BEAUMONT, Texas — Jordyn Adams drove to the basket and scored what appeared to be a game-tying basket and a chance for a three-point play with 8.1 seconds remaining, but as the ball fell through the net the shot was waived off and a foul was charged to Adams preserving Abilene Christian’s two-point lead.
Following two technical fouls assessed to the Cardinals, ACU escaped with an 85-82 victory Saturday afternoon at the Montagne Center.
Adams (18 points) was one of four Cardinals to score in double figures for an offense that shot 45 percent for the game (27-of-60), including a 50-percent effort in the second half.
Beaumont’s Kasen Harrison led the Red and White with a game-high 19 points, while senior C.J. Roberts added 13 points and freshman Avontez Ledet came off the bench to score 11.
The Cardinals received a huge boost from the bench outscoring the ACU reserves, 33-22.
The Wildcats finished the night 26-of-63 (.413) from the field, converting the same number of three-pointers as LU but with eight more attempts. ACU converted 26-of-39 (.667) free throws, while the Cardinals were 21-of-27 (.778) at the stripe.
The visitors also out rebounded LU, 42-38.
The Cardinals appeared in control of the game throughout the first half building as much as seven-point first-half lead before taking a one-point lead into the locker room on a Harrison three-pointer at the buzzer.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals didn’t carry that momentum into the second half as Abilene opened the second on an 18-5 run to take a 10-point lead. The lead grew to as many as 14 points with 14:07 remaining and it appeared ACU was off to the races, but LU had an answer.
The Cardinals responded to the 14-point deficit with a Roberts’ triple at the 13:07 mark, a basket that sparked a 16-2 run to pull LU within two points. Three minutes later, Big Red would jump back out in front on a Ledet three-pointer from the corner. Ledet netted another basket moments later to give LU a five-point lead – its largest since the first half.
The game remained tight for the final minutes. After a made free throw from ACU’s Reggie Miller which allowed the Wildcats to pull within three, the Cardinals got a basket from Lincoln Smith in the paint to reclaim a five-point lead. ACU responded by scoring the game’s next seven points to take a two-point lead setting up the controversial call on the Cardinals’ end of the court.
Abilene Christian hit four free throws within just a couple of seconds to build a six-point lead as Harrison closed the contest with a three at the buzzer.
The Cardinals will look to bounce back Wednesday when they travel to Edinburg, Texas to face UT Rio Grande Valley. The game against the Vaqueros will tip off at 7 p.m.