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While it was unclear whether Louisiana College's huge 65-63 win over American Southwest Conference leader Hardin-Simmons or junior forward Anthony Gaines, Jr. reaching 1,000 career points against the Cowboys was the highlight of the day, it is indeed now clear that no matter where the ASC Championship Tournament winds up being held in late February, the Wildcats will be one of the hottest topics of discussion leading up to the championship weekend.

With Hardin-Simmons and Howard Payne being the only conference teams that LC has yet to beat this season heading into Saturday, the Wildcats used the same inspired formula, along with heavy doses of Gaines, Jr. and point guard Kevin Cottonham, that they have utilized all season long to avenge their previous 89-66 loss to the Cowboys in Abilene earlier in the season.

While the Wildcats would come out strong early in the game, taking a five point lead at the 11:28 mark of the first half when a Kevin Lewis jumper put LC ahead 19-14, the Cowboys showed off their size the rest of the half to take a 29-20 lead with 4:30 left until halftime following a furious 15-1 run by the visitors.

But just as they have all season long, the Wildcats used their high-flying, intense tempo to scratch their way back into the game.

This time around, it was sophomore Steve Evans, who despite standing just 6-2, took on the task of defending HSU's 6-8 all-conference center Justin Jones and provided with Cats with the spark they needed to keep them in the game.

Evans' monstrous dunk with just over four minutes left in the first half sent the crowd into a frenzy, and forced the Cowboys to call a timeout in order to dampen the momentum created from such a play.

The plan was successful in the short term, as HSU held strong to a 34-28 advantage heading into the locker room.

But the Wildcats would not be tamed in the second half, as they rode the momentum of several big plays from Gaines, Jr., Cottonham, and sophomore sharp shooter Dillon Mandeville, who scored 10 points off the bench including a deep trey with 4:28 remaining that gave LC its first lead at 59-58.

LC extended their lead to 63-58 on a free-throw line jump shot from reserve wing player Julius Jackson, who played outstanding defense on All-ASC guard Derrick Jefferson during his time off the bench for LC, at the 2:58 mark.

Cottonham would ice the game when Kevin Lewis found the junior point guard streaking down the court for an easy fastbreak layup to give the Cats a 65-60 advantage with one second remaining.

For Gaines, Jr., who was encouraged by his many friends and family in attendance, his historic moment came when he drained a 15 foot baseline jumper, a shot that he has patented in his three-year career at LC, at the 12:40 mark of the second half that gave him 1,001 points for his career.

He is just the sixth Wildcat in the Division III era to surpass the 1,000 career point plateau, joining Ryan Vines, Josh Johnson, Casey Meador, T.J. Drew, and Jarrod Jackson.

Gaines, Jr. finished his day tied with Cottonham for a team-high 19 points. The Shreveport native added six rebounds, four blocks, four steals, and two assists while Cottonham also added a team-high five assists.

The win vaults the Wildcats (11-8 overall, 11-5 in ASC play) back into a tie for second place with Mary Hardin-Baylor (14-7, 11-5) and Howard Payne (11-10, 11-5) in the wild ASC standings.

HPU will travel to Pineville on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the Wildcats with the winner giving themselves a one-game cushion over the other in the ASC standings.

ASC co-leaders Hardin-Simmons and East Texas Baptist will also square off on Thursday in Marshall, Texas with the winner taking over control of first place in conference standings.