ST. GEORGE, Utah – ACU guard Hunter Jack Madden broke out of his shooting slump in a big way Thursday night, helping deliver a much-needed 86-72 win over Utah Tech in a Western Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Burns Arena.
Madden – who has had trouble finding the range from beyond the 3-point arc – hit 4 of 8 from long distance on his way to a game-high 18 points in the win. The victory pushes ACU to 10-13 on the season and 2-6 in the WAC, while the Trailblazers' sixth straight loss drops them to 6-17 and 2-6. On Saturday, ACU is in Orem, Utah, for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at Southern Utah, which upset Cal Baptist, 60-57, Thursday night, snapping a five-game losing streak.
Madden sparked a terrific shooting night for the Wildcats, who were 29 of 56 from the field (52 percent), 7 of 15 from beyond the arc (6 of 12 in the first half), and 21 of 25 from the free throw line. Madden was 6 of 10 from the field, collected four rebounds, dished out two assists, collected three steals, and only had one turnover in 37 minutes on the floor.
It was his best game in more than two months, and he snapped a streak of 10 games without scoring in double figures. The last time he scored in double figures was Dec. 18 when he scored 13 in a loss at East Texas A&M. The four made 3-pointers are the most he's made since he was 5 for 8 on his way to 24 points in a Dec. 4 win at New Mexico State. Before Thursday night's performance, Madden was 4 for 26 from 3-point range in the 2025 calendar year.
He was 3 for 4 from beyond the arc in the first half as ACU — which never trailed in the game — built a 16-point lead at halftime (44-28). Madden took the only 3-pointers the Wildcats shot in the second half, hitting 1 of 3 in the final 20 minutes. However, the damage was done by a team that also saw Quion Williams score 18 points on 7 of 14 shooting, and Bradyn Hubbard continued his strong play with 12 points and six rebounds. Leo Bettiol scored 13 points with most of them coming inside, and he pulled down six rebounds, handed out three assists, and had three steals in 35 minutes.
After Saturday's game at Southern Utah, the Wildcats return to Abilene, where they will play five of their last seven games of the regular season. That stretch begins next Thursday (Feb. 13) with a 7 p.m. game against Seattle. The Wildcats' only two road games in the final stretch are short trips to Stephenville to play Tarleton State on Feb. 27 and Arlington to take on UT-Arlington on March 1. ACU will host Seattle, Southern Utah, Utah Tech, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon in the final month of the regular season.
