The men’s basketball team slipped up Tuesday after winning five of their last six games, dropping a home game to West Texas A&M, 78-69.
ACU got off to a hot start, taking a 43-40 lead into halftime. In the second half, the ‘Cats had the game slide through their fingers and were not able to overcome a double-digit deficit in the last ten minutes.
“I thought the game was close, but I don’t think we played that well,” head coach Joe Golding said. “I don’t think we played with a sense of urgency. I thought WT was the tougher team tonight and we couldn’t find a way to get it going.”
The Buffaloes were aggressive off the dribble and in the post, scoring 54 points in the paint. Donald Sims had a great game against the normally stout ACU defense, making 8 out of 9 shots, blocking three shots and getting four steals.
“Sims hurt us, going 8-9 from the floor,” Golding said. “Most of his shots were uncontested layups he got from the offensive glass. I think the telling stat of the game is that they outscored us 54 to 18 in the paint. That’s a toughness stat, they got what they wanted inside.”
The Buffs shot 59.6% from the floor in Moody, making it difficult for the Wildcats to keep up because of their blistering field goal percentage.
Despite the loss, the ‘Cats still had five players in double figures. Elliott Lloyd lead the way with 18 points, followed up by Eric Lawton’s 13 points and Parker Wentz’s 12 points. Post players Steven Werner and Dosh Simms had 10 and 11 points respectively.
Early in the second half, the ‘Cats were able to force WT to commit several fouls early, getting ACU into the bonus quickly. However, ACU missed three consecutive one and one opportunities from the charity stripe. ACU finished the game shooting only 62.5% from the line.
The Wildcats are still in the middle of the cluttered Lone Star Conference standings, and a win on Saturday against Eastern New Mexico would help them close in on a post-season birth.
“We just have to come out and have a strong practices,” center Cornelius Cammock said. “This loss is in the past now so we have to work hard and get ready for Eastern New Mexico this weekend.”
