HOUSTON —
Reggie Miller showed his clutch genes on Wednesday night as he sealed the win for ACU with two late free throws and a game-ending steal. The Wildcats came away with a 66-63 win over Houston Baptist after they saw a 16-point second half lead disappear after a rough stretch with about 10 minutes left to play. The Huskies were able to apply full court pressure that saw ACU commit a few turnovers and HBU capitalized during a 14-0 run that saw HBU take a one-point lead with just under seven minutes to play. The Wildcats locked in, found ways to get stops, and made their free throws to keep HBU at bay and move to 2-0 in conference play.
Key Plays
- After falling behind 16-12 early, ACU responded with a 9-0 run while holding HBU scoreless for over four minutes.
- With a two-point lead, 23-21, Coryon Mason took a huge charge in transition that helped keep the momentum in ACU's favor.
- Clay Gayman went on a mini 6-0 run on his own to extend the Wildcats lead to eight with just under four minutes to play in the first half that gave ACU their first real separation from HBU in the game.
- Joe Pleasant took a feed from Gayman early in the second half for a monstrous dunk that gave the Wildcats their largest lead at 16 points.
- After a Gayman three that gave ACU a 13-point lead, the Huskies put on the full court pressure and forced four ACU turnovers over the next six possessions. HBU went on a 14-0 run and took a one-point lead.
- With the game tied at 57 with just over four minutes left to play, Mason scored five-straight points for the Wildcats and ACU held the Huskies scoreless for three minutes to give ACU the five-point edge.
- After HBU cut the lead to two points, ACU missed a shot on their next possession but Clay Gayman came up with the huge offensive rebound forcing the Huskies to foul.
- Reggie Miller went to the free-throw line for a one-and-one opportunity with just eight seconds left to play and sank both. He then ended the game with a steal to secure the win for the Wildcats.
Turning Point
After going down by one late in the game, ACU locked in on the defensive end and held the Huskies scoreless for a three minute stretch that allowed them to get back in the game and secure the win late.
Stat Pack
- Pleasant secured his second-career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. The 13 rebounds are a career-high
- Mason extended his double-digit scoring streak to seven games as he totaled 13 points
- The Wildcats outrebounded HBU 44-29 including 15-5 on the offensive boards
- After committing just three first half turnovers, ACU had 11 second half turnovers that allowed HBU to get back in the game
- ACU went 9-11 from the free throw line for their best mark of the year (.818) their previous best was a 6-9 (.667) performance at Texas Tech
- Clay Gayman had another solid effort off the bench with 15 points on 5-9 shooting.
Up Next
The Wildcats will have 10 days off before their next competition due to their game in Corpus being rescheduled. They will be back in Abilene on Jan. 16 when they host Southeastern Louisiana in a doubleheader with the women's team.
