ACU Nearly Pulls Off Huge Comeback in Season-Ending Loss

Thursday, March 12

Las Vegas

10:30 p.m. (CT)

Abilene Christian

14-19,5-13WAC

Utah Tech

19-14,11-7WAC

Abilene Christian

Utah Tech

Photo by: Luke White

ACU Nearly Pulls Off Huge Comeback in Season-Ending Loss

3/13/2026 12:50:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Watch: Postgame Press Conference

The Wildcats trailed Utah Tech by as much as 18 before mounting a rally in the second half.

By: Evan Nemec

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The Abilene Christian men's basketball team had its backs against the wall, facing an 11-point deficit with 3:51 left in the game. The next 3:00 showed the character and fight that head coach Brette Tanner has talked about with anyone that will listen over the past few months.

ACU made its next five field goals, including four in-a-row by senior Rich Smith, to claw back within two but third-seeded Utah Tech staved off the Wildcats 80-74 in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament on Thursday night.

That last Smith bucket was a fast break layup started by a Zy Wright steal, and cut Utah Tech's lead to 76-74 with under a minute to go.

However, the Trailblazers came back down the court and Ethan Potter set a screen, rolled to the hoop and dunked the ball for two of his game-high 25 points. Yaniel Rivera missed a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Cbo Newton skied for the board but couldn't get a putback to drop. Potter further iced the result by sinking a pair of free throws.

The loss ends the Wildcats season at 14-19 overall.

"The word for this team will always be 'character.' Just look at that second half, right?," said Tanner, who concluded his fifth season as head coach and 13th overall with the program. "I told them in the second half, let's go be us, and they did that at a high and elite level."

The comeback in the final four minutes is more impressive given that ACU's do-it-all man Bradyn Hubbard fouled out of the game with 5:31 still remaining. Hubbard scored 19 points and gripped 6 rebounds. Rich Smith also poured in 19 for the Cats, and Yaniel Rivera added 11.

"B-Hubb is our brother. He dropped his head when he fouled out, and I just picked his head up and told him like, 'We got you, bro,'" said Smith. "We went out fighting and that's the way I want to go out for my senior year. I'm proud of the guys."

ACU dug itself a sizable hole to dig out as it trailed 46-28 at halftime. Utah Tech connected on seven of its first ten 3-pointers and also went 21-of-25 (84%) at the free throw line. The Wildcats scored the first six points of the second half, but could not break through to a single-digit deficit until Rivera swished a deep trey with 4:10 left to make it a 71-62 score.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

STAT PACK

Rich Smith and Cbo Newton each recorded five assists. It was Smith's 21st game this season to reach that mark, while it was Newton's first in his college career.
Bradyn Hubbard finished the season with 28 games with at least ten points. He pushed his career total to 106 games in double-digit scoring.
Yaniel Rivera, Wednesday's hero with a career-high 20 points, followed with 11 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. He was 3-for-7 from behind the arc.
ACU lost all four of its meetings with Utah Tech this season, though the last three were all decided by six points or fewer.

DIVISION I RECORD BOOK WATCH

Rich Smith capped his time at ACU by raising his assist total to 249 for his career (6th most in the school's Division I era) and 150 for the 2025-26 season (2nd most).
Smith also climbed to 5th place in the leaderboard for most steals in a season. Smith has 60 followed closely by Bradyn Hubbard and Joseph Venzant who each recorded 56 which is tied for 9th.
Bradyn Hubbard extended his lead for the record of most points a single-season. His 19 points give him 520 for the year.
Hubbard now also has the top scoring average for the Wildcats' Division I era. He dropped in 16.3 points per game this season.

QUOTES OF THE GAME

Senior Joseph Venzant on persevering through the punches thrown their way during this season...
"Obviously it's been a hard season, but I've never seen a coach with more fight and belief in us [than head coach Brette Tanner]. He never wavered. The energy and effort he came with and practiced every single day even with our losing streak. We had not choice but to respond from him. He's a top-tier coach."

Head coach Brette Tanner on the relationships within the program...
"I know how much they care about each other. I appreciate the words of these guys because they both mean a lot to me. It's an honor and a privilege to be the coach at Abilene Christian, and so it's been the joy of my life."

Senior Rich Smith on his transition to ACU and his time here...
"It was difficult at first, but I feel like that's why I grew the most being here because I was super uncomfortable when I got here. Coach Tanner pushed me every day, sometimes a lot, but I grew so much being here and I wouldn't have went out any other way. I don't know why it ended this way, but. I don't question God and I wouldn't trade my brothers, the coaching staff lfor nothing."