BEAUMONT, Texas – In its' second-tightly contested conference battle of the week, the ACU men's basketball team picked up an 85-82 victory over Lamar. Four Wildcat starters scored in double-figures, while
Airion Simmons finished his night one rebound shy of a double-double.
Key Plays
- Simmons connected with Tobias Cameron for a three and ACU's first bucket of the night.
- Lamar led for a good chunk of the first half, going in front by as many as seven before the Purple and White went to the locker room trailing by just one.
- Coryon Mason knocked down a fast break triple to cap ACU's 18-7 run to start the second half, pushing the Wildcats in front 54-44 heading into the under-16 media timeout.
- Lamar remained within striking distance, and C.J. Roberts' free throws at 8:04 tied the game at 66.
- Lincoln Smith found the bottom of the net with a layup that put the Cardinals in front by five with 2:45 remaining in the game.
The Final Two Minutes
- Mahki Morris connected on a pair of free throws to cut the Wildcat deficit to one, and following a Lamar timeout, Mason saw a second-chance bucket go to bring ACU in front 80-79.
- An offensive foul against the Cardinals turned into a pair of technical, and the Purple and White sent Mason to the line for all of them.
- Mason knocked down three of the four attempts at the stripe, and Lamar was forced to play the foul game on ACU's final possession.
- Reggie Miller extended the lead with another made free throw, and Lamar's Kasen Harrison knocked down a three at the buzzer, to make it an 85-82 final score.
Stat Pack
- Morris led the way for ACU with 17 points and played 30 minutes without turning the ball over.
- Mason and Cameron each went for 14, while Simmons added a dozen and a game-high nine boards.
- Damien Daniels came off the bench to provide four of ACU's 14 assists, and Cameron Steel paced the bench squad with eight points.
- The Wildcats won the battle of the boards by a total of 42-38 while forcing four more turnovers than they committed.
Up Next
- Abilene Christian is back at home on Wednesday, when Chicago State makes the journey to the Big Country. Tipoff from the Teague Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
#GoWildcats
