Glendale, Ariz.- In a game that saw Arizona Christian up 13 in the first half but trailing in the final seconds of the game,
Trent Hudgens recorded a steal and, after a timeout, the game winning layup to give ACU the win over OUAZ on Thursday.
Game Info
- Game score: Arizona Christian - 69, OUAZ - 68
- Records: Arizona Christian - 9-1, 4-1 GSAC, OUAZ - 6-4, 2-3 GSAC
- NAIA Top 25 ranking: Arizona Christian - 3, OUAZ - RV
- Location: ACU Events Center, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ
ACU Stats For The Day
Inside the Box Score
- The first ten minutes was two good teams exchanging blows (aka leads and ties)
- Trailing 14-13, Blackwell stole a pass and threw down a fast break dunk to give the Firestorm the lead
- Blackwell's dunk highlighted a 16-0 run by ACU to result in the Firestorm building a 13 point edge
- A the half, ACU held a 35-27 advantage with no player reaching double digit scoring for either team
- With ten minutes remaining in the game, the Spirit were within three points
- OUAZ took back the lead with just under two minutes remaining
- A barrage of five lead changes and three ties set up the final 30 seconds with the Firestorm behind 68-65
- Hudgens laid home two points followed by him popping the ball loose and securing the steal
- Following a timeout, Hudgens drove down the right side of the paint and kissed the game winner off the glass
- In the final seven seconds, OUAZ had two chances but ACU held their ground for the win
Thoughts from Coach Rutter
"Great win. Really proud of how tough and resilient our guys were tonight. Lots of adversity thrown our way and are guys stayed together and just kept fighting. Injuries piling up, foul trouble throughout the game, we really could not get to the foul line (four attempts in second half) and did not really play well on offense. But the guys had faith in each other and kept competing to the end."
"A great example is with Trent. He missed an easy layup. He bounced back quickly and made a few big time plays down the stretch including the game winner. Pretty much sums up the game. Not the prettiest, but kept competing until the end."
Up Next
The close win sets up a showdown for No. 3 Arizona Christian to host No. 2 Grace on Tuesday. The teams are scheduled for a 5:00 pm start time.
