The men’s basketball team traveled Saturday to Angelo State to take on the Rams for the second time in five days. Unfortunately, the Wildcats were unable to hold off the surging Rams in the second half, and fell short 65-59.
ACU struggled on the offensive end all night, shooting less than forty percent from the field and only went three for eight from the foul line. Because of their tough night shooting the ball, the ‘Cats were unable to overcome forty-three second half points by the Rams.
“Playing someone in the LoneStar twice in a row is always difficult,” senior Ben Warton said. “But the big thing for us is we just all came out flat. We didn’t have the energy we needed to build on the lead once we had it.”
ACU was able to accrue a five-point lead entering halftime, and it looked like the Wildcats could win consecutive games for the first time in LSC play. But the Rams came roaring back in the second half; they finished the game strong, scoring twenty points in the last six and a half minutes.
“We just were not able to set the tone on defense in the second half,” Bell said. “They came out of halftime feeling really good and we didn’t make any stops.”
The Angelo State bench proved to be the difference in the game on Saturday night, outscoring the ‘Cats bench twenty-seven to fourteen.
Despite the loss, both Kendall Durant and Antonio Bell scored in the double figures, tallying fourteen points and seventeen points respectively. Eric Kibi led the way on the glass, finishing with nine rebounds.
“I love playing away games, especially when they have a big crowd,” Bell said. “It was an important game for us, so I wanted to play well.”
The Wildcats will have a rare four-day break before they begin a three game home stand that starts with non-conference opponent Paul Quinn College on Thursday and ends with conference foe Midwestern State.
ACU needs a strong finish to the season in order to qualify for the Lone Star Conference tournament at the end of the season.
“The next few games will be good for us to regroup before the last little grind in conference play,” Warton said. “The Midwestern game is huge for us and we are treating it like a playoff game because we have so much riding on it. So it will be good to be at home for a while and give our fans a good showing and gain some confidence.”
