texas A&M-San Antonio). It was the first time in the Division I era where all five starters scored 10+ points each in two consecutive games.
The last time the same Tarleton State starters all scored 10+ points in two consecutive games was Feb. 16-18, 1989.

LETTING LONG LOOSE

Tarleton State Women's Basketball senior guard Jakoriah Long is a scoring threat for the Texans, averaging over 13 points per game in conference play and over 10 points per game overall last year. She was named to the All-WAC Second Team in 2024-25 and Preseason All-WAC Team entering 2025-26.
Long knocked down her 100th 3-pointer in addition to 19 points at CBU (1/3), moving into the top 10 on the program's all-time career threes list.
She needs seven more to pass Brianna Bledsoe (2010-14) for 9th on the all-time list.
After scoring 18 points against Montana (12/29) to finish non-conference play, Long scored 13 points in the WAC opener against UTA (12/29). She knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.
Long had her first Division I double-double earlier this year, pouring in 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in Tarleton State's double overtime win over Houston Christian (11/9).
The senior guard set a new Division I Era single game program record with seven made 3-pointers twice last season.
Long's 70% shooting from beyond the arc against CBU was the second-highest 3-point percentage by a Texan in a single game in the Division I Era. She was just the second Texan in the Division I Era to hit 70% of her 3-pointers off a minimum of seven attempts.
Long is the first Texan in the Division I Era to post two consecutive 25-point games. She is the first Texan since the 2013-14 season to post back-to-back games with at least 25 points (Kiara Wright, Feb. 5-8, 2014).
She also became the first Texan in the Division I Era to have back-to-back games with six or more 3-pointers. She is the first Texan since the 2011-12 season to have two consecutive games with six or more 3-pointers (Peyton Adamson, Jan. 11-14, 2012).

RISING IN THE RANKS

Tarleton State is ranked high among all NCAA Division I Women's Basketball programs in several statistical categories.
The Texans are currently 26th in defensive rebounds per game (29.4) and 50th in rebounds per game (41.29).
Shadasia Brackens is 21st in the nation in double-doubles (6).
Elodie Lutbert is 30th in blocks per game (1.92) and 42nd in total blocks (25th).

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