Preview: Abilene Christian Wildcats at Tarleton State Texans STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Interstat) — A Western Athletic Conference women’s basketball rematch with significant standings implications is set for Saturday when the Abilene Christian Wildcats visit the Tarleton State Texans at Wisdom Gym. The Wildcats (18-7, 8-2 WAC) enter with momentum, having won seven of their last nine games. They are coming off a 72-63 road victory at Texas-Arlington on Thursday. Tarleton State (12-11, 5-5) looks to build on a narrow 59-57 home win over Southern Utah last Saturday and protect its home court. This matchup is the third meeting this season between the intra-state rivals. Abilene Christian won both prior contests, including a tense 68-65 victory in Abilene on Feb. 3. The Wildcats also secured a 64-59 win on Jan. 8. A key storyline will be the duel between two of the conference’s top guards. Abilene Christian is led by Payton Hull, who is in exceptional form. Hull scored 24 points in the win over Texas-Arlington and torched Tarleton State for 27 points in the Feb. 3 meeting. Over her last seven games, she is averaging 22.7 points per contest. The Texans counter with Jakoriah Long, who is coming off a 24-point performance against Southern Utah. Long’s scoring will be crucial; she was held to just seven points in the loss at Abilene Christian earlier this month. Frontcourt play may also be decisive for the Texans, as Caroline Lyles and Allie Myers combined for 24 rebounds in their last outing. For Abilene Christian, maintaining its offensive rhythm and containing Long will be priorities. For Tarleton State, finding consistent scoring beyond Long and leveraging home-court advantage to reverse the season series is paramount. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. The game continues a critical late-season stretch for both teams as they jockey for position ahead of the WAC tournament.