Quick start pushes Abilene Christian men past Cal Baptist, snaps five-game losing streak
Abilene Christian came out of the gates with urgency in Saturday’s 77-68 home win over California Baptist at the Teague Center.
The Wildcats began the game by scoring the first 17 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field. The early cushion helped them snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 13-7 overall, 3-5 in Western Athletic Conference play.
“We started the game with energy,” ACU head coach Brette Tanner said. “We haven’t done that in a while. When you start that way, it fuels everything.”
Abilene Christian forced 14 turnovers in the first half and finished the game with 23 — which was nothing new. The Wildcats entered the game with 395 forced turnovers, the most in NCAA Division I.
The difference in this game was how ACU responded on offense after forcing those turnovers. Of ACU’s 27 made field goals, 17 were assisted; the Wildcats shot 46% from the field and 43% from deep.
This was a product of good passing and improved shot selection as a team.
“We’ve been sharing the ball, but we’ve been taking shots just in our offense,” Tanner said. “When you get in half-court offense, you start swinging the ball and the shots start going down.”
After falling behind early, CBU sneaked back into the game. The Lancers cut ACU’s lead to eight points at halftime and stayed within striking distance for the rest of the game.
But the Wildcats showed resolve down the stretch and never let the game get too close.
Cal Baptist made several big shots in the second half, but the Wildcats seemingly always answered with a big shot of their own. CBU clawed tp within six points with a few minutes left, but ACU answered with a 5-0 run and put the game away.
“We just knew, ‘If they score, they score; it is what it is,’” Tanner said. “They had to earn everything. They banked a few shots, made some with hands in their faces.”
The Wildcats held a usually high-powered offense to a rather inefficient performance. CBU shot 38% from the field and made just 25% of three-point attempts. ACU also held Daniel Akin — CBU’s center who entered the game averaging 13.7 points per game — to eight points.
“That’s a really good basketball team that can score, but we played to win,” Tanner said.
For the Wildcats, Airion Simmons led the way with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Coryon Mason and Immanuel Allen followed close behind with 14 points apiece.
Saturday’s win came at the right time. The Wildcats hadn’t won since Jan. 1 and had lost three games in a row by double digits.
As Tanner and company look to build on the victory, their goal going forward is simple.
“Just play ACU basketball,” Tanner said. “Let’s make sure we’re on the same page. I don't care if we win, lose or what; I just want us to play ACU basketball.
“They’re very coachable, and there’s a lot of belief in each other.”
Carson Field is the area sports reporter for the Abilene Reporter-News. He covers primarily Big Country high school sports. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to reporternews.com.
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Abilene Christian 77, California Baptist 68
CBU ... 25 ... 43 — 68
ACU ... 33 ... 44 — 77
California Baptist (12-7): Tre Armstrong 3 4-4 13, Reed Nottage 3 4-4 12, Juhlawnei Stone 3 4-6 10, Ty Rowell 1 5-7 8, Daniel Akin 2 4-4 8, Elijah Thomas 3 0-0 6, Tyree Campbell 0 5-8 5, Chance Hunter 2 0-0 4, Te'Jon Sawyer 1 0-1 2, Freddie Dybala 0 0-0 0.
Abilene Christian (12-7): Airion Simmons 7 2-3 18, Coryon Mason 4 6-7 14, Immanuel Allen 4 4-5 14, Mahki Morris 4 0-0 10, Reggie Miller 3 0-2 9, Tobias Cameron 2 2-5 6, Cameron Steele 3 0-0 6, Damien Daniels 0 0-0 0, Ja'Sean Jackson 0 0-0 0, Yuot Gai 0 0-0 0, Stevie Smith 0 0-0 0, Logan McLaughlin 0 0-0 0.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Christian Wildcats beat Cal Baptist Lancers after quick start
