SAN ANTONIO – The ACU Wildcats played better Wednesday night, but it still wasn't enough as they dropped a tough 56-52 decision to No. 13 Incarnate Word in a Lone Star Conference South Division men's game at the McDermott Center.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 8-9 overall and 0-5 in the LSC South, while the Cardinals improve to 15-2 and 4-1. ACU is back in action Saturday at 4 p.m. when it hosts Eastern New Mexico at Moody Coliseum.
The Wildcats had dropped four straight LSC South games by double figures (by an average of 17 points per game) and based on the pre-game records could have been in for another tough night.
But in the first LSC game between ACU and Incarnate Word, the Wildcats more than held their own against one of the nation's top teams.
The teams battled back and forth throughout a taut first half before ACU finally settled for a 25-24 halftime advantage. The low-scoring theme carried through to the second half, although the Wildcats outscored the Cardinals 6-1 to start the second half and grab a 31-25 lead with 16:58 left.
Dosh Simms had a layup,
Giordan Cole a dunk and
Desmond Woodberry a jumper in the run.
ACU's lead from that point until late in the game fluctuated anywhere between two and six points until a 4-0 flurry by UIW got the game tied at 48-48 with 3:53 left. Kelcey Solomon got the game tied on a fastbreak layup.
The Cardinals would not trail the rest of the way as they pushed their lead to as much as five points with 13 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Chris Johnson.
Zach Williams buried a 3-pointer for ACU with six seconds to play to cut the lead to 54-52, but Tracy Robinson nailed two free throws with four seconds to play for the final margin.
Cole led the Wildcats with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Williams had 11 points and
Preston Davis chipped in with 10 for the Wildcats.
