ACU takes LSC break
2/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ACU takes break from LSC play
Wildcats to host Panhandle State; will keep eyes on ASU
ABILENE – ACU will host Oklahoma Panhandle State in a non-conference game Thursday night at Moody Coliseum, although the Wildcats will probably be more concerned with what's going on in San Angelo between Midwestern State and Angelo State.
The Wildcats and Aggies are set to tip off at 8 p.m. at Moody Coliseum, but the Lone Star Conference South Division about 90 miles south of Abilene will play a huge role in determining the Wildcats' post-season fate.
Here's the breakdown for the Wildcats:
• A Midwestern State win over Angelo State on Thursday and an ACU win over Midwestern State on Saturday would give the Wildcats the fourth LSC Post-Season Tournament spot from the LSC South.
• In any tiebreaker situation, the Wildcats will finish out of the conference tournament. ACU does not have the tiebreaker edge over either Angelo State or Texas A&M-Kingsville.
So the Wildcats must root for Midwestern State against their arch-rivals and then beat Midwestern State Saturday.
Regardless of whether or not the Wildcats make the conference tournament, the 2002-03 season has been a great turnaround season for head coach Klint Pleasant and his team. ACU has already won 13 games, the combined total the previous two ACU teams won under former coach Mike Martin. ACU can clinch its first season of at least .500 basketball since 1998-99 with a win Thursday, and its four conference wins are the combined total of the previous two teams.
Junior guard Rodney Lee continues to pace the Wildcats, averaging 19.0 points per game, good for third in the league. Lee has hit 82 of 186 3-pointers this season (44.1 percent), and needs just five more to establish a new ACU single-season record. Chas Jackson set the record when he hit 86 3-pointers during the 1995-96 season.
Junior forward Tucker Pierson is second on the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game and is the club's leading rebounder at 8.6 rebounds per game. Junior point guard Cliff Green is averaging 9.8 points and 6.0 assists per game.
Panhandle State enters the game at 13-11 overall and with an 81-58 win over ACU (Nov. 30) under its belt. The Aggies, however, are 4-7 in the Heartland Conference and are 2-3 in their last five games entering Thursday night's contest.
The Aggies are led by Kenneth Barrett's 16.9 points per game, while Andrew Harlie is averaging 14.3 ppg, Joe Bakhoum 11.6 ppg and Tyrone Johnson 14.0 ppg.
