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Contributed by: Lance Fleming, ACU Associate Director of Athletics for Media Relations
BEAUMONT - Life on the road hasn't been easy this season for the ACU Wildcats. And it wasn't easy Monday night at the Montagne Center against a Lamar team that had lost six straight entering the contest.
The Wildcats made it seven with, arguably, their biggest road win of the season, a bruising 71-67 win over the Cardinals that pushed ACU back over .500 in the Southland Conference.
The win improved the Wildcats to 11-13 overall and 6-5 in the league, while the Cardinals fall to 10-14 and 2-10. The 11th win for the Wildcats is one more than their 2014-15 total, and their sixth conference win is now two more than they won last year and equals their combined total from their first two seasons in the league.
Like most things for the Wildcats, however, nothing came easy Monday night. ACU got off to a great start, pushing out to as much as a 13-point lead midway through the first half. But the Cardinals cut the lead to 39-37 at halftime, setting up a 20-minute slugfest in the second half.
Lamar regained the lead at 50-49 with 10:46 to play on a pair of free throws by Nick Garth, who finished with a game-high 20 points. The Cardinals maintained that lead until a quick 8-1 Wildcat burst with less than five minutes to play gave ACU a 63-58 lead with 2:37 to play.
With the Wildcats trailing 57-55, freshman Jaren Lewis found a cutting Jovan Crnic for the tying layup with 4:39 to play. After a free throw by Lamar's LeMon Gregory gave the Cardinals a 58-57 lead. But Porter hit the second of two free throws to tie the game at 58-58 with 4:01 to play before Jaylen Franklin pulled down a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup that pushed ACU back in front 60-58 with 3:27 to play.
After Marcus Owens misse da 3-pointer and Jaren Lewis grabbed the rebound, senior Jalen Little - who finished with a career-high 14 points - drained a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 63-58 lead with 2:37 to play. ACU would not trail again, and came up with a couple of big defensive stops in the final two minutes.
Owens missed another 3-pointer with 2:05 to play and then, with ACU leading 65-63 after a floater in the lane by Franklin, Lamar came down the floor needing a bucket to tie and 3-pointer to take the lead. But with Lewis guarding Garth at the top of the key, the ACU defense forced a shot-clock violation, giving the ball back to the Wildcats with 30.6 seconds left in the game.
Little then went 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the final 28 seconds to seal the win for the Wildcats. He scored 14 points, pulled down five rebounds and dished out six assists in 34 minutes on the floor. His play led the Wildcats to a win just two days after he failed to score in ACU's 81-60 loss at Southeastern Louisiana.
"Jalen didn't play well Saturday, and he'd be the first one to say that," ACU head coach Joe Golding said. "I thought he was fantastic (Monday night). He led our team (Monday night) and that's what seniors are supposed to do."
Little entered the game having made 14 of his 15 free throw attempts on the season, but was 2 for his first 4 in the game before drilling the final six attempts to help the Wildcats seal the deal.
"I've been working on my free throws, and I knew that work would pay off," Little said. "I'm glad it was (Monday night)."
Franklin finished with 18 points, followed by Little's 14 points and 13 from Jovan Crnic in a solid effort off the bench. Porter played a solid game with nine points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals.
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BEAUMONT - Life on the road hasn't been easy this season for the ACU Wildcats. And it wasn't easy Monday night at the Montagne Center against a Lamar team that had lost six straight entering the contest.
The Wildcats made it seven with, arguably, their biggest road win of the season, a bruising 71-67 win over the Cardinals that pushed ACU back over .500 in the Southland Conference.
The win improved the Wildcats to 11-13 overall and 6-5 in the league, while the Cardinals fall to 10-14 and 2-10. The 11th win for the Wildcats is one more than their 2014-15 total, and their sixth conference win is now two more than they won last year and equals their combined total from their first two seasons in the league.
Like most things for the Wildcats, however, nothing came easy Monday night. ACU got off to a great start, pushing out to as much as a 13-point lead midway through the first half. But the Cardinals cut the lead to 39-37 at halftime, setting up a 20-minute slugfest in the second half.
Lamar regained the lead at 50-49 with 10:46 to play on a pair of free throws by Nick Garth, who finished with a game-high 20 points. The Cardinals maintained that lead until a quick 8-1 Wildcat burst with less than five minutes to play gave ACU a 63-58 lead with 2:37 to play.
With the Wildcats trailing 57-55, freshman Jaren Lewis found a cutting Jovan Crnic for the tying layup with 4:39 to play. After a free throw by Lamar's LeMon Gregory gave the Cardinals a 58-57 lead. But Porter hit the second of two free throws to tie the game at 58-58 with 4:01 to play before Jaylen Franklin pulled down a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup that pushed ACU back in front 60-58 with 3:27 to play.
After Marcus Owens misse da 3-pointer and Jaren Lewis grabbed the rebound, senior Jalen Little - who finished with a career-high 14 points - drained a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 63-58 lead with 2:37 to play. ACU would not trail again, and came up with a couple of big defensive stops in the final two minutes.
Owens missed another 3-pointer with 2:05 to play and then, with ACU leading 65-63 after a floater in the lane by Franklin, Lamar came down the floor needing a bucket to tie and 3-pointer to take the lead. But with Lewis guarding Garth at the top of the key, the ACU defense forced a shot-clock violation, giving the ball back to the Wildcats with 30.6 seconds left in the game.
Little then went 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the final 28 seconds to seal the win for the Wildcats. He scored 14 points, pulled down five rebounds and dished out six assists in 34 minutes on the floor. His play led the Wildcats to a win just two days after he failed to score in ACU's 81-60 loss at Southeastern Louisiana.
"Jalen didn't play well Saturday, and he'd be the first one to say that," ACU head coach Joe Golding said. "I thought he was fantastic (Monday night). He led our team (Monday night) and that's what seniors are supposed to do."
Little entered the game having made 14 of his 15 free throw attempts on the season, but was 2 for his first 4 in the game before drilling the final six attempts to help the Wildcats seal the deal.
"I've been working on my free throws, and I knew that work would pay off," Little said. "I'm glad it was (Monday night)."
Franklin finished with 18 points, followed by Little's 14 points and 13 from Jovan Crnic in a solid effort off the bench. Porter played a solid game with nine points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals.
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