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Contributed by Lance Fleming, ACU Associate Director of Athletics for Media Relations
HOUSTON - ACU head men's basketball coach Joe Golding expected his team would bounce back Thursday night and play well after losing Monday night against Sam Houston State.
He was right. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it wasn't quite good enough as the Wildcats dropped a 73-71 decision to Houston Baptist at Sharp Gymnasium on the HBU campus.
The two teams see-sawed back and forth throughout the night, but it was HBU senior point guard Anthony Odunsi - who entered the game third in NCAA Division I basketball in free throw attempts per game - who was the difference late in the game for the Huskies. He hit all eight of his attempts in the final 49 seconds as the Huskies were able to hold off the Wildcats and split the season series.
The Wildcats return home to Moody Coliseum at 1 p.m. Sunday to take on Southeastern Louisiana in a game that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3. ACU, which is now 11-15 overall and 6-7 in the Southland Conference, lost to the Lions, 81-60, in Hammond, La., back on Feb. 6.
HBU led 31-26 at halftime and quickly pushed its lead to 40-30 with 16:10 to play on a 3-pointer by Jourdan Stickler. The lead grew to as much as 11 points (42-31) on a layup by Isaiah Robinson with 15:29 to play before the Wildcats began chipping away.
Senior center Duran Porter - who had 15 points off the bench - had six points in a 12-5 spurt that brought the Wildcats to within 47-43 with 11:15 to play. The run was capped on a dunk by freshman forward Hayden Howell.
But the Huskies would answer again, putting together a 7-4 run to grab a 54-47 lead with 7:55 left in the game.
But the Wildcats wouldn't go quietly.
Jalen Little buried a 3-pointer and Jaylen Franklin hit a driving layup to cut the Huskies' lead to 54-52 before Reveal Chukwujewku hit a jumper to make it a 56-52 game. Odunsi hit the first of two free throws with 4:13 to play to make it a 57-52 game before Parker Wentz buried a 3-pointer from the left wing to cut it to 57-55 with 3:55 to play.
Odunsi sandwiched a jumper and two free throws around a Franklin layup to make it 61-57 before Franklin made another driving layup to make it 61-59 with 2:31 to play. On HBU's ensuing possession, Little came up with a steal and threw it ahead to Franklin, who tracked it down and dunked it to tie the game 61-61 with 2:14 to play.
On the ensuing possession, Little tipped the ball away from Chukwujewku, but the ball went out of bounds in the backcourt and, after looking at the replay, the officials ruled the ball out of bounds off Franklin. With 14 seconds left on the shot clock, Odunsi hit a jumper with the shot clock running down to push the lead back to 63-61 before Franklin tied it again with a layup. He was fouled on the layup, but missed the free throw to leave the game tied with 1:28 left in the contest.
Caleb Crayton made a layup with 1:21 to play before Porter missed a layup, giving the ball back to HBU. Odunsi then hit the final eight free throws of the game for HBU, leaving the Huskies with a 73-70 lead with 4.1 seconds to play.
Odunsi then fouled Little on the inbounds play, sending ACU's senior point guard to the line with 2.5 seconds to play. He made the first, and then intentionally missed the second to give ACU a chance at an offensive rebound and game-tying or game-winning shot at the buzzer. But the ball was tipped around and the buzzer sounded before anyone could corral the ball and put up a shot.
"I was proud of the way my guys played (Thursday night)," Golding said. "That was a really good college basketball game between two evenly matched teams. We've got to re-group and get back home and try to get one Sunday afternoon at Moody."
Franklin and Porter led the Wildcats with 15 points apiece, while Little had 13 points, the fourth time in the last five games he's had double figures.
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