LUBBOCK,
Texas – (November 11, 2016): Lubbock Christian University tipped off their 2016-17 campaign by taking on Regis University in the second year of the RMAC/Heartland Challenge. Freshman
Jay Workman went 6-of-7 from the field for 14 points to lead all LCU scorers, but the valiant effort was not quite enough as Regis edged out the Chaparrals 80-78 Friday night inside Rip Griffin Center. The loss ended LCU's 10-game home win streak (carried over from last season) and they had gone 21 games since losing a regulation game at home (Jan. 15, 2015 vs. Rogers State).
Lubbock Christian started the night out quick by jumping to an early 4-0 lead.
Ridrell Holman knocked down his first three-pointer of the evening to give LCU a 11-6 lead. The five-point margin proved to be Lubbock Christian's largest lead of the evening, as the Regis Rangers quickly chipped away on the offensive end. Regis' Ryan Beisty was red-hot as he went 9-for-12 from the field and 8-of-11 behind the arc. His first three-pointer of the evening allowed the Rangers to mount an early comeback. With 9:34 left in the first half, a jumper by Regis' Dexter Sienko allowed the Rangers to take their first lead of the game at 19-18. The Rangers then went on an 11-3 run to open up their advantage at 30-21, with just over six minutes left in the half. Regis attacked the Chaps with their range as they finished the first half shooting 9-of-14 from downtown (64.3%) to take a 46-38 edge over the Chaps at the break.
Brennen Fowler began chipping away at Regis after halftime by picking up an offensive rebound and converting to narrow the Regis lead to 48-40. The Rangers jumped out to a 14-point advantage, which would be their largest of the game, until a
Michael Grant three-pointer sparked up the Chaparral offense. Lubbock Christian clawed their way back and tied the game up at 69-69 on a three-pointer from Workman. Beisty netted his final three-point shot of the night to put the Rangers back on top at 72-69. LCU was not done, as back-to-back buckets from
Chuck Kendley and
Tyler Rogers allowed the Chaps to take a late 74-72 lead with 3:35 left in the game. Regis would close out the contest on a 9-4 run to hand the Chaps their first loss of the season by a final score of 80-78.
Lubbock Christian outscored the Rangers 32-18 in the paint, while also manhandling them in points off the bench 35-14. LCU also outscored Regis 40-34 in the second half, but the early lead proved to be the deciding factor for the Rangers. Beisty had a game-high 26 points for the Rangers, while Kevin Metoyer (10 points) was two assists short of a double-double.
LCU was led by Workman's 14-point performance. Fowler was just shy of a double-double, going 6-of-8 from the field for 13 points and nine rebounds.
Isaac Cardona added 10 points and eight rebounds of his own to help the Chaps grab 34 total boards. As a team, Lubbock Christian shot 54.5% from field goal range and just shy of 44% from behind the three-point line.
Lubbock Christian will now focus on the second game in this RMAC/Heartland Challenge. They will take on Colorado School of Mines Saturday at 7 pm inside Rip Griffin Center.
