Optimist
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Features
    • Book Review
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Podcasts
    • Optimist Overtime
    • Top of the Key
  • Police Log
  • Print Edition
  • Projects
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
You are here: Home / Sports / Wildcats can’t keep pace in second half

Wildcats can’t keep pace in second half

January 17, 2015 by Daniel Zepeda

The Wildcats suffered their first conference loss of the year with an 82-64 loss at the hands of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in Moody Coliseum Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats move to 9-8 with a 3-1 conference record, while SFA moves to 4-0 in conference and extends its win streak to 12 games. The game was the first ever nationally televised game to be broadcasted live from Moody Coliseum.

Students of ACU’s Wildcat Reign cheer on the Wildcats in the first half of the game.

“Their a darn good team,” head coach Joe Golding said. “I thought we came out and got off to a good start. We played hard and had a lot of momentum rolling in that first half. In the second, I felt we didn’t handle our composure very well but overall we played hard against the conference champs.”

Junior Austin Cooke was the only Wildcat to finish in double digits, scoring 10 points with four rebounds and three assists. Seniors Harrison Hawkins and LaDarrien Williams struggled, like many other Wildcats, combining for 18 points on 5-19 shooting. Junior guard Parker Wentz was 2-10 and 1-6 from three for seven points in 33 minutes of action. The Wildcats shot under 40 percent for the game but were .500 from beyond the three point arc (8-16).

Duran Porter dunks in two of his eight points for ACU.

Stephen F. Austin, thanks to a 63 percent second half, finished at 59 percent from the field for the game. Their size overmatched ACU, winning the rebounding battle 39-25 with 20 second chance points and 19 points off ACU turnovers. In the first half however, the Wildcats forced the Lumberjacks to commit nine turnovers, which was a big reason for the team’s success early on.

“They made some mistakes early and we were able to steal the ball and get some extra looks,” Golding said. “We knew that they would come back in the second half and that’s where their experience and talent showed off.”

The Wildcats kept step for step with the Lumberjacks in the first half, fueled by a crowd of nearly 2,900 people. ACU came out hungry and led 12-11 after a layup by sophomore Riley Payne. SFA extended its lead to seven after a steal and fastbreak layup put them up 23-16. The Wildcats would make their move in the last five minutes of the half, going on a 16-4 run to take the lead.

Freshman role players Drake Green and K.J. Maura helped swing the momentum for the Wildcats. Green converted a layup and then a corner three on back to back possessions to tie the game and then give ACU the lead. Then Maura, with two seconds left, made a deep three to put the Wildcats up 37-33 at halftime.

“That’s probably the loudest Moody has been since Sub-T last won Sing Song,” Golding said. “It was great to have the crowd with us and we’re so thankful to them for their support.”

The second half would quickly come to show why SFA is the reigning conference champ. Halfway through the second half, the Lumberjacks had outscored the Wildcats 27-13 to take a 60-50 lead. Things would continue to go SFA’s way, as the lead would be bumped to over 20 on a layup to make the score 80-59 Lumberjacks with 5:35 left in the game. The Lumberjacks shot 63 percent in the second half, while the Wildcats were forced to just 29 percent and were outrebounded 23-10 in the second half.

“Their size was definitely something we had to deal with and we struggled with it,” Cooke said. “We couldn’t control the paint like we wanted and it was a big reason why we couldn’t get the win. It’s a big step for us though, facing competition like this. I’m glad to be here with a program that’s trying to get on the map.”

The Wildcats will now look to McNeese State (6-8, 0-3) to get back on track. The game is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Men's Basketball

Other Sports:

  • Baseball drops falls short in regular season ending series in Huntsville

  • Wildcats season closes after losses to Utah Valley and Seattle

  • Wildcats win final weekend series against SFA, gains 4th seed in WAC tournament

About Daniel Zepeda

You are here: Home / Sports / Wildcats can’t keep pace in second half

Other Sports:

  • Baseball drops falls short in regular season ending series in Huntsville

  • Wildcats season closes after losses to Utah Valley and Seattle

  • Wildcats win final weekend series against SFA, gains 4th seed in WAC tournament

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

acuoptimistThe Optimist@acuoptimist·
4 May

"Maybe we just don’t care enough. But if we do start caring, and if we become the loudest fans in the WAC, let’s stick to supportive cheering." Read more from Guest Columnist Londyn Gray:
https://acuoptimist.com/2022/04/not-so-friendly-competition/

Reply on Twitter 1521918832738144257Retweet on Twitter 15219188327381442571Like on Twitter 15219188327381442578Twitter 1521918832738144257
acuoptimistThe Optimist@acuoptimist·
3 May

Royce Clough and Jael Morel have been named as Mr. and Miss ACU for the class of 2022, a traditional honor voted on by the student body and awarded to two members of each graduating class.

Reply on Twitter 1521607087553458178Retweet on Twitter 1521607087553458178Like on Twitter 152160708755345817819Twitter 1521607087553458178

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

2 months ago

The Optimist
"Maybe we just don’t care enough. But if we do start caring, and if we become the loudest fans in the WAC, let’s stick to supportive cheering." Read more from Guest Columnist Londyn Gray: ... See MoreSee Less

Not-so-friendly competition - Optimist

acuoptimist.com

BY: LONDYN GRAY “Number 18, you look like you don’t shower!” I chuckled and shrugged it off. “Londyn!” They had looked up the roster. “Do you even brush your teeth?” I laughed again, rol...
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 months ago

The Optimist
Cullen Auditorium is expected to be handed over to the university in June 2022, alongside a name change that coupled with the renovation will create new future for the Cornerstone class, Chapel and the Department of Theatre. ... See MoreSee Less

Cullen Auditorium still set for a name change alongside renovations - Optimist

acuoptimist.com

Cullen Auditorium is expected to be handed over to the university in June 2022, alongside a name change that coupled with the renovation will create new future for the Cornerstone class, Chapel and th...
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Women’s tournament run ended by first-round exit against UTRGV

The Wildcats’ Western Athletic Conference tournament run and season came to a ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 22. 2022
  • Optimist Newscast 2.16.2022
  • Optimist Newscast 2.9.2022

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • Weekly Ads
  • Classifieds

© 2022 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved

Posting....