EDINBURG –
Hunter Jack Madden went off for a career-high 27 points and Abilene Christian got a needed road win at UT-Rio Grande Valley on Thursday, 87-79.
The Wildcats led for much of the first half but couldn't shake the Vaqueros and took a 37-31 lead into halftime. ACU shot 58 percent from the field in the first half but the show was far from over. The Cats shot 64.3 percent in their 50-point second half to withstand a strong shooting half by their hosts.
UTRGV took second-half leads at the 17:52 and 14:08 marks of the second half but ACU was not going away.
Leonardo Bettiol scored for a 55-54 lead at the 12:36 mark and ACU never trailed again. A 17-4 run was the difference with four Cats contributing three or more points to the flurry.
Madden was a stellar 10 of 13 from the field and knocked down three of his four three-point attempts. Five Wildcats hit double-figures in the game, including
Ali Abdou Dibba, who had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Bettiol finished with 15 points,
Airion Simmons added 13 and
Kavion McClain scored 11 points to go with his season-best eight assists.
ACU shot 61.4 percent from the field.
The win moves ACU to 9-15 overall and 4-9 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Cats conclude the four-game road swing at Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
