Big Threes Propel SFA to OT Win at ACU

ABILENE – Abilene Christian played a solid defensive game but Stephen F. Austin executed in the big moments for a 79-74 overtime win in Moody Coliseum on Saturday.
 
The Wildcats forced 29 turnovers and Airion Simmons was one shy of a single-game Division-I era school record with six steals.
 
Simmons gave the Cats a 62-59 lead with a three-pointer at the 2:52 mark and scored a layup with 53 seconds to play in regulation for a 65-63 lead. The Wildcats missed an opportunity to put the game away, hitting one of two free throws with 11 seconds left and Matt Hayman used the opportunity to be the hero for SFA with a three-pointer with three seconds left.
 
A Hunter Jack Madden heave from just inside half-court drew iron but wouldn't go down.
 
Locked in a tight skirmish in the overtime period, SFA got a devastating three-pointer by Clayton Southwick who was left open in the left corner and hit his only three-point attempt of the game for a 75-70 lead with 48 seconds to go.
 
Ali Abdou Dibba led the Wildcats with 21 points while Simmons came up with 12 points, seven rebounds and those six steals. Leonardo Bettiol scored nine points – eight of those coming in the first half when he came off the bench and helped the Cats to a 32-27 lead.
 
"The guys played their tails off tonight," said ACU Head Coach Brette Tanner. "That looked like us defensively for the first time all year. I felt like we got after them. We turned them over. We did a lot of good things. But then we kind of settled down in the second half. I wish we could have done that with a win tonight but I think that we'll get better from today."
 
The Wildcats host Northern Arizona at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.