The ACU men’s basketball team fell on the road to Northwestern State Wednesday night, 73-69.
The Wildcats (12-10, 7-4 SLC) were coming off a win at home Saturday to Incarnate Word (6-16, 3-8 SLC) but failed to start a winning streak against the Demons (9-12, 6-6 SLC). In fact, the Wildcats have failed to complete a winning streak of any kind since Jan. 18 against Southeastern Louisiana, where they won their second game in a row.
Sophomore forward Joe Pleasant led the way for ACU in its road loss. He contributed 16 points on 6-13 shooting and a pair of blocks.
Early in the game, it was a back-and-forth battle. Three lead changes occurred in the first four minutes, before ACU created some separation.
However, the Demons responded with a 10-1 run to close out the first half with a 38-33 advantage.
Redshirt junior forward Chudier Bile finished with a double-double for Northwestern State. He brought in 10 rebounds and 15 points to help give the Demons their first win over the Wildcats since 2013.
The largest lead for either of the teams Wednesday night was seven points, as the competitive matchup witnessed 14 lead changes and 13 ties.
Going down the stretch, the Wildcats had possession, trailing 66-65, with 39 seconds remaining as Pleasant missed a layup inside the paint. Freshman guard Nikos Chougkaz ensued to drill a 3-pointer to push the lead to four.
Chougkaz finished the night with 10 points and eight rebounds with a key performance in the win.
With its fourth conference loss on the season, ACU will look to regroup as they travel back home to face Lamar (12-11, 6-6 SLC) on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Meanwhile the Demons come back to Texas Saturday to face Houston Baptist (3-17, 3-8 SLC).
