Senior guard Coryon Mason scored a career-high 21 points that propelled the Wildcats to their first conference win of the season Saturday against Lamar, 83-65.
“My teammates were finding me and seeing me early,” Mason said. “Everybody was telling me to go out and play my game, so that’s what I did.”
The Wildcats struggled to create separation in the first half leading by just six at halftime, but ACU (9-2, 1-0 SLC) would score 47 points in the final 20 minutes against Lamar (2-8, 0-1 SLC).
“They made things really difficult for us in the first half, and then in the second half we started to hit some shots and separate it a bit,” head coach Joe Golding said. “Overall, it felt great to be back in a Southland Conference game.”
The Wildcats forced 19 turnovers and shot 45% from the 3-point line, it’s highest mark of the season since Nov. 28.
Senior center Kolton Kohl tied his season-high with 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting. He also grabbed in seven rebounds. In total, Kohl and Mason combined for 36 points.
“I thought Coryon was good. We’ve had different guys step up this season, and tonight was Coryon’s night,” Golding said. “He was able to hit some shots, and I think Kolton was really good too getting shots inside for us.”
Up next, ACU looks to extend its winning streak to three when they face Houston Baptist (2-7, 1-0 SLC) on the road Wednesday at 7 p.m.
“They’re always one of the toughest teams to defend,” Golding said. “Houston Baptist is great offensively. It’s a Southland Conference game. We have to be prepared and ready to play.”
