ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands – Abilene Christian scored the first 12 points and never trailed and beat Fordham 59-45 on Sunday to advance to the finals of the Paradise Jam.
ACU plays at 7 p.m. on Monday against Kent State or Missouri State for the tournament crown.
Four Wildcats scored in the first six minutes to build the 12-0 lead, including a three-pointer by
Cameron Steele and a three-point play by
Hunter Jack Madden. Defensively, ACU had steals from four players and held the Rams to 0-5 shooting during the spree.
Fordham got within seven, but ACU pushed the lead to 32-16 at halftime.
The Rams got within 10 in the second half but the Wildcats again answered with an 11-0 run, fueled by six points by
Ali Abdou Dibba. The Cats held Fordham to four missed field goals and two turnovers.
Dibba led ACU with 18 points and three steals, scoring most of his points after driving against a sagging defense.
ACU forced 19 turnovers and held Fordham to 1-of-12 shooting from three-point range and 29.6 percent from the field overall.
"Our game flows from our defense," Dibba said. "If we play good defense, the offense gets easier."
Aidan Igiehon had eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Madden added eight points and
Kavion McClain led the team with three assists.
The Wildcats take a 3-2 record into the finals on Monday.
