Wildcats set to host Bears in home finale

ABILENE – Thursday night's nine-point loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has narrowed the ACU Wildcats' margin of error going going into their final three games of the season as they bid to ensure themselves one of the final two spots in the Southland Conference Post-Season Tournament.

The push to Katy and the conference tournament continues Saturday at 4 p.m. when the Wildcats host Central Arkansas in the regular-season home finale at 4 p.m. The Bears will bring senior guard Jordan Howard – the nation's third-leading scorer at 25.6 points per game – with them to battle a Wildcat team led by four players averaging in double figures. The scenarios for qualifying for the tournament are too many to consider at this point; all the Wildcats know is that they still control their own destiny going into the final three games of the regular season.

Saturday's game is also a big one because it marks the 50th anniversary of the first game in Moody Coliseum. On Feb. 27, 1968, Moody opened with a 96-93 overtime win over Arkansas State that gave ACU the Southland Conference title. John Ray Godfrey – who will be honored at halftime with a jersey number retirement ceremony – scored 41 points in the game.

Regarding the game on the floor Saturday, the Wildcats will be going for a season sweep of the Bears after having beaten UCA, 80-63, in Conway, Ark., on Jan. 20. ACU led 38-37 at halftime, but was dominant in the second half, outscoring UCA 42-26 in the final 20 minutes to snap a two-game losing streak to the Bears.

Neither team enters Saturday's game with much momentum as UCA has lost three in a row and ACU four out of five, and each find itself in precarious position when it comes to post-season opportunities.

UCA senior guard Jordan Howard, a senior from Chandler, Ariz., leads the Bears and the conference in scoring and is third in the nation at 25.6 points per game. UCA's career scoring leader and top three-point shooter, Howard is just 37 points away from becoming the NCAA Division I career scoring leader in the state of Arkansas. University of Arkansas All-American Todd Day scored 2,396 points from 1989-92), while Howard sits at 2,360 points.

The Wildcats have four players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by junior forward Jaren Lewis at 13.5 ppg, followed by sophomore center Jalone Friday (13.2 ppg), graduate transfer guard Tevin Foster (12.6 ppg) and junior guard Jaylen Franklin (10.8 ppg). Franklin is third in the Southland in field-goal percentage, shooting a a 56.8-percent clip. He is also third in the league in steals at 1.9 per game and fourth in assists at 4.5 per game.

Saturday also marks the final home games for ACU seniors Foster, Drake Green and Isaiah Tripp.