By Ryan Cantrell, Sports Writer
Midwestern State used a 20-6 run to defeat the Wildcats on the road Saturday, 84-73, dropping ACU to 8-11 overall and 2-4 in the Lone Star Conference.
The Wildcats managed to pull within three with just over 11 minutes remaining, but the Mustangs’ late run sent the Wildcats to their fourth loss in the last five games. Midwestern State improved to 15-5 overall and 4-1 in the LSC, joining Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State atop the conference standings.
The Mustangs shot lights out, shooting an incredible 56 percent for the game. Craig Green led MSU with 24 points, while the Mustangs shot 31 of 55 from the floor. Nolan Richardson, the team’s leading scorer, scored 20 points, while Earl Rabb scored 11 points and added a team-high 11 assists.
“There were two big runs that we gave up in each half,” said head coach Jason Copeland. “We gave up a 9-0 run that really hurt us. Midwestern State is a good team and especially at home. They are probably the best team in the conference at home right now.”
Rebounding and points in the paint played a huge factor in the game as well. ACU was out-rebounded 37-31, while the Mustangs also outscored the Cats 44-26 in the paint. These deficits were key to the Mustangs’ victory.
Dante Adams led ACU in scoring with 22 points, while Dejan Sencanski added 17 points and five assists. Cameron Holson scored 15 points, Milos Kilmovic added 14 points and Riley Lambert dished out a game-high seven assists. ACU shot well from beyond the arc, hitting 12 of 27, led by Adams (4-8), Holson (3-4) and Sencanski (3-4).
The Wildcats will get a break from league play, as they travel to Oklahoma to play Cameron on Saturday at 4 p.m. This is their final non-league game of the season. The Wildcats will return to league play against Texas A&M-Kingsville at home on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The Wildcats will be looking to avenge a five-point loss earlier in the season at Kingsville.
ACU has played every team in its conference once and will look to reload before starting the second half of conference play, looking to improve on its 2-4 conference record.
“We need to be more consistent in our play,” Copeland said. “We need our guys to step up every night and play at a higher level.”
