BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Jalone Friday's clutch 3-pointer with 15 seconds to play and Isaiah Tripp's steal in the waning moments of overtime sealed ACU's 85-80 win over Campbell in Friday afternoon's first game of the Creek Classic at Gore Arena.
The Wildcats led Campbell by as many as 13 points in the second half before the Fighting Camels came back to take as much as a three-point lead late with about eight minutes to play. From that point on, the contest was a back-and-forth affair that saw neither team take more than a four point lead until Tripp hit a pair of free throws for the final margin.
ACU led 68-65 with 4:02 to play before both teams went cold from the floor. Marcus Burk finally broke the scoring skid for the Camels with a layup at the 1:24 mark to cut ACU's lead to 68-67. Tevin Foster then hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds to play to give ACU a 70-67 lead.
But Burk – who hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first half to cut ACU's halftime lead to 46-35 – buried another 3-pointer from the top of the key to knot the score at 70 apiece. ACU had the chance to inbound the ball and get the final shot, but Hayden Farquhar's pass went out of bounds without touching anyone and the Camels had the ball under their own basket with 2.7 seconds to play.
But Campbell threw the ball out of bounds on its inbounds play, giving the Wildcats a chance at a last-second game-winner. But Jaylen Franklin's three-quarter-court heave was just off the mark, sending the game to overtime.
The Wildcats jumped out to a pair of four-point leads before a 3-pointer by Cory Gensler cut the ACU lead to 78-77 and two free throws by Chris Clemons – the nation's third-leading scorer entering the game at 27.7 points per game – gave Campbell a 79-78 lead.
But on ACU's ensuing possession, Foster got the ball into the hands of Friday, whose 3-pointer from the right wing found nothing but the bottom of the net to give AUCU an 81-79 lead with 15 seconds to play. Clemons was fouled with eight seconds to play, but he missed the first of two free throws, and after making the second ACU still led 81-80.
Payten Ricks – playing for the first time this season after some early season knee issues – stepped up and made a pair of 3-pointers to give the Wildcats an 83-80 lead with 7.0 seconds to play. Clemons had the ball outside the 3-point line on Campbell's ensuing possession, but the ball was tipped out by Jaren Lewis and Tripp picked it up and was fouled with less than one second left, virtually sealing the Wildcats' win. Tripp buried both free throws to make it an 85-80 final.
ACU played as well in the first half as it has in any game since the Wildcats made the move to NCAA Division I affiliation in 2013-14. The Wildcats hit 19 of 29 shots from the floor in the first half (65.5 percent), including 5 of 6 from 3-point range (83.3 percent) en route to building as much as a 46-32 lead. Lewis – who finished the game with a double-double – had 11 points and five rebounds in a strong opening 20 minutes, helping the Wildcats race out to an early lead. Foster had seven points in the first half, and junior center Hayden Howell had six points as he got the start at center for the Wildcats.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The Wildcats – who were just 11 of 18 at the free throw line in last Monday's 75-67 home loss to Lipscomb – buried all 11 of their free throw attempts Friday in the win over Campbell.
• Jaren Lewis recorded the first double-double of his season – and sixth of his career – with his 17-point, 10-rebound performance Friday afternoon against Campbell.
• The Wildcats have faced two of the top mid-major players in the country in their last two games in guard Garrison Mathews from Lipscomb and Chris Clemons from Cambpell, and they have held them to a combined 24 points. Clemons – who scored 16 points Friday – entered the game averaging 27.7 points per game.
QUOTABLE
ACU head coach Joe Golding
… on his team's effort to get the win
"Campbell has a really good team, so that's a great win for us on their home floor. We got off to a great start, but we knew they'd make a comeback in the second half. We had some toughness to us (Friday) and we didn't let those 3-pointers affect us in a negative way. I thought this team would be a tough team, and they showed it (Friday)."
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will be back in action Saturday afternoon (4 p.m. Abilene time) when they take on South Carolina-Upstate (USC-Upstate) in the third game of the Creek Classic on the campus of Campbell University. ACU will close out its run in the classic Sunday (12 p.m. Abilene time) against Bowling Green. Both games will be broadcast on 98.1 FM The Ticket.
