LAS VEGAS — Abilene Christian faced off against Weber State on Tuesday evening in a battle of the Wildcats. The two teams played tight throughout the first half and were deadlocked at 40-all after 20 minutes of action. WSU jumped out to a four-point lead early in the second half, but ACU was able to erase the deficit and go up by five with 11 minutes to play. ACU quickly saw their lead diminish after two technical fouls allowed Weber State to tie the game up and swing momentum in their favor. The team scored just nine points over the final 11 minutes of action and fell by a final score of 77-67.
Key Plays
- ACU got Cameron Steele going early as he made back-to-back threes to give them an early 8-6 lead.
- A steal from Airion Simmons led to a fastbreak layup for Hunter Jack Madden that gave the Wildcats a six-point lead with 11 minutes to play in the first half.
- Weber State closed the first half on a 9-4 run over the last three minutes to knot the game at 40.
- Madden gave the Wildcats their first lead of the second half on a corner three to put ACU up one.
- A 7-0 run in the middle of the second half put ACU up by five with 11 minutes to play, but a technical foul put Weber State at the line where they were able to put up their first points in over two and a half minutes.
- A flopping technical and another technical were called on the Wildcats over the next two minutes of action that allowed WSU to get to the free throw line again and eventually tie the game.
Turning Point
The three technical fouls called against ACU in a two-minute span allowed Weber State to erase a five-point deficit and turn the momentum completely in their favor.
Stat Pack
- Steele led the Wildcats with 16 points, including going 4-7 from beyond the arc.
- Ja'Sean Jackson made a big impact on the game despite not scoring. He had a career-high seven assists and tallied two steals.
- Madden earned his first start as a Wildcat and put up a 13-point effort. He went 3-4 from deep and grabbed five rebounds.
- As a team, the Wildcats shot lights out from deep going 9-17 on the night.
- ACU sent Weber State to the free throw line 25 times where they shot 92 percent for the game.
Up Next
The Wildcats will close out their Vegas tournament tomorrow afternoon when they face UC Riverside at 5:30 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on Baller TV and fans can listen on the ACU Sports Network.
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