HOUSTON— The Wildcats once again held the Huskies to one of their lowest scoring efforts of the season and came away with a 14-point victory for the season sweep. After a tightly contested first half, that saw a combined 34 free throw attempts, ACU locked in defensively to give themselves breathing room over HBU.
Payten Ricks led the way for the Wildcats going 6-12 from deep and scoring 24 points on the night. Three other Wildcats scored in double figures and the team forced 21 turnovers en route to the 82-68 win.
Southland Significance
Nicholls avoided a scare on the road at Northwestern State to remain at just three losses. Sam Houston fell to Lamar dropping them to six conference losses and a full game back of the Wildcats. ACU remains fully in third-place and has a chance to lock up a tournament spot on Saturday at SLU.
Key Plays
- Payten Ricks began the game in style hitting back-to-back threes to give ACU the early 6-0 lead.
- With the game tied at 13-all the Wildcats made six straight free throws to help build back their lead.
- Tobias Cameron came off the bench in the first half and tallied a steal and a layup that brought a huge lift to ACU's energy.
- Joe Pleasant hit a straight away three in the first half to push the Wildcats to their largest first half lead.
- Ricks hit his fifth three of the night with just under 16 minutes to play that sparked a 15-6 run for ACU.
- Clay Gayman hit a layup and drew a foul with under three minutes to play that pushed the Wildcats to their largest lead of the night at 17 points.
- Gayman put an exclamation point on the night with a massive reverse dunk with just seconds left in the game.
Turning Point
ACU went on a 15-6 run, sparked by a Ricks three-pointer, over a four-minute span in the second half. The Wildcats secured a double-digit lead and never looked back.
Stat Pack
- Payten Ricks backed up his 17-point performance at AMCC with 24 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals on the night.
- The Wildcats forced 21 turnovers on the night and totaled 12 steals.
- Clay Gayman continues his solid play since moving into the starting lineup, going for 11 points with nine coming in the second half.
- Pleasant stretches his double-digit scoring streak to eight games. He went 4-11 on the night and had a team-high six rebounds.
- ACU held a 25-7 advantage on points off turnovers.
- The Wildcats shot over 40 percent from three for just the third time this season.
- Reggie Miller led the team with five assists, he also scored five points and grabbed two rebounds.
Postgame Interview
Up Next
The Wildcats continue their road trip as they head over to Hammond, La. where they will face Southeastern Louisiana. Once again, ACU will be looking for a season sweep and another chance to extend their winning streak. Game tips at 4 p.m.
