It will be a battle between Southland opponents when the Houston Baptist Huskies (15-11) welcome the Abilene Christian Wildcats (11-14) to Sharp Gymnasium. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18.
The Huskies won a close one over Lamar 79-78 on Monday. Anthony Odunsi led all scorers on the team with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Wildcats are coming off an 84-71 loss to Sam Houston State on Monday. Jaren Lewis had a solid game, recording his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Jaylen Franklin has been on a tear for the Wildcats. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers.
The aggressive Houston Baptist offense seems poised to dominate from the foul line. It ranks 14th in the nation with a FTA rate of 45.4, while Abilene Christian is among the nation’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 309th-ranked FTA rate of 43.0).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Wildcats won the first game 79-72. Odunsi was a top player in the game with 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Notes
On average, Houston Baptist has 72.1 possessions per game and scores 1.080 points on each possession. Abilene Christian has both fewer possessions (69.0) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.022).
Abilene Christian has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.3%. Houston Baptist is an underachieving 2-8 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Houston Baptist Huskies attempt 15.0 three point field goals per game and the Abilene Christian Wildcats attempt 18.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 three pointers, Houston Baptist has a solid record of 5-2, while Abilene Christian has a poor record of 3-5.
Abilene Christian ranks 301st in offensive rebounds, while Houston Baptist ranks at 70th in defensive rebounds.
Houston Baptist has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.5% this season. Abilene Christian has a poor 5-8 record when its TO% is 18.5% or higher.
