Defending champions push past ACU
Northeastern State hands ACU third loss in four games, 67-54
ABILENE – Defending national champion Northeastern State opened the game with a 10-1 run and never looked back as it beat ACU, 67-54, in a Lone Star Conference crossover game at Moody Coliseum.
The loss – ACU's third in its last four games – drops the Wildcats to 9-6 overall, while the Redmen improve to 8-7. The Wildcats will return to action Tuesday (Jan. 20) when they open LSC South Division action by hosting Angelo State at 8 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.
Shiloh Shores scored six of the game's first 10 points and had one assist for the Redmen as NSU really put the game away early. ACU shot just 19 percent in the first half (4 of 21), including 16 percent from 3-point range (1 of 6), and trailed 33-16 at halftime.
Northeastern's second-half lead fluctuated from 11-17 points throughout most of the 20 minutes before ACU finally chipped it down to nine points (49-40) with 8:13 to play on a pair of David Baxter free throws. But the Redmen immediately went on a 9-3 run that pushed the lead back to 15 at 58-43 with 5:37 to play, effectively sealing the game.
Matthias Krieg played his best game as a Wildcat, scoring 17 points and pulling down six rebounds, while Baxter added 15 points, all coming in the second half. NSU guard Darnell Hinson led all scorers with 22 points, while Shores had 16 and Derek Cline 13.
