WICHITA FALLS, Texas (March 12, 2016) – The Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team is not headed home quite yet. The eighth-seeded Chaparrals pulled off a 79-73 upset of host Midwestern State, the number-one seed of the South Central Regional Tournament and seventh-ranked team in the nation, as five Chaps scored in double figures and a torrid seven-of-eight showing from the floor in the extra period Saturday night led to the historic win inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
The Chaps now move on to face fourth-seeded Tarleton State Sunday night at 7:30. The Texans defeated Colorado School of Mines, 83-61, in the final quarterfinal game. Tonight's win by LCU marks a new era for the Chaps, as the victory came during LCU's first year eligible for the NCAA postseason. LCU is now undefeated (1-0) in NCAA national tournament play, and the victory against the seventh-ranked Mustangs counts as the highest team the Chaps have defeated.
 
The squad in blue shocked the Mustangs and their 3,000 fans by outscoring MSU 41-25 in the first half. After the break, the Chaps (21-9) mustered only 19 points on four field goals compared to 13 makes and 35 points by MSU to force the extra period, but LCU scored another 19 points in the final five minutes to end Midwestern's season. Marcus Arrington and Brennen Fowler shared team-high scoring honors with 14 each, while Marcos Schuster contributed 13 and Matthew Alford added 11.
 
The first twenty minutes of the contest were punctuated by a leaning three-pointer by Schuster from the top of the key at the halftime buzzer to put LCU up 41-25. Midwestern (24-6) opened the second half with a steal, a block on the defensive end and two layups while the Chaps were unsuccessful on their first five attempts from the field before Schuster connected on a three-pointer from the left wing to put the Chaps up 44-32 three-and-a-half minutes in.
 
A dunk by MSU's Jordan Stevens erupted the home crowd, but LCU used their next possession to work the ball around until Isaac Cardona found Alford on a cut to the hoop for a 48-36 Chap advantage at the 14:23 mark. A 9-0 Mustang run knotted the game at 49-all until Schuster drilled a three from the left wing, but LCU went scoreless from the field for over four minutes while MSU scored nine points to jump ahead 58-54 with 6:38 to play.
 
A jumper by Fowler gave the lead back to the Chaps at 62-60, Alford added another pair on a score in the paint and back-to-back buckets by Fowler increased the margin to 70-64 with under two minutes to go. Four missed field goals by the Mustangs placed LCU with a 73-64 advantage with 57 seconds remaining. A three by MSU's Brandon Golden cut the deficit to five and immediately fouled A.J. Luckey who hit one-of-two from the line to make it a two-possession game, and a fast break layup by Alford sealed the significant win.
 
Fowler opened the game and Chap offense by setting the tone down low with two scores in the paint. Ridrell Holman checked into the game five minutes in and immediately hit a jumper to put LCU on top, 8-3. Tyler Rogers hit a shot from the right baseline to increase the lead to 18-10 midway through the first half, and added another three points from beyond the line with eight minutes to play until the break.
 
A jumper by Mustang Khapri Alston lessened the gap to nine before Fowler converted a reverse layup and tipped in a miss for a 34-23 Chap advantage. Arrington then went coast-to-coast to make it 36-23, and Schuster flung in the final five points of the half to give LCU a 41-25 lead at the break.
 
President Tim Perrin, a former LCU basketball player himself, congratulated the team on the win in the locker room by describing the evening as "unbelievable". Perrin exclaimed to the celebrating squad, "That was one of the greatest wins in the history of LCU basketball."