ACU set to open LSC South action
Wildcats to host long-time rival Angelo State in Tuesday opener
ABILENE -- The ACU Wildcats will open Lone Star Conference South Division play Tuesday night at Moody Coliseum, and, even though they won't be playing a nationally ranked team or a defending national champion, the Wildcats' toughest stretch of the season continues against long-time rival Angelo State.
The Wildcats and Rams are set to tip off at 8 p.m., and the game can be heard on KSLI 1280 AM.
ACU has lost three of its last four games, but two of those losses (vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State and Tarleton State) came against teams ranked 25th and 10th in the nation, respectively, and the third (last Saturday vs. Northeastern State) came against the defending NCAA Division II national champion.
Now ACU opens LSC South Division action Tuesday, and all it gets is a 10-5 Angelo State team, followed by a home game Thursday night against another 10-5 team in Midwestern State.
The biggest factor in each of those three losseswas the Wildcats' inability to score. In those three losses combined, ACU shot just 33.9 percent from the floor (58 of 171), including just 32.7 percent (20 of 61) from 3-point range. In their last four games, ACU has averaged just 64.5 points per game, almost 20 points per game less than what the Wildcats had averaged in their first 11 games whenthey were scoring an average of 84.1 points per game.
Junior guard David Baxter continues to lead the Wildcats in scoring at 16.1 points per game, and he's hit 38.9 percent of his 3-pointers (51 of 131). Senior forward Tucker Pierson is second on the club in scoring at 14.1 ppg and first in rebounding at a career-best 9.5 rpg. Senior guard Rodney Lee is third on the club in scoring at 13.3 ppg, and he's shooting 37.4 percent (37 of 99) from 3-point range.
Angelo State is coming off a heartbreaking 76-75 loss last Saturday to Central Oklahoma, which won the game on a Craig Wrice 3-pointer with one-half second left to play. The Rams, who beat Northeastern State last Thursday, are led by junior guard Kenny Smith (14.5 ppg) and senior guard Nate Gordon (9.1 ppg).
