EDINBURG, Texas — The Wildcats ran into an offensive juggernaut on Wednesday night as UTRGV shot 67 percent from the field and scored 103 points to hand ACU their third loss in WAC play. The Vaqueros used an early 14-2 run to open a nine-point lead and never looked back. Abilene Christian was able to cut the lead to single digits a handful of times throughout the second half but could never manage to get the momentum fully in their favor.
Key Plays
- Tobias Cameron was back in the starting lineup and opened the scoring for ACU with a three from the top of the key.
- A three from Derrius Ward capped a 7-0 run to put UTRGV up 14-7.
- Hunter Jack Madden hit a corner three on a feed from Immanuel Allen that got the Wildcats back within single digits after UTRGV had opened as much as a 14-point lead.
- An offensive rebound led to a three from Ja'Sean Jackson to get with 11 points with under a minute to play in the first half.
- Justin Johnson hit a long two at the halftime buzzer to give UTRGV a 14-poit lead at the break.
- Cameron Steele hit a three to cut the UTRGV lead to nine just over a minute into the second half.
- The Vaqueros pushed their lead to 21 with 6:40 to play.
- The Wildcats answered with a 12-0 run to get within nine with 4:21 to play.
- A three from Ward pushed the UTRGV lead back to 12 and the Widcats were never able to get back within single digits.
Stat Pack
- Immanuel Allen had a career night with 26 points on 6-9 shooting and 13-14 from the free throw line. Allen is the first Wildcat to go for 20-plus points this season.
- Allen, Tobias Cameron, and Airion Simmons each registered three steals in the contest.
- UTRGV had a big advantage on the boards 43-23.
- ACU forced 26 turnovers and held a 36-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Leonardo Bettiol gave the Wildcats great minutes off the bench recording six points on 3-4 shooting in just nine minutes of action.
- This was just the fourth game in the Wildcats DI history where they gave up 100-plus points. The first time since 2015 when they gave up 108 in a double overtime loss at Colorado State. This was the first time they gave up 100 points in regulation since a 102-81 loss to Duquense at home in 2014.
Up Next
The Wildcats continue their road trip this weekend as they make the short trip to Tarleton on Saturday. It will be a quick turnaround in the series as ACU earned a 69-63 win over the Texans on Dec. 31. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with tip-off at 4 p.m.
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