The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / Sports / Wildcats inch by Lions, clinch tournament bid
Senior guard Payten Ricks jumps over an opponent to reach the net. (Photo by Riley Fisher)

Wildcats inch by Lions, clinch tournament bid

February 23, 2020 by Owen Simpson

The ACU men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five with a 75-69 victory over Southeastern Louisiana Saturday.

With the win, the Wildcats (17-10, 12-4 SLC) clinched a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament and move into second in the conference standings.

“I think we did good,” Head Coach Joe Golding said. “This was a long and hard three-game road stretch, and the way they were able to tough it out in the final stretch was huge.”

ACU found itself at the charity stripe 29 times in the game, 20 in the first half. It was a large part in their victory, draining all but three attempts.

Junior guard Coryon Mason had an efficient evening with 15 points and five rebounds on 5-9 shooting.

“It feels real good,” Mason said. “I was just doing my role. We have to prepare for the couple games coming up, but we’ll just have to lock in on defense.”

Senior guard Payton Ricks led the team in scoring for the third-consecutive game with 18 points on 4-11 shooting. He was also a  force on defense with three steals.

Later in the second half, the Lions responded. After trailing 42-28 at halftime, Southeastern Louisiana inched back into the game, tying it at 63 apiece with 3:47 remaining.

Leading the way for the Lions was junior forward Brandon Gonzalez. He led the game with 21 points on 7-12 shooting. However, following a timeout, the Wildcats sealed the outcome with an 11-0 run.

Looking ahead, Southeastern Louisiana travels to play at McNeese (12-15, 7-9 SLC) Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Wildcats enter their toughest stretch of home games on the season, starting with Sam Houston State (18-10, 11-6 SLC) Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.

If the Wildcats grab a win Wednesday, they clinch a first-round bye in the Southland Conference Tournament.

“It doesn’t get any easier from here,” Golding said. “We have to treat every game like it’s a playoff game. We’ll have to play great defensively and see what happens.”

Filed Under: Sports

Other Sports:

  • Women’s golf drives for success despite young mid-major status

  • More than money: FBS games bring in revenue, impact program

  • Realignment shakes up the WAC puzzle

About Owen Simpson

- Editor-in-Chief and Sports Director
- ESPN Analyst for ESPN football and basketball

I'm a senior journalism major from Georgetown, Texas. I serve in several roles for the ACU JMC department. For years, I've had a passion in sports and news, and I'm pursuing a career in sports broadcasting, along with any opportunity that presents itself in the media department.

You are here: Home / Sports / Wildcats inch by Lions, clinch tournament bid

Other Sports:

  • Women’s golf drives for success despite young mid-major status

  • More than money: FBS games bring in revenue, impact program

  • Realignment shakes up the WAC puzzle

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
2 Jun

The Optimist reached out to ACU Athletics, who provided the following statement.

Reply on Twitter 1929676060947632336 Retweet on Twitter 1929676060947632336 1 Like on Twitter 1929676060947632336 1 Twitter 1929676060947632336

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

12 months ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

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

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

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

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved