Box Score CHANDLER, AZ– The 19th ranked Arizona Christian Firestorm men's basketball team rallied to score 66 points in the second half, on their way to a 99-90 victory Saturday night over 13th ranked Rocky Mountain College in the final day of the University of Great Falls Classic in Chandler, Arizona.
With the victory, the 19th ranked Firestorm improve to 8-3 overall and remain 2-0 in GSAC play. With the loss, the 13th ranked Rocky Mountain College falls to 10-3 overall.
"We played hard, but very poorly in the first half," said ACU head coach Jeff Rutter. "We dug in and really competed on every possession in the second half and things started to flow."
For the game, ACU shot 49% from the floor and shot 31% from behind the three-point arc. The Firestorm also shot 76% from the free-throw line. ACU had five players score in double figures, with both Brandon Newman and Sharif Watson lead the way with a team best 20 points apiece. Brandon Newman finished with his 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting with four rebounds and four assists. Watson shot 8-of-13 from the field and chipped in with six rebounds and three assists.
"With so many new guys on this roster, it's taken some time for us to figure out what it takes to be successful at this level," said ACU head coach Jeff Rutter. "We are starting to figure that out and really come together. I love coaching this group!"
Last night, Rocky Mountain defeated fellow GSAC member Vanguard University by a score of 92-84.
"We had our guys watch Vanguard and Rocky Mountain play yesterday so they could get a feel for how hard the best compete," said ACU head coach Jeff Rutter. "I think our guys got the point and responded really well tonight."
The Firestorm will now take the week off for the holidays to be with their families before returning to the court December 29th-31st for the Arizona Christian University Classic II inside of Fultz Memorial Gymnasium. ACU's men's squad will begin play on the 29th against Menlo College at 5:30pm.
