By Ryan Cantrell, Sports Writer
The Wildcats broke a 15-game losing streak against Tarleton State with a 73-70 victory over the Texans Wednesday night. The last time they were able to beat the Texans goes all the way back to Feb. 7, 1999. The win brings the Wildcats’ record to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in conference.
The Wildcats were led by center Kendrick Johnson who scored a season-high 14 points and added six rebounds. ACU shot 8-13 beyond the arc and had 13 steals that allowed the Cats to hold on to a three-point victory.
“We came out and played good,” said head coach Jason Copeland. “We got into a rhythm, and Kendrick played his best game of the season and was able to make a difference in the game.”
ACU led by 12 with just under 12 minutes to play. The Texans slowly came back and got within two points with 1:25 left. The Wildcats were able to score on the next possession to give them a four-point lead. The Wildcats would play strong defense and made enough of their free throws to pull out the victory. Sencanski led the team with 17 points, followed by Johnson and Adams who scored 14 apiece.
The Wildcats will continue on to play Midwestern State in Wichita Falls Saturday at 8 p.m. The Mustangs are exceeding expectations with a 14-5 overall record and 3-1 in conference play. Nolan Richardson leads the Mustangs, averaging 19.5 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game. Craig Green is second on the team with 12.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
“They have a high-powered offense led by Nolan Richardson,” Copeland said. “We are really going to have to get back in transition and play good defense.”
The Wildcats will face a tough road situation as the Mustangs have only lost one game at home and remain unbeaten at home during conference play. Midwestern will be looking to improve its 9-1 home record and continue to battle for the top seed in the conference.
This will be the last of the Wildcats’ conference opponents before they turn around and play every one of them again. ACU is looking for a win to improve to .500 at the halfway mark of conference play.
