ACU basketball's dream run ends in WAC Championship

by Evan Nemec

Sun, March 13th 2022, 5:06 AM UTC

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 12: Cameron Steele #5 of the Abilene Christian Wildcats grabs the loose ball against Clayton Henry #5 of the New Mexico State Aggies during the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 12, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS — The Abilene Christian men's basketball team could not complete its mission of winning four games in four nights at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, losing to New Mexico State in the championship match 66-52 on Saturday night.

ACU, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, ended its run just one victory shy of making its third straight NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats defeated Utah Valley on Wednesday night, then upset No. 3 Stephen F. Austin in the WAC quarterfinals, and No. 2 seed Seattle University in the semifinals.

New Mexico State's athleticism and length made it difficult for ACU's scrappy defense to cause its usual amount of trouble on an opponent. The Aggies earned their fourth WAC Tournament championship in the past five tries.

ACU's first season in WAC has to be considered a success with a 23-10 overall record, and a 14-4 league mark.

The Wildcats were the highest seed to reach the WAC championship since the 2005 tournament.

Loading ...