LUBBOCK, Texas (January 20, 2018) – Lubbock Christian University tied a bow on their week with an 89-74 Heartland Conference victory over Oklahoma Christian Saturday afternoon inside Rip Griffin Center. Brennen Fowler led all scorers with 22 points and nine boards and sophomore Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath's 17 points off a 7-of-8 shooting performance helped the Chaparrals to a 54.7% field goal average over the Eagles.
 
LCU came out swinging on their way to an early 15-8 lead following a layup from Marcos Schuster at the 13:33 mark of the opening half. Oklahoma Christian quickly responded with an 11-0 scoring run that gave them a 19-15 lead. After the quick lull by the Chaparral offense, Lubbock Christian found their feet and strung together eight unanswered points to regain their advantage at 22-19. The Chaps were able to keep the OC squad contained for the remainder of the half, while outscoring the Eagles 13-8 over the final five minutes and taking a 43-36 lead at halftime.
 
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath came off the bench to lead the Chaparrals at the break with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. LCU forced Oklahoma Christian into nine turnovers in the period while committing a season-low two first-half turnovers of their own. Of their 43 points, 22 came from inside the paint, where the Chaps battered the Eagles 22-12. Lubbock Christian combined for a 47.2% (17-of-36) field goal average throughout the first period.
 
OC's Roderick Smith cut the LCU lead to three with back-to-back buckets to open up the second half. But that would be as close as the Oklahoma Christian offense would come, as Jay Workman put away any hope for the Eagles with a three-point missile at the 18:41 mark. Workman's dagger sparked a 16-4 scoring run for the Lubbock Christian offense. The Chaps pushed their advantage to 17-points on three occasions in the second half, the final of which came on a fast break layup from Workman to put LCU up 89-72 with 1:55 remaining. Oklahoma Christian would score twice more on a pair of free throws, but the Chaparrals were able to out-muscle the Eagles on their way to an 89-74 victory.
 
Fowler zoned in and tacked on 15 points, five rebounds and five blocks in the second half alone. The Smyer, Texas native also knocked down both of his three-point attempts in  the period to help the Chap squad to a remarkable 64.3% second-half field goal percentage. Fowler's two three-pointers were a career high. Workman and Gilbreath each dealt four assists in the second period and five assists for the day to help the Lubbock Christian squad to a season-high 21 assists in the contest. Gilbreath also led the Chaparral's efforts from beyond the arc netting three of LCU's eight triples. Additionally, the Chaps ripped 10 steals to mark a season-high in the category.
 
The win over Oklahoma Christian sparks a two-game win streak for LCU. Workman (14 points), Schuster (12 points) and Isaac Asrat (11 points) joined Fowler and Gilbreath in double-figures. The Chap's 54.7% field goal average against the Eagles marks their eighth contest this season shooting above 50%.
 
The Chaparrals move to an 8-10 overall record and a 4-3 record in Heartland play. LCU has now won six consecutive matches against the Eagles.


INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Over their past four victories, the Lubbock Christian squad has downed their opponents by an average margin of 20.8 points. All four of those victories have come at Rip Griffin Center for the Chaps.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Up next, The Chaps will now hit the road for a four-game road trip beginning in Wichita, Kan. against Newman University. Tipoff against the Jets is set for Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.