Wildcats back home looking for first win vs. Islanders

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at ACU

When: Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Moody Coliseum (Abilene, Texas)
Records: TAMCC 9-10, 4-2; ACU 17-4, 6-2
Series: TAMCC leads 9-0
Last Game: TAMCC 76, ACU 67 (Feb. 22, 2019 / Abilene, Texas)
Streak: TAMCC, w9
Last ACU win: N/A
Last UNO win: TAMCC 76, ACU 67 (Feb. 22, 2019 / Abilene, Texas)
Radio: 98.1 FM (98theticket.com)
Watch: ESPN3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

ABILENE – Just four days after moving into sole possession of second place in the Southland Conference standings, the ACU Wildcats will be back on their home floor Wednesday night, hosting the team that has had their number more than any other league team in ACU's six seasons back in the Southland.

ACU will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a game that can be heard on 98.1 FM (98theticket.com) and seen on ESPN3. The Wildcats are 17-4 overall and 6-2 in the league, along in second place just 1 1/2 games behind league-leading Sam Houston State, which plays at red-hot Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday before hosting bitter rival Stephen F. Austin in Huntsville on Saturday. The Wildcats will be off on Saturday after completing the first half of conference play Wednesday night.

The game against Corpus is a tilt against a team that has never lost to the Wildcats, bringing a perfect 9-0 record vs. ACU into the game, including 5-0 in Abilene. The Islanders are 9-10 overall and 4-2 in the league, entering the game in third place in the league standings.

Wednesday night's game will feature the top two defensive teams in the league, at least in terms of scoring defense. ACU is the top-ranked scoring defense in the league (allowing just 63.4 points per game), while Corpus is second, allowing just 66.1 ppg. Corpus Christi has the top field goal percentage defense in the league, allowing opponents to shoot just 40.9 percent on the season, including just 33.8 percent from 3-point range.

The Islanders are also ranked second in the league in rebounding (38.4 per game) compared to ACU, which is 12th in the league in rebounding (32.9 per game).

ACU, meanwhile, is the best shooting team in the league, leading the conference in both field goal percentage (48.6 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.4 percent).

Three of the league's top 13 scorers will be in the game, led by ACU junior center Jalone Friday (13.3 points per game) at 11th, followed by ACU senior forward Jaren Lewis (13.0 ppg) in 12th and then Corpus Christi's Kareem South in 13th at 12.9 ppg.

ACU junior guard Payten Ricks leads the Southland in 3-point field goal percentage (45.5 percent) and his 50 3-point field goals on the season are the third-best total in the league behind the 61 made by Jeremiah Jefferson (Nicholls) and 54 by Harvey James (McNeese).