Franklin, Friday lead Abilene Christian past Lamar

BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — Jaylen Franklin scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, Jalone Friday added 14 points and Abilene Christian defeated Lamar 75-64 on Wednesday night.

Franklin made 9 of 15 shots and Friday made 3 of 5 from the field and 7 of 10 free throws for the Wildcats (19-4, 8-2 Southland Conference). Abilene Christian shot 42 percent overall and made 5 of 15 3-pointers. However, the Wildcats made 20 of 26 free throws (77 percent).

Nick Garth had 17 points and seven rebounds and Christian Barrett added nine points with 13 rebounds for Lamar (11-12, 4-6). The Cardinals shot 33 percent and made only 3 of 17 3-pointers (18 percent). They, too, cashed in at the free-throw line, making 21 of 29 (72 percent).

Abilene Christian led 33-31 at halftime and Lamar took its last lead at 38-35 with 18:17 remaining. The Wildcats' 12-0 run over the five minutes resulted in a 47-38 lead and they led by at least seven points the rest of the game.

Abilene Christian remains two games behind Sam Houston State (10-0) in the Southland standings.