Junior forward Airion Simmons’ 24 first-half points allowed the Wildcats (16-5, 7-5) to defeat the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (7-16, 2-9) 83-66 on Saturday in the Teague Special Events Center.
After five straight Western Athletic Conference wins, the Wildcats are now tied for sixth in conference play. Head coach Brette Tanner’s squad scored 25 points off the Vaqueros’ 24 turnovers alongside Simmons’ monster 31-point performance to seal the win.
“I just told them in the locker room, ‘how good does it feel to not have to fight back and scratch,’” Tanner said. “To win by 17, I’m ecstatic. The things we struggled on at their place, we worked on a lot over the past two days. I thought our guys did a great job of listening and taking the game plan and putting it into play.”
Junior forward Airion Simmons went off for a career-high by the first half with 24 points and nine rebounds to give the Wildcats a 47-31 lead at halftime. In addition to Simmons’ 24 first-half points, the Wildcats dished out 14 assists, scored 26 in the paint, and shot 47 percent from the field.
“The guys were just finding me in the open spots and I was making the right plays for the team, so kudos to the guys for throwing me the ball when I was open,” Simmons said. “Coach has been telling me to start crashing the boards so that’s what I’ve been doing.”
The Vaqueros actually hung with the Wildcats in the second half with ACU winning the half 36-35. Despite scoring 24 in the first half, the Vaqueros limited the red-hot Simmons to seven in the second half. Simmons finished his career night with 31 points and 14 boards all while his mom was in the stands to see him play.
“His mom was in town and I didn’t know it, then I looked up in the stands and saw her and she gave me a big hug,” Tanner said. “No wonder he played good. He always plays good when his mom’s in town. He’s a special kid and a great player but an even better kid.”
A dominant 47 percent shooting performance allowed Tanner and Co. to defeat the Vaqueros. As well as the shooting performance, the Wildcats finished with 23 assists, 40 points in the paint, and 12 steals. The Wildcats put on a show in front of a packed house in Teague.
“Abilene has showed up for us all year,” Tanner said. “I looked up today and I couldn’t believe it. I’m just thankful for everybody that showed up. We need them to keep coming so we know they’re there.”
After five straight WAC wins and several two-game weekends, the Wildcats do not play again until next Saturday. The Wildcats have been playing two games every week since the start of conference play. The Tarleton Texans (10-13, 5-5) is next for the Wildcats in Stephenville next Saturday. ACU is currently tied for sixth in the WAC and Tarleton is eighth.
“I’m proud of our guys the way they’ve handled these last couple of weeks especially after that little slide we were on,” Tanner said. “They’ve found a way to get their groove back a little bit and it’s our job in this bye week that we don’t lose any of that momentum. February is a dark and gloomy month. The teams that can find a way to fight through February are the ones that have a beautiful March.”
The former Lone Star Conference rivals tip at 7 p.m. in Stephenville at the Wisdom Gym next Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
