Bittersweet for Wildcats coach Brette Tanner but exciting for the men's basketball team was Abilene Christian's 88-82 win over UTEP on Sunday.

Tanner's Cats got the better of former ACU Head Coach Joe Golding, who was greeted by scores of well-wishers before the game.

"As the coach of Abilene Christian University, I'm excited for the guys in that locker room right now," said Tanner. "That was a street fight and a huge win for ACU. That was unbelievable. I'm fired up for our players. As a person, I don't enjoy playing against my best friend. I grew up with two sisters. I never had a brother. Joe is like my brother."

In a game that featured 14 lead changes and a dozen ties, ACU had its biggest advantage at the free throw line. The Wildcats made 34 of 48 attempts while the Miners hit 25 of 36.

"I mean, they shot 36. We made 34," said Tanner. "That's the key to the game. We knew it was going to be a rock fight. I never would have told you it these two teams would be 88-82 in regulation, but I think that was because of the free throws. We were both attacking the rim at will. We saw how the game was going to be called. If you were attacking, the rim, the officials were going to reward you."

ACU raced out to an 11-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the game, but UTEP responded and led 41-38 going into halftime.

The see-saw battle continued deep into the second half and UTEP took a 68-64 lead with 6:41 to play.

Just over a minute later, ACU had the lead. Immanuel Allen converted a three-point play, Airion Simmons added two free throws and Ali Abdou Dibba scored a fast-break jumper for a 71-70 lead with the 5:36 mark.

The Wildcats never trailed again, though there a lot of scoring was still to come. Leonardo Bettiol was clutch at the free throw line for four points and Hunter Jack Madden was the dagger. Madden missed a three-pointer with 3:54 to go but hit one at the 2:50 mark to open a 77-73 lead.

UTEP narrowed things again to 77-75 but Madden had another reply, sinking a three-pointer at the 2:10 mark for an 80-75 lead. He ended up with 10 points in the final four minutes.

Dibba got a basket and a defensive rebound before Bettiol got his third and fourth big free throw for an 84-75 lead with 1:03 remaining.

"I think Hunter's threes were huge," Tanner said. "He missed a couple and I just told him 'shoot again; shoot the next one. You're a good shooter and that's what shooters do.' Without those two threes, obviously, we don't win the game."

Dibba led the Cats with 19 points with Madden getting 18. Bettiol and Allen came off of the bench for 14 and 10 points, respectively. Simmons had eight rebounds and Kavion McClain added six assists.

Much was made of the return of former ACU head coach and current UTEP head coach Joe Golding, who led the ACU squad through its transition into Division I and its first appearances and wins at the NCAA Tournament. Before the game, former (and current) ACU coaches and players were recognized for their dedication to the program despite not being eligible for postseason play at the beginning of the transition.

The victory puts ACU at 5-6 this season with a trip to Arkansas looming on Thursday.