ABILENE — Point guard
Rich Smith tied his Division I career-high with 22 points, but the ACU Wildcats could not overcome a sluggish first half in a 74-58 loss to California Baptist on Thursday night.
Smith has scored in double figures in six straight games, including all five of ACU's Western Athletic Conference matchups. On Thursday he went 7-for-12 from the field and 8-of-10 at the foul line. His 22 points tied his career-best for his time playing Division I basketball at ACU. Smith scored 26 points in a game while playing at Division II member St. Thomas Aquinas.
The senior also added six assists to give him 12 games this season where he's dished out at least five assists. Smith now has 182 assists in a Wildcat uniform, which is good enough for 10th most in the school's Division I era.
ACU struggled offensively, shooting at a 37% clip (19-of-51) and knocked down just three of ten shots from behind the arc. The Wildcats entered Thursday having shot 50% on field goals in six of their last seven halves of basketball.
CBU, the preseason favorite to win the WAC, was led by Martel Williams's 23 points. Preseason Player of the Year Dominique Daniels Jr. was held to just ten points on 4-of-11 shooting.
STAT PACK
- ACU took care of the ball with just eight turnovers committed, tying a season-low.
- The Wildcats' struggle came on the glass as the Lancers grabbed 42 rebounds, the most for an ACU opponent in 2025-26.
- Bradyn Hubbard scored five points, surpassing 600 for his ACU career and inching himself closer to the 2,000-point total for his entire college career. He now sits at 1,992 in his four seasons (two at Connors State, two at ACU).
- Joseph Scott scored his 100th point as a Wildcat on Thursday. His five points give him a total of 103 in his first season at ACU.
- Starting guard Cbo Newton missed the game with a personal, family matter. ACU head coach Brette Tanner said in his postgame press conference it is possible Newton will be able to rejoin the team for its next game on Saturday.
UP NEXT
ACU travels Friday to Cedar City, Utah to face Southern Utah. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday with streaming coverage on ESPN+ and the ACU Sports Network.
The Thunderbirds earned their first WAC victory by outlasting Tarleton State, 106-105 in overtime at home on Thursday. Dylan Jones had 22 points, and Tanner Hayhurst chipped in 20 for Southern Utah.
Saturday's game will wrap the first round of play through the WAC this season. Each team will play another three times for a total of 18 conference matchups.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Â
