OMAHA, Nebraska – ACU junior forward
Leonardo Bettiol scored 19 points, and junior guard
Quion Williams contributed 14 points along with six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals to lead the Wildcats to a dominating 71-55 non-conference win over Nebraska-Omaha at Baxter Arena.
The Wildcats, now 5-3 this season, will return to action on Wednesday night against New Mexico State in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Tip-off from the Pan American Center is at 8 p.m. (Central Time). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and is available on 101.7 FM The Patriot.
Bettiol hit a turnaround jumper at 18:43 in the first half, giving the Wildcats a 4-3 lead, and they never trailed for the rest of the night. ACU ran the lead to 21 points in the first half (37-16) before settling for a 39-19 halftime lead.
Omaha chipped away at the lead throughout the second half but could never close the gap to less than 14 points until an 8-1 run reduced it to a 54-43 game with 8:53 remaining. Tony Osburn made a dunk to cut the ACU lead to 57-45 before hitting two free throws with 6:18 left, making it a 57-47 game.
Rich Smith answered with a layup assisted by Williams, making it 59-47 with 4:48 remaining. Williams then scored another layup with 2:39 left, extending the lead to 14 points at 61-47. The Wildcats were 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the last 2:05, sealing the victory.
ACU's defense limited Omaha to 16 of 44 shooting from the field and forced 16 turnovers, while the Wildcats shot 48 percent (26 of 54). The Wildcats dominated the inside game, outrebounding the Mavericks 31-27 and outscoring them 28-20 in the paint.
