NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Abilene Christian made another furious comeback attempt on the road but this time the Wildcats came up just short against SFA. The Lumberjacks ran out to an 18-point lead in the first half by forcing turnovers and keeping the Wildcats off the boards. As ACU settled in late in the first half, they were able to rely on their defense and hold SFA scoreless over the final 3:34 of the half. The Wildcats put together a 15-0 run over the course of the end of the first half and first 2:30 of the second half to get within three points. While ACU tied the game at 51-all, the Lumberjacks made just enough plays down the stretch to pull away with the 75-68 win at home.
Key Plays
- Damien Daniels hit a wide open three on the corner to give ACU an early 9-7 lead through three and a half minutes of action.
- The Wildcats had a scoreless stretch of over four minutes where SFA went on a 13-0 run to stretch their lead to 17 points.
- Airion Simmons broke the scoreless stretch with a drive to the bucket while drawing a foul that kickstarted an 8-0 run.
- ACU held the Lumberjacks scoreless over the final 3:34 of the first half and the first 2:31 of the second half while the cut the SFA lead to three. Ali Dibba had six of the Wildcats 15 points in the stretch.
- Immanuel Allen got a putback layup that tied the game at 51-all.
- The Lumberjacks hit tough shots down the stretch and made their free throws to keep the Wildcats at bay.
Turning Point
Day Day Hall hit a contested three at the top of the key to push the SFA lead to four with just over four minutes to play. That pushed the momentum in the Lumberjacks favor late in the game.
Stat Pack
- Ali Dibba broke out for his best game as a Wildcat scoring 19 points and grabbing a career-high nine rebounds. He also tallied a block and a steal.
- Immanuel Allen kept his streak of double-digit scoring games alive with 10 points, but struggled behind the arc going 0-5 from deep.
- The Wildcats struggled at the free throw line once again, going 6-11, while SFA went 17-25.
- Damien Daniels led the team with six assists while committing just one turnover.
- ACU tallied 19 assists on 28 made buckets.
Up Next
ACU will return to Moody Coliseum for a Saturday matinee matchup with longtime rival, Tarleton. The game will tip at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ACU Sports Network. All men's basketball alumni are invited as we celebrate the athletes who paved the way at our Alumni game.
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