ABILENE, Texas — The Wildcats won their second straight game on Saturday, taking down the Texas State Bobcats, 72-60.
With the win, ACU finished its four-game homestead to start the season 3-1, with wins over Howard Payne and McMurry alongside Texas State, and the only loss coming against Middle Tennessee on November 9.
"I'm extremely grateful that these guys came out and played as hard as they did," head coach Brette Tanner said. "Texas State is a really good team and is going to have a really good season. One thing I'm most proud of is that guys came in off the bench and we're ready to go, especially since we came into this one a little banged up."
In the first half, the Wildcats and Bobcats battled hand and hand until halfway through the first half. Then, the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run up until the 9:26 mark to take an 18-8 lead. Spurred on by 39 percent shooting from the field, 43 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 14 points off turnovers, the Wildcats were able to take a 32-25 lead into the locker room.
The Wildcats picked up right where they left off in the second half. ACU dominated shooting 63 percent from the field and 83 percent from the 3-point line. Sparked by another 9-0 and perfect 4-4 shooting from behind the arch from Hunter Jack Madden, the Wildcats were able to eventually grow their lead to as large as 16 points.
ACU finished the game shooting 49 percent from the field and shot a season-best 61.5 from the 3-point line. ACU finished the game hold a 22-13 advantage in points from turnovers, a 24-3 advantage with points off the bench and a 33-24 rebounding advantage.
"We had a next man up mentality tonight. We had some guys in foul trouble so we had some guys come off the bench, and they came in and they did some amazing things. Those guys came in and made timely plays that don't get seen in the stat sheet, but we certainly recognize it. So extremely proud of them and their effort."
Hunter Jack Madden finished the game with a game-high and personal season-high 23 points while shooting 64 percent from the field and 75 percent from the 3-point line. Madden also added four assists, four rebounds and one steal.
"Today he shot with confidence," Tanner said. "When he shoots the ball with confidence, he's pretty good and makes a lot of shots. So hopefully this will get him roll a little bit heading into the rest of the season."
Quion Williams was the second Wildcat to score double-digits on Saturday after being out last game against McMurry. Williams finished the night with 17 points shooting 60 percent from the field and 66 percent from the 3-point line. Cade Hornecker also had a career night, finishing the game leading ACU with a career-high 10 rebounds.
With the conclusion of the homestand, the Wildcats will now head on the road for six straight games, with the team returning to Moody Coliseum on December 14. The road trip will include games against Kennesaw State, Southern Mississippi and Montana State at the Basketball Travelers Invitational, Omaha, New Mexico State and the No. 12 team in the nation Baylor.
Up first, the Wildcats head to Kennesaw, Georgia for their first-ever game against the Kennesaw State Owls in program history.
"This win is huge because we're playing nothing but good team after good team after good team. This is the toughest schedule we've ever had. So what we're gonna do is we're about to get us all ready to fight or play hard. No matter if we win one, or if we lose one, we're gonna keep getting better since we're playing good teams. So, again, this was huge for us to win at home today."
The game on Wednesday, November 20 is set to begin at 6 p.m., with the game also airing on ESPN+ and 101.7 FM, The Patriot. If fans can't watch the game in person or stream it, fans can follow the game on X, Facebook, Instagram or acusports.com.
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