ESTERO, Fla. — The Wildcats are 3-0 and bringing home the hardware from the #BeachBubble at the Gulf Coast Showcase. After a slow start and struggling with turnovers early, ACU wore down the Mavericks in the second half on the way to their third-straight win.
Once again, it was the Wildcats defense that set the tone for the game. ACU led by as many as 11 points in the first half before they allowed Omaha to get back in the game when they had a rash of turnovers and struggled to get going offensively. The teams were tied at the half but it didn't take long into the second half for the Wildcats to lock in and get back to their game.
Less than four minutes into the second half ACU was trailing by four points. When they came out of the first media timeout the Wildcats had two free throws and missed both, but
Immanuel Allen came away with the offensive board leading to a three from
Mahki Morris that sparked a 12-1 run. Over the next 10 minutes ACU outscored the Mavericks 27-9 and never looked back on their way to an undefeated record and the championship.
Key Plays
- Clay Gayman made back-to-back threes early to put the Wildcats up 8-4 and sparked the early run for ACU
- Allen had two layups, one on the fast break, one on a feed from Kolton Kohl, to put the Wildcats up 11 points early in the first half.
- Up nine in the first half, the Wildcats turned the ball over on three straight possession that allowed Omaha to get back into the game
- After going down four points early in the second half, Allen grabbed an offensive board off a missed free throw that led to a three from Morris to spark a 12-1 run
- With the Mavericks trying to get back in the game, once again the Wildcats got an offensive rebound, this time from Coryon Mason who found Allen for a dunk to push their lead to 12 points with seven minutes left to play
- With just under two minutes to play another offensive rebound, this time from Morris, led to second chance points from Joe Pleasant and give ACU the 14-point lead that was too much for Omaha to overcome
Turning Point
The initial 12-1 run in the second half put the Wildcats back in control and featured some of their best defensive efforts of the afternoon as they set the tone for the rest of the game.
Stat Pack
- Kohl led the way with 15 points and six rebounds, the Wildcats have had a different leading scorer in each of their three games
- Gayman (14), Pleasant (11), and Allen (10) each scored in double figures for the Wildcats as well
- Reggie Miller put together a solid stat line without much scoring. The point guard had two points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals
- The team boasted a plus-eight turnover margin to go along with nine steals
- Through their first three games ACU is shooting 54.5 percent from three while holding opponents to 19 percent shooting from deep
- Kolton Kohl hit his first career three going 1-2 from range
Up Next
ACU will head back to Abilene for their home opener in the Teague Center on Dec. 1 against Howard Payne at 7:30 p.m.
