FORT SMITH, Arkansas (January 27, 2018) – A three-game win streak came to a close Saturday afternoon, as Lubbock Christian University fell in overtime at No.17 Arkansas  - Fort Smith 82-74 inside Stubblefield Center. Isaac Asrat tallied 18 points and seven rebounds to lead four Chaparral players in double figures during the Heartland Conference contest.
 
Arkansas - Fort Smith used outside shooting to take an early 10-5 lead, but LCU marched back and cut the Lions lead to two-points on back-to-back buckets. Adam Rivera provided a layup a 90 seconds later to cap a 5-0 run to regain a seven-point lead for UAFS (18-11). Kentton Williams answered by drilling consecutive buckets for the Chaps, and Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath followed with a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 18-18. Kyree Elder reclaimed the lead for the Lions with a three-pointer at the 11:50 mark. The Chaparrals then exploded on a 14-4 run to take their first lead of the afternoon, with 6:06 left in the half, at 34-28. Asrat sealed up the first period for LCU netting a pair of free throws to give the Chaps a 40-34 advantage at the break.
 
Marcos Schuster was the spark for Lubbock Christian in the opening period, scoring 12-points on a trio of three-pointers and 4-of-6 shooting. His offensive performance helped push the Chaparrals to a 48.1% (13-of-27) field goal average. LCU's defense pressured UAFS into committing nine turnovers in the half. The Lions were also limited to 12-of-29 shooting (41.4%) from the floor.
 
Lubbock Christian came out strong in the second half, scoring eight of the first 12 points on their way to a 48-38 lead. Arkansas Fort Smith began to slowly chip away, and a pair of free throws by Darrion Strong-Moore brought the Lions within two-points, 57-55, at the 5:15 mark. LCU traded points with UAFS until Ladarius Coleman drilled a trey to claim Arkansas - Fort Smith's first lead of the half at 62-61 with 1:59 to play. Asrat quickly recovered for the Chaps sinking a pair of free throws and returning the lead to LCU. Brennen Fowler attempted to provide some late game heroics for Lubbock Christian with a clutch layup on an assist from Rashaan Proctor. Fowler's bucket gave LCU a 65-63 cushion with 24 seconds remaining. Fort Smith's Chris Crawford was fouled just five seconds later where he was able to knock down both free throws and tie things up at 65-65 to close out the second half.


In overtime, Arkansas - Fort Smith opened the extra period on a 10-3 scoring run to take a 75-68 lead. They opened the extra frame 5-of-5 from the field. 
 
Despite Lubbock Christian holding UAFS to a 33.3% shooting performance in the second half, the Lions ultimately overcame a 10-point deficit on their way to the win. The Chaps were unable to match their first half outing and registered a 30.4% field goal average in the second half. Additionally, LCU was outscored 17-9 in the overtime stretch.
 
Fowler and Asrat each collected 10 points over the second half and overtime period. Fowler finished the day just behind Asrat with 17 points, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Schuster (15 points) and Jay Workman (11 points) rounded out the Chap scorers in double-digits while also adding seven rebounds apiece. LCU finished the afternoon shooting 38.6% from the floor, 23-for 34 (67.6%) from the free throw line.
 
The loss drops the Chaparrals to 9-11 overall this season, 5-4 against Heartland Conference opponents and 0-6 against nationally ranked programs.


INSIDE THE NUMBERS
There were a combined 44 turnovers in the contest, 23 of which belonged to LCU. The Chap's 23 turnovers marked a season-high and the most since committing 23 against St. Edward's (Jan. 19).


WHAT'S NEXT
Lubbock Christian will continue their four-game road trip by heading to San Antonio, Texas to take on St. Mary's University. Tipoff against the Rattlers is slated for Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m.