ABILENE, TX — As the chase for a 10th consecutive berth in the Southland Conference tournament hits the home stretch with three regular-season games remaining, the Sugar Bears will look to snap a four-game losing skid at 1:00pm on Saturday when they clash with one of the league leaders in the Abilene Christian Wildcats at Moody Coliseum.
After falling at home to Nicholls last week, the Sugar Bears (11-15, 7-10 Southland) find themselves 9th in the league standings, a half-game behind the Colonels for 8th and one game behind Southeastern Lousiana for the 7th spot in the eight-team tournament. The Wildcats (21-5, 13-4), fresh off a win over then-Southland leading Sam Houston State on Wednesday, are firmly in the championship hunt as they sit one game back of co-leaders Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – each at 14-3.
The Wildcats present a formidable challenge for the Sugar Bears, having won the last four meetings between the teams – including a 74-64 victory last month in the Farris Center – and are 12-2 on their home floor this season with a 12-point loss to A&M-Corpus Christi and a one-point loss to UIW. The Wildcats have won 6 of their last 7 games overall, though have been challenged in each of the last three – winning by just 5 against Houston Baptist; 6 against Southeastern Louisiana; and 3 against Sam Houston State.
In the season’s first meeting between the teams, the Sugar Bears made more field goals (25) than the Wildcats (19), outrebounded ACU 33-31, committed 12 turnovers to ACU’s 17 and had 22 points off turnovers to the Wildcats’ 12. The difference came from beyond the arc and at the free throw line, with ACU going 28-of-34 on free throws and 8-of-16 from 3-point range; while the Sugar Bears were 12-of-19 and 2-of-10.
Breanna Wright – the Southland’s leading scorer for the season at 17.5 points per game, including 18.5 per game in conference play – had 31 in the ACU win; while the Sugar Bears got 22 from Taylor Sells and 15 from Briana Trigg, with Ayanna Trigg pulling down 12 rebounds.
The Wildcats have had success from long range all season, leading the Southland and ranking 4th in the nation in 3-point field goals per game – making 9.9 – and are 10th in the country in 3-point percentage at 37.7 percent. At 79.3 points per game, ACU boasts one of the nation’s most prolific offenses, ranking 1st in the Southland and 12th nationally, while their average margin of victory of 15.4 per game is 18th nationally.
The Sugar Bears counter with the nation’s No. 41 scoring defense – 3rd in the Southland – allowing 57.7 points per game, and are 36th nationally in rebound margin at +6.6 per game.
After Saturday’s contest, the Sugar Bears finish out the regular season with a pair of critical games next week in the Farris Center, with Southeastern visiting on Wednesday before next Saturday’s finale against Northwestern State.
