Glendale, Ariz.- After building a 17 point early second half lead, Arizona Christian saw Bushnell climb back within two on Friday night. But the Firestorm countered and moved back ahead by 18 before the game ended.
Game Info
- Game score: Arizona Christian- 83, Bushnell- 68
- Records: Arizona Christian- 5-0, Bushnell- 2-3
- NAIA Top 25 ranking: Arizona Christian- 3, Bushnell- not ranked
- Location: ACU Events Center, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ
ACU Stats For The Day
Inside the Box Score
- Hayden connected on a three pointer to open the scoring
- The Beacons scored the next four points for their only lead of the game
- ACU used a 9-0 run with four different players scoring to take back the lead
- Blackwell capped the run with his lone three pointer of the evening
- The largest lead of the first half was 12 (37-25)
- At the break, Howell topped ACU with eight points on 4-4 shooting
- With just 15 minutes left in the game, the Firestorm held a 17 point advantage
- But Bushnell went on a 16-1 run to close the gap to just two at 10:34 remaining
- Ahead just three with 6:58 on the clock, the Firestorm closed out the game with a 21-9 effort
- ACU was consistent as they shot exactly 50% from the field in both halves
Thoughts from Coach Rutter
"We knew Bushnell was very skilled with a lot of guys that can handle, pass, and shoot it. Their big fella is really good. We were excited for the challenge defensively. We talked about when you play good teams and make a mistake- good teams make you pay. That was evident with Bushnell where we gave up the paint, did not have a hand up, or a late rotator did not talk; they were hitting a three. We challenged the guys to play tighter defensively and really start with better stops in the second half. I was excited about 21 assists as we were really good at looking for each other and getting everyone involved. Great for Trent, Dennis and Paul to cap off a good game by making plays down the stretch and extend the lead. We are excited for our trip to Tennessee."
Up Next
Next week, Arizona Christian is headed to Kingsport, Tenn., to participate in NAIA "The Show" hosted by Pikeville. The games will pit Arizona Christian against several NAIA National qualifying teams from a season ago. The Firestorm will get rolling on Friday against Cumberland (TN).
