STOCKTON, Calif. – ACU used a 33-8 run that extended from the end of the first half through the first 13 minutes of the second half as the Wildcats improved to 4-0 to start the season with a dominating 72-56 win over Elon (N.C.) at the Tigers Thanksgiving Classic hosted by the University of the Pacific.
The Wildcats led throughout the first half until an Elon run gave the Phoenix a 32-31 lead late in the half. But
Jalone Friday buried a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the first half to put his team on top, 34-32, at the break, and that was just the start of the game-changing run.
ACU outscored Elon 12-0 in the first 4:04 of the second half behind a layup by
Payten Ricks, a jumper by
Jaren Lewis, a 3-pointer by Friday, a layup by Lewis and then a 3-pointer from
B.J. Maxwell. ACU led 46-32 with 15:56 to play after Maxwell's 3-pointer before Elon finally got on the board in the second half on a jumper by Tyler Seibring with 15:25 left in the contest.
After the bucket that made it a 46-34 game, ACU ripped off another 18-6 burst over the next seven minutes to increase its lead to 64-40 with 7:01 left in the game. Ricks hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to get it started before freshman
Joe Pleasant hit a 3-pointer to make it a 54-36 lead with 13:03 left in the contest.
Jaylen Franklin — who missed most of the first half because of foul trouble but still finished with seven assists — hit his only bucket of the night with 11:38 to play to give ACU a 20-point lead (56-36).
Hayden Farquhar buried a 3-pointer, Lewis made another jumper and Ricks hit a 3-pointer to cap the run that put the game in the bag for the Wildcats. ACU — which entered the game shooting better than 55 percent from the floor in its first three games — was hot again, hitting 51.8 percent of its shots (29 of 56), including 61.1 percent from 3-point range (11 of 18).
ACU's defense was terrific in holding Elon to just 45 percent shooting from the floor (18 of 40), including 42.8 percent in the decisive second half (9 of 21). Elon hit 5 of 12 3-pointers in the first half but only made 2 of 8 from long range in the second half. The Wildcats' defensive effort was aided by a 29-25 advantage on the glass and only six turnovers to 11 for Elon.
The start to the game was equally as impressive as the start to the second half for the Wildcats as they jumped out to a quick 15-5 lead behind
B.J. Maxwell's early 3-point shooting. ACU led by as many as 12 in the first half (24-12) before the Phoenix rallied late to narrow the halftime margin.
Elon's comeback in the first half was aided by the fact that they were 9 of 15 at the free throw line and committed just six fouls, while the Wildcats were whistled for 13 fouls and went to the line just three times (making two).
"Our start was really good and then we got into foul trouble," ACU head coach
Joe Golding said. "J-Frank (Franklin) got into foul trouble and wasn't really part of the game in the first half, but I thought (freshman guard)
Damien Daniels came in and did a great job running the team. We've said all along we've got great depth on this team and it showed (Thursday). We'll have to rely more and more on that as we go along in this tournament. Then I liked the way we answered coming out in the second half. We had great leadership from our seniors — especially
Jaren Lewis — at halftime, and they showed what we can be."
ACU is back on the floor Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. Abilene time) when it takes on the hosts from Pacific at Alex G. Spanos Arena. The game can be heard on 98.1 FM The Ticket and can be viewed on the
Pacific website.
