Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Hudgens v RMC
Thomas Aeschleman
84
Rocky Mountain RMC 1-1
88
Winner Arizona Christian ACU 1-0
Rocky Mountain RMC
1-1
84
Final
88
Arizona Christian ACU
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rocky Mountain RMC 47 37 84
Arizona Christian ACU 40 48 88

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Tim Gooszen

Hudgens Delivers In Opener

Glendale, Ariz.- To cap day one of the Fultz Memorial Classic and the 2023-24 season opener, NAIA number three ranked Arizona Christian needed a late comeback to beat Rocky Mountain on Friday afternoon.  Trent Hudgens led the Firestorm in points, rebounds, and assists while scoring six of the last nine ACU points in the win.


Game Info
  • Game score:  Arizona Christian- 88, Rocky Mountain- 84
  • Records: Arizona Christian- 1-0, Rocky Mountain- 1-1
  • NAIA Top 25 ranking: Arizona Christian- 3, Rocky Mountain- not ranked
  • Location: ACU Events Center, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ

ACU Stats For The Day

Inside the Box Score
  • Hudgens scored the first basket of the season after grabbing a rebound and going coast-to-coast just 27 seconds into the game
  • RMC countered to take their first lead less than five minutes in
  • The teams would go on to exchange 16 lead changes and 10 ties before the final whistle
  • ACU led 34-33 before RMC closed the half with a 14-6 run to hold a 47-40 edge at the break
  • Flowers (10 points) was the only Firestorm in double figures at the break
  • The Battlin' Bears buried nine three pointers on 60% shooting in the first 20 minutes
  • Just over a minute into the second half, RMC built an 11 point edge- the largest for either team in the game 
  • The Firestorm chipped away and finally regained the lead on a Hudgens bucket with 9:46 to play
  • With two minutes to play, ACU trailed 82-79 before Hudgens and Paul Hayden nailed back-to-back threes to move ahead
  • Rocky Mountain was within one with 11 seconds to play before Hudgens converted three of four free throws to ice the game
  • Arizona Christian moved to 12-0 in season openers under Coach Jeff Rutter

Thoughts from Coach Rutter
"That is a great win.  Rocky Mountain is a very good team and has a chance to do big things this year.
We have got a new team, a lot of new players, and that inexperience showed today.  It was not pretty at times, but thankfully we had several guys step up and make huge plays for us.  This is a great game for us to learn how to win and finish off games.  We would like to see a more consistent effort and focus where we are the aggressor from the start.  We will get a chance to improve on that tomorrow against a good Carroll team."


Up Next
The Firestorm will wrap the eighth annual Fultz Memorial Classic by hosting Carroll on Saturday.  Tip-off will come at 2:00 pm from the ACU Events Center.
Print Friendly Version