Men’s basketball (9-15, 4-9) grabbed a crucial road win Thursday night taking down UT Rio Grande Valley (6-18, 2-11), 87-79, thanks to a big performance from senior guard Hunter Jack Madden.
The Wildcats, who were coming off a four-game losing streak, had been facing some real struggles and needed a win against the last-placed Vaqueros, to turn some momentum back in their favor.
The Wildcats opened up the game on a quick 12-5 run, which included a bucket from every Wildcat in the starting lineup. The Wildcats were able to hold the lead for a solid part of the first half and it wasn’t until 7:53 where the Vaqueros took their first lead.
However, the Wildcats were able to score six straight, capped off by a fast-break layup from junior guard Ali Abdou Dibba to retake the lead. Madden would then hit a three-pointer to go up seven with just under five minutes remaining in the first half.
Despite a three-minute scoring drought, the Wildcats were able to maintain the lead, taking a 37-31 advantage into the half.
To begin the second half, UTRGV would go on a 9-2 run and grab their largest lead of the game at 43-39. Dibba would convert on an and-one the next possession and Madden hit a key jumper to keep it at only a one-point UTRGV lead.
Despite the Vaqueros holding the lead, the Wildcats did not let up and sophomore forward Leonardo Bettiol sank two free throws, followed by a layup to retake the lead for the ACU. At the 12:06 mark, senior forward Airion Simmons completed a three-point play to extend the Wildcat lead.
It would be the defense that stepped up for the next two and a half minutes, holding the Vaqueros scoreless, which allowed ACU to build their lead up to 14. Despite being up 15 with 7:30 remaining in the game, UTRGV refused to go away and was able to cut the lead to four with 1:12 remaining in the game.
Even after the UTRGV run, ACU would hold on and the Wildcats were able to leave the Valley with the win, taking down the Vaqueros 87-79.
The Wildcats shot an impressive 61.4% from the field throughout the game, scoring 58 points in the paint. Madden led the team with an impressive career-high of 27 points, shooting 10-13 from the field including three three-pointers. Dibba added 16 points to go along with a team leading 10 rebounds and Bettiol finished 15. Simmons and junior guard Kavion McClain rounded out the starting-five, scoring 13 and 11 respectively.
The Wildcats will finish up a four-game road trip on Saturday when they head to Nacogdoches to take on Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m. with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
Quotes will be added following head coach Brette Tanner’s next press conference.
