By Ryan Cantrell, Sports Writer
The Wildcats made a late push but could not complete the comeback, falling 82-77 to Angelo State on Saturday. Guard Lionel Brown made his free throws down the stretch and secured the victory for the Rams.
The Wildcats were trailing by 14 with 7:27 remaining in regulation, when they went on a 22-11 run to end the game but fell just short. The team had the lead down to two, 79-77, with 57.6 seconds left. The Rams ran down the clock for a shot, and Brown got fouled. After splitting the pair of free throws, the Wildcats possibly could have tied with a three-pointer.
“We let the game get away from us in the first half when we went from being up seven to down seven,” head coach Jason Copeland said. “We did a good job getting back into the game before Dante Adams fouled out at the end on a questionable call. I thought he had played good defense. We are working hard; we just do not have a lot of depth, and that is hurting us down the stretch.”
Guard Riley Lambert drove the lane and missed a layup, while trying to draw a foul for a three-point play. ASU grabbed the rebound, and Brown was fouled with 5.5 seconds left. He made both free throws to secure the win.
Sencanski tied his season-high in scoring with 28 points for the night after missing most of the last two games with an injury. Forward Milos Kilmovic added 15 points, and forward Cameron Holson finished with 12.
The first half went back and forth, but after the game was tied at 29, the Rams went on an 18-8 run to close out the half. This run proved to be the difference in the 5-point loss. The struggling Wildcats dropped to 2-6 in conference and 8-14 for the season. The Rams moved to 6-2 in conference and 18-5 for the season.
The Wildcats will try to bounce back Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Stephenville against Tarleton State. The Texans enter the matchup 16-8 overall and 4-5 in conference. They are led by forward Eric Williams, who is averaging 12.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The Wildcats will be looking to replicate a 73-70 victory earlier this season against the Texans.
“It will be a tough game,” Copeland said. “Tarleton State always has a good home-court advantage, and we expect a tough game.”
