Lubbock Christian (10-6, 7-2 Heartland) at St. Edward's (15-2, 7-2 Heartland)
Saturday, January 24 at 3 p.m.
Austin, Texas (Recreation and Convocation Center)
 
About St. Edward's
The Hilltoppers are tied for first place within the Heartland Conference along with LCU with a 7-2 record. SEU's two losses include a six-point defeat to Texas-Permian Basin January 8 and a 31-point drubbing from St. Mary's January 17. The Hilltoppers were ranked as high as No. 15 in the nation after beginning the season with 12 straight wins. John Gramlich leads the team in scoring at 12.9 ppg, Heartland Player of the Week (Nov. 17) Frankie MgBoulu averages 11.9, Ramir Burton contributes 11.4 and Harley Nussman adds 10.4.
 
History between Chaps and Hilltoppers
LCU leads the all-time series, 9-6, over SEU. The Chaps have won the last seven meetings between the squads since 1995, including an LCU sweep over St. Edward's last season.
 
Last meeting between LCU and SEU
LUBBOCK, Texas (March 1, 2014) – A.J. Luckey delivered a nice parting gift to his senior teammates by scoring four crucial points with less than a minute remaining to give Lubbock Christian an 87-83 win over St. Edward's on Saturday afternoon at The Rip Griffin Center, the last contest for Eli Baker, Anthony Brancato, Jeremy Ford and Aaron Stephenson, who each delivered inspiring performances during their final game in a Chap uniform.
Baker scored a game-high and tied a career-high with 21 points, Brancato hit 10-of-13 from the free throw line en route to 17 points, Jeremy Ford notched his sixth career double-figure scoring game with 11 points and Stephenson earned the first start of his career in front of a supportive LCU crowd while hitting a three-point attempt and snaring key rebounds.
 
LCU's 12-point lead eventually dwindled to just one on a bucket by Frankie Mgbolu with 4:57 to play in the second half, but a pair of free throws each by Ford and Luckey sandwiched a jumper by Brancato to put the Chaps up 81-74 with just over three minutes remaining in the ballgame. SEU's John Gramlich found an open Harley Nussman under the hoop while Beau Durham attempted to tie him up, but Nussman instead converted the basket and Durham was tagged with a flagrant foul. He converted the first free throw and missed the second, but Mgbolu was there to grab the offensive board, get fouled and then hit one-of-two free throws to slice LCU's lead to 81-78 with 2:46 to play.
Ford came through with a clutch jumper to put the Chaps up five at the 2:25 mark, but Burton quickly countered with a score in the paint. LCU was unable to convert on the next trip, but Baker grabbed a Hilltopper miss for another Chap scoring opportunity. Luckey snaked his way through the lane for a score and an 85-80 Chap lead with 48 seconds on the clock. After two unsuccessful SEU shots and two offensive rebounds, John Rutherford drained a three-pointer to give the Hilltoppers hope with 10 seconds left.
Luckey was fouled in the backcourt and calmly drained the free throws to put LCU up 87-83 with seven seconds to go and then forced an SEU turnover to ice the win for the Chaps.
LCU cruised to an early 9-4 lead on a Baker jumper, a deep three by Brancato, and a trey and free throw from Stephenson, but the contest stayed close throughout the first period. With the game tied at 39-all with a 1:28 to go, Marcus Arrington hit two shots from the free throw line, Ridrell Holman nailed a three-pointer and Brancato scored two from the charity stripe for a 46-39 Chap advantage. LCU had the ball on the far end of the court with under two seconds left as Head Coach Todd Duncan called a timeout to set up the final play of the half. Holman sailed a three-quarter court heave to Brancato who launched a shot that fell short but a foul was called, sending Brancato to the line for three shots, all of which he made for a 49-39 LCU lead before the break.
 
Luckey back on scoring track
After totaling season-low point totals in losses to Oklahoma Christian (nine points on January 10) and Rogers State (eight points on January 15), junior guard A.J. Luckey rediscovered his scoring ability, posting 20 points in 20 minutes in a win versus Arkansas-Fort Smith Jan. 17, registering a career-high 31 points in the defeat of Oklahoma Panhandle State on Monday and hitting the game winner in an overtime victory at Texas-Permian Basin. The Dallas native hit a career-high five three-pointers at OPSU while also posting a team-high six rebounds and five assists. Luckey's 18.8 ppg ranks fourth in the Heartland Conference, and he is seventh in free throw percentage at .852.
 
Luckey nets game-winner in overtime
ODESSA, Texas (January 22, 2015) – A bucket by A.J. Luckey with four seconds remaining in overtime lifted Lubbock Christian to a 74-73 victory over Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday evening in the Falcon Dome, knocking UTPB down a notch in the Heartland Conference standings while the Chaps now share the top spot with St. Edward's.
In the extra period with 54 seconds to play and the game tied at 70-all, Luckey drove baseline, splitting two defenders and drawing the foul as he went up for a shot. His two successful attempts put LCU (10-6, 7-2 Heartland) up a pair, but the Falcons wore down the shot clock on the next possession which resulted in a three-pointer by Chris Griffin, allowing UTPB (11-6, 6-3 Heartland) to take the lead with 25 seconds to go. The Chaps burned some time before Luckey began his move from the left baseline and dribbled his way into the paint to softly put up a floater giving the Chaps the lead. UTPB quickly inbounded to Madison Turner who made a furious dash to the other end of the court, but his baseline jumper from the right side popped out to prompt a Chap victory.
The Chaps willed their way to a 41-37 advantage on the boards, including an impressive 18 offensive rebounds, over an imposing lineup of Division I transfers, and took care of the basketball by posting just seven turnovers. LCU struggled mightily from deep, hitting just 2-of-11, but conquered the free throw line on 22-of-24 shooting.
During regulation, Matthew Alford's drive to the hoop put LCU on top, 66-64, with 1:49 on the clock, and a travel by Griffin gave the Chaps another opportunity to add to their lead. With the shot clock winding down, Luckey was forced to take a tough shot which was partially blocked and gave UTPB possession. An offensive board and putback by UTPB's Codye Hatcher knotted the contest at 66-66 with 18 seconds to play. The Chaps held the ball until the final seconds for a last-second shot, but Luckey lost his handle, opening the door for the Falcons. However, UTPB was called for traveling, giving LCU the ball with 1.4 ticks on the clock. Marcos Schuster got a good look on a three-pointer, but his attempt rolled out, setting up the overtime period.
All five Chap starters scored in double figures, led by Luckey's 19. Isaac Cardona recorded 15, Schuster registered a dozen, Matt Alford totaled 11 and Marcus Arrington added 10.
For UTPB, Turner tallied 19 points which included five shots from beyond the arc, but fortunately for the Chaps, he missed his last six attempts from long range.