By Ryan Cantrell, Sports Writer
The men’s basketball team opened the Lone Star Conference South Division play with a victory over Eastern New Mexico on Tuesday. The Wildcats capitalized on their opponent’s turnovers, allowing them to defeat the Greyhounds 68-58.
However, the Wildcats have had their ups and downs over the last month of play.
“We came back after the break and played our first game well,” said head coach Jason Copeland. “We then have been battling injuries and sickness. We got all our guys back for Tuesday’s game, and we won. Overall, we need to shoot the ball better to be able to beat more teams.” ACU held off a second-half rally by UT-Permian Basin to defeat the Falcons 88-83 Dec. 15. Dejan Sencanski led the team with 21 points, while the Wildcats also got a boost off the bench from Milos Kilmovic, who added 18 to their total.
The Wildcats three-game win streak was broken four days later when Southwestern Oklahoma State defeated ACU 82-77. The Bulldogs had a balanced offense with five players in double figures. The Wildcats hurt themselves committing 24 turnovers in the loss.
The team bounced back, opening the new year with a commanding 99-61 victory over Howard Payne. The Wildcats went on a 16-0 run early in the first half and never took their foot off the gas in the 38-point blowout. The victory improved ACU’s record to 6-4.
The team continued LSC play against Texas A&M-Commerce Jan. 3. The Lions defeated the Wildcats 87-73. Texas A&M-Commerce had five players in double figures and controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Wildcats 54-30, on their way to a decisive victory.
The Wildcats tipped off against the fourth-ranked Bronchos of Central Oklahoma Jan 8. The Bronchos improved their record to 12-2 on the season, defeating the Wildcats 76-58. The victory also extended their home-winning streak to 20 at the Wildcats’ expense. The Bronchos had five players in double figures with three of them off the bench, allowing them to continue to win.
The Riverhawks of Northeastern State jumped on the Wildcats early in their 72-50 victory over the Wildcats Saturday. The Riverhawks began the game with a 10-0 run. The Wildcats could not recover and dropped their third straight and below .500 for the season at 6-7. The Wildcats only scored 50 points in the game, their lowest point total since 2005.
The Wildcats victory Tuesday night over Eastern New Mexico brought the team’s record back to 7-7. ACU now also is 1-0 in conference, which is the only record that matters for seeding in the conference tournament. The Greyhounds committed 21 turnovers, which allowed the Wildcat offense to attack and come up with a 10-point victory. The Wildcats are looking to build on a victory against West Texas A&M at 8 p.m. in Canyon on Saturday.
The Buffaloes enter the game with a 10-5 season record. They have dropped their last two games and will be looking to get back on track against the Wildcats. Saturday night’s game will be the Buffaloes’ LSC South Division opener. They are led by Kyle Shields, who averages 13.4 points per game.
“We got to go in there expecting to face a good defensive team,” Copeland said. “We need to eliminate mistakes if we want to come out with a victory.”
