Wildcats use late run to outlast valiant Lions, 75-69

HAMMOND, La. – Abilene Christian went on a 11-0 run to break a 63-63 tie with 3:47 to go to defeat the Southeastern Louisiana men’s basketball team, 75-69, Saturday afternoon at the University Center.

SLU (6-21, 3-13 Southland) was led by Brandon Gonzalez who scored a career-high 21 points. The junior from Punta Gorda, Florida was 7-for-12 from the field and drilled three three-pointers. Sophomore Ty Brewer added 16 points and five rebounds while freshman Nick Caldwell chipped in with 11.

ACU (17-10, 12-4) got 18 points from preseason first team All-Southland selection Payten Ricks (6-2, G). Ricks, a senior from Wichita, Kansas, also finished 8-for-10 from the free throw line and also had three steals. Coryon Mason aided the Wildcats with 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting.

The Wildcats opened the game on a 10-2 run and seemed to be in control at halftime, leading 42-28.

Southeastern had other ideas as they stormed out of the gate in the second half thanks to eight straight points from junior Pape Diop. The Lions, methodically, worked their way back in the game rallying to tie the game at 63-63 after a layup by Brewer just before the final media timeout.

Abilene Christian, the reigning Southland Conference Tournament champion, scored 11 straight points following the timeout to take a 74-63 lead with 1:02 remaining to pull away for the win.

The Wildcats finished the game 26-for-29 (89 percent) from the free throw line including making their first 19. Southeastern was 15-for-18 (83 percent) from the charity stripe. SLU shot 25-for-54 (46 percent) from the field while ACU was 23-for-51 (45 percent).

Next up, the Lions will travel to face McNeese (12-14, 7-9 Southland) Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Cowboys lost Saturday afternoon at home to New Orleans, 82-77

HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB

Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners. All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

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