TULSA, Okla. (March 3 2018) – Just like that, Lubbock Christian University's season came to a close Saturday afternoon after a 73-68 loss to No.22/25 and top-seeded Dallas Baptist University inside Union Multipurpose Activity Center (UMAC). DBU's Connor Lidiak hit a 25-foot three-pointer, with the Patriots leading by one in the closing seconds, to prevent the Chaparrals from overcoming an 11-point deficit. LCU senior Marcos Schuster and junior Brennen Fowler paved the way for the Chaps in the Heartland Conference Tournament's semifinal round standing as the only Chaps to register double-scoring figures. Schuster fell two-points shy of tying a career-high with 27 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists.
 
After taking the opening tip, LCU found their way to a 9-5 lead following an old-fashioned three-point play from Rashaan Proctor. Dallas Baptist then scored nine unanswered points over their next five possessions to overtake the lead at 13-9 with 11:09 to play in the half. Schuster intervened with a pair of free throws, but the Patriot offense continued to ramp up extending their advantage to eight points, 25-17, after Patrick Burke converted on an and-one play. Lubbock Christian responded scoring six points over the next two-minutes before Proctor stepped behind the arc and knocked down a triple that cut the Chap deficit to 27-26 with 3:10 remaining in the period. LCU continued to chip away at DBU and even took a 30-29 lead with one minute left on the clock. The Patriots then knocked down a pair of go-ahead free throws to take a 31-30 lead heading into halftime.
 
Though Schuster shot 3-of-9 throughout the opening period, he could not miss from the free throw line going a perfect 6-for-6 to lead the Chaparrals with 12 points at the break. Fowler also found success on 4-of-4 shooting to set himself dangerously close to a first-half double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. Proctor's timely three-pointer was the Chaps only triple in the half. Though they trailed, LCU still managed to be more efficient with their shot selection than the Patriots who were held to 35.3% (12-of-34) from the floor. Lubbock Christian's offense found themselves shooting 47.8% (11-of-23) but were plagued with 10 turnovers (they turned the ball over once in the second half).
 
After the Patriots converted just two three-pointers in the first half, JT Harris wasted no time knocking down a triple within the opening 30 seconds of the second period. DBU used their momentum to surge out to a 44-36 lead over the Chaparrals, who could not seem to produce a stop against the Patriot offense. Another successful and-one by Patrick Burke gave the Dallas Baptist squad an 11-point lead at 53-42. Schuster took over the LCU offense, charging the basket to draw and convert six free throws while pulling down a pair of defensive rebounds and dishing out one assist over the next three minutes. Schuster's rampage pushed the Chaparrals to 10 unanswered points, bringing the Dallas Baptist advantage to 54-53 with 8:35 remaining. The Patriots found their footing and pushed themselves to a 69-61 edge with 1:53 to play. LCU mounted one final comeback with a jumper from Fowler inside the paint. Schuster immediately followed with a trey before Isaac Asrat streaked through the lane for a layup. Just like that, the Chaps were within one-point of DBU who called a timeout with 25 seconds left in regulation. On the in-bound, LCU's defense held strong forcing the Patriots to run off 12-seconds from the clock. Connor Lidak received the ball just inside half court before heaving a shot from 25-feet out for Dallas Baptist. Unfortunately for Lubbock Christian, Lidiak connected taking the air out of the Chaps and putting DBU up 72-68. Harris sank one final Patriot free throw to finish off the LCU squad 73-68.
 
Lubbock Christian could not seem to find their pace on offense in the second half combining for a 34.4% (11-of-32) field goal average. Schuster added 15 points and six more free throws in the final period, pushing the Chaps to a 14-for-16 (87.5%) second-half free throw clip.
 
LCU registered 30 points from inside the paint and 15 points on second-chance attempts in the contest. Lubbock Christian's bench came up with 12 points, while the entire Lubbock Christian unit combined for a 21-of-25 (84%) outing from the free throw line. Fowler notched 14 rebounds to capture his ninth double-double of the season and push the Chaparrals to a 41-35 advantage on the glass.
 
The Chaparrals conclude the season with a 14-15 overall record and a 9-7 performance in Heartland Conference contests.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
LCU's loss to the Patriots marks their second consecutive season making an appearance in the semifinal round of the Heartland Conference Tournament. On both occasions, the Chaps have been pushed by their seniors, but ultimately fell to Dallas Baptist by single-digit margins.