WATCH: Postgame Press Conference
LAS VEGAS - The No. 4 seeded ACU men's basketball team cut a double-digit deficit to a one-possession game in the final minute, but was unable to muster enough offensive firepower in a 69-63 loss to No. 5 seed Seattle U in the quarterfinal round of the WAC Basketball Tournament on Thursday night.
The Wildcats trailed 64-54 with 3:00 remaining, but would not go away as back-to-back buckets from Braydin Hubbard and
Quion Williams, and five total free throws pushed ACU within three.
Williams, who broke his career-high with 24 points, sank two shots from the line with 0:25 left to trim Seattle U's lead to 66-63. But, the Redhawks converted their free throws and the Wildcats could not knock down another shot.
"Frustrated," said head coach
Brette Tanner after the game. "[Seattle U] kept us from playing up-tempo like we wanted to, and they got to the free throw line. I knew those were the two keys to the game, and we didn't succeed in either of them."
Seattle U only shot 65% from the charity stripe, but got there over-and-over again, finishing 22-of-34.
ACU was hampered by foul trouble, particularly to its interior players, for most of the game.
Leonardo Bettiol was limited to a season-low 15:04 of playing time. He picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the first half, and subsequently fouled out with 6:27 to play.
Braydin Hubbard,
Rich Smith and Williams all finished with four personal fouls.
The Wildcats were cold from behind the arc -- making just 1-of-18 attempts from deep (5.6%).
Hunter Jack Madden finished 0-for-10 on 3-pointers.
Even with the offensive struggles, ACU clawed back to give themselves a chance in the final minutes. In team huddles, Tanner continued to preach to his players to 'believe,' the squad's mantra from Mark 9:23.
"[Believe] is the first thing we said in our team meeting last June, and we said it today," said Tanner. "A lot of teams could have shut down tonight. We were down double digits with about 4 minutes to go, and we cut it to a two-possession game. If one shot goes in, if one of those things hits, maybe it's a different story."
ACU completed its season with a 16-16 overall record, which is a remarkable turn from the way its WAC season started.
"We were 1-6 in conference play, and we finished as a top 4 seed in the tournament. That's a testament to these players. I am super proud of them."
The Wildcats rallied to win five consecutive games in February, and close out the regular season with an 82-81 overtime victory over Grand Canyon, which is ranked as one of the NCAA's top mid-major teams.
ACU had won seven of its last nine games entering Thursday's conference tournament matchup.
"The way that we competed with everything we went through, most teams would shut down," said Tanner. "Most teams would not compete the way we did. That's a testament to these guys.
"They continued to play every day. It's one of the most enjoyable seasons I've had coaching a group of young men because of that reason."
Seattle U advanced to face No. 1 seed Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament semifinals on Friday night. The championship game is Saturday at 10:40 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2.
Madden ended his three years at ACU in the program's Division I record books: 9th in assists (189), 3rd in 3-pointers made (138), 9th in free throws made (209), 7th in minutes played (2,570), and 8th in steals (101).
Bettiol's 125 offensive rebounds are 7th most in the Div. I era, and his 52.4% field goal percentage is the No. 1 total for a single-season.
Hubbard finished with the 4th most offensive boards (66) in a single-season since the Wildcats moved to college basketball's highest level.
