Abilene Chrstn defeats Tarleton St 80-84
Abilene Christian Wildcats Edge Tarleton State Texans in Thrilling 4-Point Win
In a back-and-forth battle, visiting Abilene Christian (AWAY) pulled off an exciting 84-80 victory over conference rivals Tarleton State (HOME) at Wisdom Gym on Friday night.
The key storyline of the evening revolved around the close contest. At halftime, the away team led 46-38, but the home squad refused to back down. The Texans made a concerted effort in the second half, narrowing the gap to as little as four points with under three minutes remaining. However, the Wildcats' offense proved too much for Tarleton State's defense, securing the narrow win.
Abilene Christian's Bradyn Hubbard was instrumental in the Wildcats' success, scoring 22 points on an impressive 58.3% shooting clip from the field. Hubbard showcased his accuracy from beyond the arc as well, converting two of his three attempts to knock down 3-pointers.
On the other hand, Tarleton State's star guard Dior Johnson led the Texans with a career-high 33 points but struggled with outside shots, finishing 0-for-1 from behind the arc. Johnson also contributed significantly on the defensive end, grabbing seven rebounds while helping his team stay in the game for most of the contest.
The advanced statistics painted a nuanced picture of the matchup. The Tarleton State offense put up a respectable 47.3% eFG percentage, but ultimately came up just short against Abilene Christian's stifling defense. Meanwhile, the Wildcats outperformed their opponents in terms of true shooting percentage, demonstrating their ability to dominate games on both ends of the floor.
This win marked an important conference victory for Abilene Christian and provided a much-needed boost to their postseason aspirations. Tarleton State, meanwhile, falls back into contention with other teams in the league but will look to right the ship in their next outing.
For now, the Wildcats can bask in the glory of their hard-fought win, knowing that they outlasted a strong Texas rival and proved themselves as contenders in the conference.