ABILENE – Needing a win to jump-start a second-half run to a spot in the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament, the ACU Wildcats instead saw their tournament hopes take a hit Tuesday night with a 90-82 loss to Midwestern State at Moody Coliseum.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 8-11 overall and 3-10 in the league and into 10th place in the 11-team league. The Wildcats are one-half game behind ninth-place Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-9 in the league) and one full game behind eighth-place Eastern New Mexico (3-9).
The win pushes the Mustangs to 15-4 overall and 11-2 in the league, 1.5 games behind league-leading Tarleton State. The TexAnns – undefeated in league play at 12-0 – are the only team in the LSC to have already earned a spot in the league's post-season tournament in Allen.
With seven games left in their season, the Wildcats may well need to go at least 4-3 to secure a spot in the post-season tournament. The Wildcats are back in action Saturday at 2 p.m. against third-place Cameron in Lawton, Okla.
The Wildcats trailed Tuesday night's game by double digits on multiple occasions, including the last time at 81-70 with 3:51 left after a pair of
Hillari Adam free throws cut into the MSU lead.
A
Renata Marquez steal turned into
Kelsey Smith jumper with 3:33 left to cut the lead to 81-72. After another MSU turnover, Adam hit two more free throws with 2:50 to play to cut the lead to 81-74.
After a bucket by MSU's Savannah Carver pushed the lead back to mine points, Mack Lanford scored for ACU at the 2:!6 mark and then Marquez hit a jumper at the 1:18 mark to cut the lead to 83-76.
After two Dianna Jones free throws pushed MSU's lead back to 85-78, Lankford hit a jumper at the 54-second mark to cut the MSU lead to 85-80. Lankford had a chance at the old-fashioned three-point play, but missed the free throw.
But she grabbed her own rebound and laid it back in and ACU was down just 85-82 with 49 seconds left.
After a
Cecilee Perez block on a shot by Kirsti Degelia, the Wildcats came away with the basketball. But Adam missed a jumper and Degelia came away with the basketball. Lankford reached in trying to get the ball and fouled out in the process, sending Degelia to the free throw line with 31 seconds left. She made the second of two free throws to make it a four-point game, and that was as close as the Wildcats would get.
Sadie Dickinson missed two 3-pointers in the closing seconds and MSU – which finished 27 of 31 from the free throw line – hit four straight int he final 19 seconds for the final margin.
Smith led all scorers with 27 points to go along with 11 rebounds, her second straight double-double and fourth of the season for the Wildcats. Lankford had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Marquez had 16 points.
Carver led the Mustangs with 24 points, while Cierra Thompson had 19, Andrea Carter 16 and Degelia 11.