ABILENE— The Wildcats proved tonight that they are a grit and grind team with no stop and a killer instinct. ACU hosted Pepperdine in a rematch of last year's contest in Malibu, when the Waves handed the Wildcats their first loss of a championship season, and they had revenge on their mind. The new-look Wildcats locked in on defense, but it wasn't enough as they fell 73-69 in Moody Coliseum Saturday night.
The Waves were coming off of a successful season of their own, where they made it to the West Coast Conference (WCC) semifinals as an eight seed, losing to perennial powerhouse Gonzaga. Pepperdine proved why they were a tough out in a competitive conference as they found ways to score despite the defensive efforts of the Wildcats. ACU got out to an early lead, 19-8, before Pepperdine settled into their offense and pushed the Wildcats to their limits.
Pepperdine's point guard, Colbey Ross, scored eight of nine points for the Waves as they trimmed ACU's early lead to just three points. The Waves closed the first half on a 26-7 run and led by eight points at the half. The Wildcats would punch first yet again at the start of the second half. ACU scored seven-straight points out of the break and cut the Pepperdine lead to just one point. After that run, the Waves never led by more than five points for the rest of the half.
The teams traded buckets throughout most of the second half with the game, and senior guard
Payten Ricks hit several key shots to keep the game close. He hit two threes that tied the game as well as a three to give the Wildcats a two-point lead with 8:20 left to play in the game. Free throw shooting was key down the stretch, and while the Wildcats made it to the line 33 times, they were unable to convert in key moments. Down two points with just seconds to play, ACU got the defensive stop and decided to go quickly down the floor where they were unable to convert. The Wildcats fouled on the defensive rebound and two free throws sealed the game for the Waves.
Key Plays
- The Wildcats defense was running seamlessly early as the held the Waves to just eight points through the first 12 minutes of play.
- Waves' guar Colbey Ross got hot in the middle of the first half scoring 11 points over the last eight minutes of the half.
- ACU came out strong defensively in the second half, forcing three empty trips down the floor for the Waves including forcing a turnover that led to a fast break basket for the Wildcats.
- Payten Ricks hit two threes over the span of 1:15 that helped to tie that game at 41-all.
- Off of a missed dunk, the Waves got an offensive rebound leading to an open three that helped shift momentum in their favor.
- The Wildcats had two missed layups and four missed free throws over the last eight minutes of the game.
Turning Point
After Ricks hit a three to give ACU a 57-55 advantage, the Wildcats committed four fouls and had a costly turnover in the next four minutes of play. The Waves made their free throws and made it difficult for the Wildcats to gain the advantage back.
Stat Pack
- Three Wildcats scored in double figures on the night: Ricks, Joe Pleasant, and Kolton Kohl. Kohl secured a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
- ACU totaled 10 steals on the night, Ricks had four while Damien Daniels tallied three in the game.
- Kohl's 10 rebounds led all players on the night.
- Ross and Kameron Edwards each scored 20-plus in the game.
- ACU continues to struggle shooting beyond the arc. Ricks made four threes while the rest of the team combined to go 1-8 from three-point range.
- The Wildcats totaled 10 offensive rebounds to the Waves six, and outrebounded them overall 32-30.
Gold Mine
On his team's toughness: "Playing Drexel and Pepperdine, those are two quality teams, and our guys have played tough and with energy. I really like this basketball team, we have left it all on the court, we could be 3-0 but we are looking at 1-2. We have several new players and returners playing in new positions so we just need to keep plugging along, trust the process, and keep getting better."
On the up and down first half: "We got somewhat stagnant offensively in the first half, it was an ugly start, 19-8, but we wanted it ugly. We didn't want to let them get out in transition, but then we went through that six- or seven-minute stretch where we weren't able to score. We would get stops and not be able to score or we could score and then not get stops, we just need to find the right balance for our team."
On the second half start: "I thought we came back really well in the second half. I loved the start, it was like a heavyweight fight and we came out and landed the first punch at the start of the half. This is what great college basketball looks like. We had two good teams going at it and trading baskets down to the wire, but they made one more play than we did to close it out."
Up Next
The Wildcats have a quick turnaround as they fly out early Sunday morning to head to Las Vegas for their first game of the Southwestern Showdown presented by Engage Telehealth. The team will play UNLV in the first of four games that will comprise of schools throughout the southwestern United States. The Wildcats and Runnin' Rebels will play Monday night at 7 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Central and you can catch the game on the Mountain West Digital Network, or listen to
Grant Boone on 98.1 the Ticket.
