HUNTSVILLE, Texas— After playing four of their first six Southland games at home, the Wildcats headed on the road for their first significant time away from Moody in conference play. The team started at Sam Houston State, one of the toughest places to play in the Southland. In a game that favored the Wildcats early, the Bearkats stormed back and held the lead for most of the second half. ACU was able to tie the game late and force overtime, but foul trouble and offensive struggles gave way to an SHSU run late with the Wildcats falling 76-82.
Key Plays
- The Wildcats jumped out to a 10-3 lead early with Coryon Mason scoring seven of their first 10.
- ACU struggled with foul trouble early on, putting the Bearkats at the line seven times before they made a single trip to the charity stripe.
- A jumper from Airion Simmons with just over seven minutes left in the first half gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the game, 27-17.
- SHSU closed the half on a 22-8 run including two big threes late in the half.
- The Bearkats opened the second half pushing their lead to eight points.
- Mason hit his third three of the night just three and a half minutes into the second half to cut the Bearkats lead to one.
- Joe Pleasant hit a jumper in the paint late in the second half to cut the SHSU lead to three points, Payten Ricks would come down on the next possession and hit three free throws to tie the game at 67.
- A three from SHSU's Swoope in overtime pushed their lead to six and did not allow the Wildcats to get back in the game.
Turning Point
The Wildcats committed two early fouls in overtime that allowed the momentum to shift in favor of the Bearkats while also losing one of their top defenders in Mason, who fouled out.
Stat Pack
- Coryon Mason led the Wildcats 19 points (career high) on 5-10 shooting, while also adding four rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
- The Wildcats lost the turnover battle just the third time all season.
- ACU outrebounded their opponent for the first time in four games, 39-25.
- Damien Daniels scored in double figures for the first time this season, scoring 11 points on 3-5 shooting.
- Joe Pleasant struggled from the field, shooting 3-10, but totaled eight points and seven boards.
- The two teams combined for 46 fouls resulting in 62 total trips to the free throw line.
- The Wildcats are now 0-2 in overtime games this season.
Up Next
The Wildcats will continue their road trip this weekend at Central Arkansas. The game will tip-off at approximately 3 p.m. immediately following the women's game. The games will be broadcast on 98.1 The Ticket with
Zach Carlyle.
