The Wildcats fell to the Cardinals of Incarnate Word Tuesday night in a 77-64 loss.
The ACU-hosted game was moved to McMurry University at Kimbrell Arena to accommodate Sing Song preparations in Moody Coliseum.
The Wildcats could not overcome a cold shooting night, as they went 25 of 73 from the floor, a mere 34.2 percent. The Cardinals hit 50 percent of their shots.
“One of our focus points going into the game was taking care of the ball, and we didn’t do a good job of that Tuesday night,” Head Coach Jason Copeland said. “We had 14 turnovers in the first half that killed us.”
The Wildcats struggled protecting the ball, committing 23 turnovers in the game, while only recording five assists.
ACU never lead the game, as the Cardinals took the lead early and controlled throughout. Tracy Robinson led the Cardinals and all scorers with 25 points, while Chris Johnson scored 14 for Incarnate Word.
One bright spot for the Wildcats was the return of Alex Richman to the lineup. Richman had missed the last game because of injury but was able to return for the Wildcats on Tuesday night. Richman scored 11 points for the ‘Cats, while Giordan Cole led ACU with 13 points in the game.
The loss marks the Wildcats’ fall to 9-15 overall and 1-10 in the LSC South Division. The win for the Cardinals improves their record to 16-6 overall and 5-5 in Division play.
ACU has three games remaining this season, with post season ambitions out of reach at this point in conference play.
“We just got to try to keep your head up. And at this point, you play for pride and play for each other,” junior forward Ben Warton said. “You have to play for fun and hopefully build something that you can take into next season. ”
The Wildcats will travel to Portales, N.M., this weekend to take on the Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico. The Greyhounds enter Saturday’s matchup at 9-12 overall and 4-5 in the LSC South Division. ACU and ENMU will tip off at 9 p.m.
“We are going to play a really good New Mexico team,” Copeland said. “They are playing well, so we need to go out and defend well and take care of the ball.”
