MALIBU, Calif. - The ACU men's basketball team used a dominating performance by bench players to push ahead and hold off Pepperdine in a 71-63 win Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (6-3 overall) outscored the Waves 28-11 in bench points, including 19-4 in the first half. Back-to-back 3-pointers by
Cbo Newton put ACU in front 21-10 ten minutes into the game. Although Pepperdine cut the deficit to one multiple times, the Wildcats never relinquished their lead.
ACU then opened the second half on a 16-6 run and opened its edge to as much as 21 by the 6:45 mark.
Stat Pack
- The Wildcats trailed for just 1:43 of game time, and was in front for just over 35 minutes.
- Six players scored at least 7 points, including three who came off the bench: Rich Smith (10 points), Cbo Newton (8) and Joseph Scott (7).
- Bradyn Hubbard was held scoreless in the first half while sitting with foul trouble, but rebounded nicely to finish with 15 points.
- Rich Smith had 10 points and tied a season-high with 6 assists. It is his sixth game in 2025 with at least five assists.
- Yaniel Rivera set a new career-high by sinking four 3-pointers to finish with 14 points. It is the third time in his ACU career that Rivera has scored in double-digits.
Up Next
The Wildcats begin an incredibly challenging stretch which has them hosting New Mexico State on Saturday at 3 p.m., and then visiting No. 2 Arizona on Dec. 16, and No. 9 BYU on Dec. 19. ACU's game against the Aggies will serve as the program's annual Christmas Slam game,
presented by Chick-Fil-A North Abilene.
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