ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats are back home for a two-game homestand against a pair of non-NCAA Division I opponents, beginning with Saturday's contest against Northern New Mexico.
The Wildcats and Eagles are set to tip off at 4 p.m. Saturday in Moody Coliseum in a game that can be heard on 98.1 FM The Ticket (98theticket.com) and can be seen on acusports.com. After Saturday's game against Northern New Mexico, the Wildcats will be back in action on Dec. 14 when they host Randall University at 7 p.m. Randall University underwent a name change over the summer from Hillsdale Freewill Baptist College. That game will also be broadcast on 98.1 FM and on acusports.com.
ACU is 4-3 on the season after splitting a two-game road trip last week at New Mexico (64-55 loss) and Charleston Southern (85-82 overtime win). The Wildcats are above .500 seven games into the season for the first time since 2011-12, and they're doing with one of the youngest rosters in the Southland Conference.
Heading into the two-game homestead, the Wildcats are tied for third in the Southland Conference at 4-3 overall, and are ranked 239th in the latest RPI rankings, ahead of Lamar (241), Southeastern Louisiana (270), McNeese (294) and Stephen F. Austin (306) of the Southland Conference.
Sophomore forward
Jaren Lewis – who scored a career-high 26 points in last Saturday's come-from-behind win at Charleston Southern, including the go-ahead bucket with 11 seconds left in overtime – leads the Wildcats in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while redshirt freshman center
Jalone Friday is second at 12.9 ppg. Lewis – who is ninth in the league in scoring – is eighth in the league in rebounding at 7.3 rpg. Friday – 19th in the league in scoring – is 15th in the league in rebounding at 6.1 rpg.
Sophomore point guard
Jaylen Franklin – who was injured early in the second half of ACU's 72-64 loss at Oklahoma on Nov. 25 and hasn't played in the three games since – is third on the team in scoring at 10.0 ppg. Franklin is expected to be back in the starting lineup Saturday against the Eagles.
The Wildcats are allowing just 65.0 points per game, the top defensive scoring mark in the Southland Conference. They also lead the Southland in defensive field goal percentage (40.1 percent) and defensive 3-point field goal percentage (28.6 percent).
Northern New Mexico is led in scoring by junior guard Jeffrey Long, who is averaging 19.0 ppg. The Eagles won their first two games of the season, but have lost 10 straight entering Saturday afternoon's contest. They are allowing 96.0 points per game and have allowed 100 points or more in five of their last 10 games.
Randall University, meanwhile, is 2-5 on the season before hosting the Randall University Classic this weekend and playing at Rogers State the day before the Saints are in Abilene.
