On Saturday afternoon, the men’s basketball team took to the court in Moody Coliseum with hopes of taking down the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds and getting back on track. ACU played outstanding basketball for 40 minutes in order to secure their third conference win of the season 79-68.
The Wildcats were able to play efficiently on the offensive end the entire night, dishing out 17 assists and shooting above 50 percent from the field.
“I like the way our offense looks and flows with Durant at the point guard.” Head coach Joe Golding said. “He gets other guys off the ball where they can score.”
The ‘Cats were able to put four players in double figures over the weekend, lead by point guard Kendall Durant with seventeen points. Eric Kibi chipped in with fourteen points to go along with his six boards. Marc Little and Antonio Bell had eleven and ten points respectively.
Early on, Wildcat fans may have been thinking blowout if it had not been for Eastern New Mexico’s Reggie Nelson, who was tearing down the nets at Moody Coliseum, hitting seven three-pointers and finishing with thirty-five points.
“He is a great player.” Golding said. “That’s the LoneStar Conference, there are really good guards on every team, and he played great tonight.”
However, he was the only Greyhound that showed up to play on the offensive end, and the teamwork that ACU displayed was enough to win the game by a comfortable margin and propel them back into contention for the eight and final spot in the LSC tournament.
“That is all we really play for.” Durant said. “We don’t do this just because or for recreation, we are trying to hang another banner up there.”
In a game that saw nine ties and eight lead changes, it was apparent that the Wildcats simply wanted to win more than Easter New Mexico. Their determination reached a peak with less than a minute left, when several Wildcats were diving all over the court for a lose ball.
At the end of the play, nearly every ‘Cat was sprawled out on the floor, including senior Ben Warton, who had thrown himself onto the hardwood twice in the span of about three seconds, revealing the heart this team has played with the entire season.
“That was the most proud moment I have ever had.” Golding said. “From when I played here and now coaching. It was my proudest moment. Ben Warton is the heart and of this team, and if anyone questions that, they didn’t see the last six seconds of the game.”
The Wildcats will be back in action this Wednesday when they take on Incarnate Word in San Antonio at 7:30 p.m.
