ACU outscored McMurry by 32 points in the second half, grabbing its sixth win of the season Saturday.
“There’s no question what this team’s identity is,” said head coach Joe Golding. “It’s on the defensive end of the floor. We didn’t do that in the first half, but I thought our guys did a good job responding in the second half.”
The Wildcats struggled to shoot the ball in the first half, going 0-for-13 from the 3-point line and shooting just 37% as team. The poor shooting performance was enough to hold a 29-24 lead at the break.
Despite the slow offensive start, that changed in the second half when ACU (6-1) opened on a 20-0 run in the second half.
Junior forward Joe Pleasant led the way with a season-high 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting, along with eight rebounds. Prior to Saturday’s win, Pleasant had struggled to score on the offensive end, shooting just 33%.
“We have a high standard for Joe Pleasant in this program,” Golding said. “We feel like we have the best bigs in the lead, and that gives us an advantage. I’m proud of Joe and his effort today.”
In total, four Wildcats scored in double figures against McMurry (0-4). Up next, they’ll stay in Abilene to host Hardin-Simmons Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Later on Dec. 22, the Wildcats will face a test on the road at Arkansas (5-0).
“I know their guys are going to be excited to play us,” Golding said. “We’ve got to get better prepared than we were against McMurry.”
