Junior guard Damien Daniels led the Wildcats to their fifth victory of the 2020 season, taking down Tarleton 69-48.
“We wanted to come out tonight and show that we play hard,” Daniels said. “We did that and showed our home crowd how we played.”
Daniels drained three 3-pointers and scored a team-high 11 points for the Wildcats.
Tarleton (1-2) transitioned to Division I earlier this year, joining the WAC. It’s the first meeting between both teams since 2013.
“We knew this was going to be a heavyweight fight,” head coach Joe Golding said. “Obviously they got our respect immediately by how well they played against Texas A&M. They threw some punches at us, but I thought our team did a good job of forcing some turnovers.”
ACU (5-0) shot 41% from the field and forced 28 turnovers to extend its perfect start to the season. Nine Wildcats scored, as ACU showed off its passing on offense with 15 assists.
“This team is built different, and this group moves the ball extremely well,” Golding said. “As long as we continue to share the basketball, it’ll create opportunities for different guys.”
Up next, the Wildcats face their toughest challenge of the season at No. 17 Texas Tech in Lubbock. The game will be aired Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
“We got to get some rest, and then obviously you’re playing a top-25 program,” Golding said. “I think they’re a top-5 team. They’re on of the best teams they’ve had. I know our guys will show up and play hard.”
