LAREDO, Texas (January 2, 2017) - Lubbock Christian University fell to Texas A&M International in a game that featured four Chaparrals in double-scoring figures. LCU's Ridrell Holman matched a season-high in points with 17, but it was not enough, as they fell 67-64 Monday night in a Heartland Conference tilt.
 
LCU's offense was extremely balanced, as Marcos Schuster and Tyler Rogers each picked up 13 points while Brennen Fowler posted 10 points in 12 minutes played. Holman came up huge for the Chaps, as he tacked on 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Lubbock Christian shot 38.6% (22/57) from the field and 87.5% (14/16) from the free throw line. Rogers was a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.
 
The Chaparrals hit the court running and blitzed out to a 13-3 lead five minutes into the game. The 10-point LCU lead would be their largest of the game. Lubbock Christian was able to keep them at a distance for the remainder of the half until a layup by Jake Eynon pulled TAMIU within one at 22-21 with 4:17 left in the first period. Rogers drained a pair of free throws to return the Chap lead to three, but a layup by Bunja Yaboe and a couple of free throws by Jordan VanDekop handed the Dustdevils their first lead of the evening at 25-24. TAMIU ended the half with Kenny Hatch stealing the ball with two second remaining and nailing a buzzer beating three-pointer to give the Dustdevils a 31-27 halftime lead.
 
Texas A&M International narrowly grabbed the edge on the boards in the first half, outrebounding LCU 16-14. Although both teams mirrored each other with four three-pointers and nine made field goals, the Chaps shot more efficiently. Lubbock Christian shot 36.4% (4/11) from behind the arc and 37.5% (9/24) from the field, while the Dustdevils shot 57.1% (4/7) from three-point land and 28.1% (9/32) overall. Sophomore Brennen Fowler, LCU's leading rebounder, played only two minutes before picking up two quick fouls forcing him to sit the rest of the half. The Dustdevils had 10 points in the half off 10 LCU turnovers.
 
Yaboe turned a quick layup at the beginning of the second half to open the Dustdevil lead to six points before the Chaps began pecking away. Holman drained a trey followed by a layup to put LCU within one-point, 33-32, at the 17:48 mark. Rogers threw down a monstrous dunk to continue what would ultimately be a 13-0 run by the Chaparrals. Brennen Fowler converted three points the old fashioned way to give Lubbock Christian an eight-point lead, their largest of the second half, at 43-35 with 15:02 left in the game. TAMIU remained persistent and ultimately grabbed the final lead change of the night on a three-pointer by Yaboe. Yaboe's long-range triple gave the Dustdevils a 49-48 advantage with 8:45 left to play. The Chaps were able to tie the game up three more times, but Texas A&M International's Arthur Santanna netted a final free throw to hand LCU a 67-64 loss.
 
On paper, Lubbock Christian dominated the second half. The Chaps knocked down 13 field goals while dishing out 11 assists. LCU was also a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line, while the Dustdevils shot 73.3%(11/15) from the stripe. In total, the Chaparrals were called for 14 second half fouls while A&M International was whistled for nine. LCU also owned a 15-13 rebounding advantage in the second period.
 
Bunja Yaboe was the saving grace for the Dustdevils, as he erupted for 21-second half points on 9-of-10 shooting. Only two other players got on the board in the second period for A&M International. VanDekop went 2-of-4 from inside the arc, while Denzel Bellot shot 1-of-4. Yaboe's 90 percent shooting performance pushed TAMIU to 52.2% (12/23) from the field in the second half.
 
The loss drops Lubbock Christian to 0-2 on the weekend, 7-6 overall and 1-2 in Heartland play. The Chaparrals finally returns to Rip Griffin Center on Thursday Jan. 5, where they will host an Arkansas Fort Smith squad who is 3-1 in conference play. Tip off is at 8pm following the Lady Chaps.