Box Score ABILENE — ACU head men's basketball coach Brette Tanner wrote two words on the dry-erase board before Thursday night's Western Athletic Conference game against Tarleton State: Deserve Success.
In other words, make the simple play, grab rebounds with two hands, play with an edge, play harder than the opponent, and do the little things to win.Â
Tanner's team answered the bell at Moody Coliseum, ripping off a 19-0 run to end the first half and start the second half, a run that propelled the Wildcats to a 67-56 win over the Texans. The win was crucial for the Wildcats, who picked up their first WAC win of the season and snapped a six-game losing streak. ACU (9-11 overall and 1-4 in the WAC) will host Texas-Arlington (8-11 and 1-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday in what should be another slugfest.
"I'm proud of our team, and I said that last Saturday (after a 60-54 home loss to Cal Baptist)," Taner said. "We've gone through a lot over the last few weeks with all of the travel and some other things, so to continue to fight and play as hard as our guys have is a testament to this program, the players in the locker room, and my assistant coaches, who are working their tails off."
One of the players Tanner was most proud of was senior guard Hunter Jack Madden, who has played through injury and inconsistent shooting this season to start each of the season's first 19 games, running his streak of consecutive games in the startling lineup to 53. That streak ended Thursday as he came off the bench for the first time since a March 7, 2023, loss to Cal Baptist in the first round of the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas.
But Madden played one of his best games of the season, finishing with nine points (1 of 5 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the free throw line), one rebound, one block, and one steal in 21 minutes. But Madden's play went beyond the boxscore for the Wildcats' head coach.
"I'm so proud of Hunter Jack Madden," Tanner said before his emotions forced him to pause for a few seconds. "For what he's been through, that dude is one in a million. He didn't fight me (over not starting), and for him to go out there and play the way he did and not take a step back and own that for the team … that's pretty special.Â
"I do think (coming off the bench) was good for him," said Tanner, who indicated Madden would again come off the bench Saturday. "He got some work in on the bike before he came in, and it was good for him mentally. He watched the game and went out there and let it go instead of pressing from the get-go."
Fittingly, it was a Madden 3-pointer that sparked the game-changing run for the Wildcats.
ACU trailed by as many as six points in the first half and was behind 29-26 when Madden buried a 3-pointer off a loose-ball rebound, tying the game at 29-29 with 5:34 to go in the half. That ignited a 13-0 run to end the first 20 minutes, and the Wildcats scored the first six points of the second half to turn a 29-26 deficit into a 45-29 lead.
Tarleton would creep to within eight points a couple of times in the second half, but the Wildcats' lead was never threatened in the final 20 minutes. Tarleton cut the lead to 56-48 with 6:02 to play, but the Wildcats responded with a quick 5-0 burst led by a three-point play from Quion Williams and two free throws from Dontrez Williams. ACU was 19 of 22 from the free throw line on the night, hitting 9 of 9 in the game's final 5:34.
Leo Bettiol played his best game in a couple of weeks, finishing with 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting, while Bradyn Hubbard had 12 and Quion Williams added 11.
