STILLWATER, Okla. – Abilene Christian weathered a furious comeback by Oklahoma State and captured its first regular-season power-five win on Monday, defeating the Cowboys 64-59.
It marked the first time since 1957 that Oklahoma State had lost a season-opener on its home floor.
In the season opener, ACU led by as many as 18 points before surviving three turnovers in 26 seconds while OSU scored on six of seven possessions to make it a one-possession game.
The Cowboys got the lead down to four points with 4:26 to play but
Cameron Steele knocked down a three-pointer to keep the hosts at bay with 3:31 remaining.
Ali Abdou Dibba dunked for a 62-56 lead with 46 seconds to go but OSU's Bryce Thompson hit a three-pointer to make it 62-59 just three seconds later.
Thompson got a steal but couldn't keep the heroics going, missing two free throws with 35 seconds to go. The Pokes got the offensive rebound but missed the layup and
Airion Simmons snatched his 10th rebound on the game with 20 seconds to go.
The teams combined for three more turnovers from there but Simmons got one more rebound to thwart any last-minute heroics.
Hunter Jack Madden hit two free throws with under a second to go as the OSU faithful filed out of Gallagher-Iba Arena.
"Man, I tell you what, these guys just played their tails off," said ACU Head Coach
Brette Tanner. "We talked about composure and we had some moments where we lost it a little bit We knew at halftime they were going to throw a punch. But we got back up and at the end of the day, we kept our composure when things weren't going our way. Those guys found a way."
The Wildcats also found a way to build an 18-point lead in front of a crowd of 5,084 fans.
Madden hit a three-pointer for a 23-12 lead with 9:03 left in the first half and ACU held a 36-25 edge at the half.
A 9-2 run early in the first half put the Wildcats up 47-29 with 13:25 to play. Four different Cats scored in that spree, capped by a
JV Seat three-pointer.
Dibba led the Wildcats with 15 points, followed by Madden with 14 and Simmons with 11. Simmons also ended the game with 11 rebounds and a team-leading four assists.
Madden had two steals and Steele had the team's lone blocked shot.
ACU last beat a Power-5 school in 2021 when the Wildcats defeated Texas 53-52 in the NCAA East Regional. Three players –
Immanuel Allen, Steele and Simmons – from that team played for the Cats on Monday.
"We talk all the time about how there's usually one win in a season that helps these guys buy into what you do," said Tanner. "I don't know if it can be the first one, but maybe it is."
The Wildcats get to test another Power-5 team on the road on Friday when they visit North Carolina State.
