The Wildcats extended their winning streak to three on the road Saturday with a 75-67 victory over Incarnate Word.
“I was proud of our team,” said head coach Joe Golding. “It’s a tough matchup for us. Every time we play these guys, it’s tough defensively. Eventually we were able to get stops and wear them down.”
The Wildcats trailed by as many as seven points in the second half, but a late offensive push helped seal the victory.
Junior forward Joe Pleasant led all Wildcats in scoring with 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
“Incarnate Word is a good team,” Pleasant said. “It’s always tough winning a game on the road, and I felt like in the second half we made a lot of tough plays down the stretch. We really able to lock in.”
Despite the win, ACU (14-3, 6-1 SLC) struggled to force steals throughout the game. Incarnate Word (6-8, 3-4 SLC) finished with just nine turnovers.
“You’ve got to give credit to their three guards,” Golding said. “It’s tough to guard and turn them over. It was just one of those games.”
Senior guard Coryon Mason returned to the lineup after a concussion forced him to miss the previous two games. Mason finished the day with six points and five rebounds in limited minutes.
“Getting Coryon [Mason] back really helps our depth there,” Golding said. “We’re a better team now, and I think our perimeter guys are starting to figure it out.”
The Wildcats were scheduled to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Monday, but COVID-19 protocols have postponed that matchup. Up next, ACU travels to Lamar in Beaumont Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
