LUBBOCK, Texas (January 17, 2019) – Lubbock Christian University moved to 7-1 on the season inside the Rip Griffin Center, taking down Rogers State 80-75 on Thursday evening.
 
The Chaparrals are now 12-5 on the season overall with a 3-2 record in Heartland Conference play. LCU has also won three straight contests against RSU and is 10-16 against the Hillcats since the series began in 2008.
 
Lubbock Christian led by as many as nine points late in the first half, but Rogers State closed the gap in the second half and even took the lead with just over 11 minutes left to play in the game. LCU hit seven of their last nine field goal attempts, however, to close out the win.
 
Isaac Asrat led the Chaps in scoring and got the game's first points with a jumper in the paint. The senior scored 22 points, marking the second straight and fifth overall game he has surpassed the 20-point mark this year.
 
Two other Chaps finished in double-figures, including Brennen Fowler and Rashaan Proctor, who both had 14. It was Fowler's 15^th double-digit effort of the season and the 70^th of his career, but just the fifth of the year for Proctor. Proctor was also just two points away from matching his career-high of 16 points.
 
Rogers State took a brief lead in the first half with 9:31 to go on a three-pointer from Brewster Peacock, but Silas Crisler responded with a three-pointer of his own and Proctor got a fastbreak dunk to push LCU back in front.
 
Lubbock Christian's largest lead of the game came with 1:51 left in the first half, as a jumper from Kentton Williams put them up by nine. Rogers State responded with a six-point run and it looked as though the Hillcats would close the half with all the momentum.
 
Proctor slowed that down however, forcing a turnover with five seconds left and dunking once again to get the Rip Griffin Center crowd on its feet and send the Chaps into the locker room up by five.
 
Through the first seven minutes of the second half, Rogers State slowly chipped away at the Lubbock Christian lead before finally taking the lead with a pair of free throws and going up by three points with 13:20 to play.
 
Once again, however, the Chaps responded and Williams hit from behind the arc on an assist from Ja"Qualyn Gilbreath. Gilbreath then followed up with his own three-pointer and LCU retook the lead for good.
 
The game's final five minutes moved slowly with a number of foul calls and timeouts from both teams, but Lubbock Christian hit the necessary free throws (70 percent from the line on the night) and got a timely three-pointer from Asrat with 1:54 left to play to preserve the win.
 
TURNING POINT
A Kentton Williams three-pointer with 13:08 left to play in the game sparked a 13-4 Lubbock Christian run that gave the Chaps the lead for good. Rogers State never pulled closer than two points the rest of the way.
 
BEHIND THE NUMBERS
LCU shout 52 percent from the field on the night, marking the fifth time in the last six games that they have hit at least half of their attempted shots. It was the ninth time overall the Chaps have shot better than 50 percent, and they have won all nine of those contests. Rogers State shot just slightly better from the field at 52.9 percent, marking just the third time this year Lubbock Christian has been out-shot by an opponent.
 
NEXT UP
The Chaparrals do not play this Saturday, but will pick back up in one week with a road game against conference-leading St. Edward's.