OKLAHOMA CITY (January 25, 2019) – Lubbock Christian University struggled to shoot the ball in their second straight road game, losing to Oklahoma Christian 72-57 on Saturday afternoon.
 
LCU's 57 points and 39.3 shooting percentage were both the lowest since the Jan. 10 road loss against Texas A&M International. The Chaps especially struggled from behind the arc, hitting only two of their 16 three-point attempts, including a 0-14 drought in the final 35:10 of the game.
 
The game started well enough for Lubbock Christian, as Brennen Fowler got things going with a layup and a three-pointer in the game's first three minutes. The teams traded baskets in the early going before another three-pointer from Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath with 15:10 left in the first half sparked a 9-0 Chap run that put LCU up by eight.
 
Fowler led the LCU attack with a strong first half, hitting exactly half his shots for 13 points and pulling down nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes alone. The senior finished out his eighth double-double of the season in the second half with another three rebounds and eight more points. It was also the seventh time this season he has scored 20 or more points.
 
Gilbreath's three-pointer would be the last one the Chaparrals made on the night, however, and their lead did not last for long. Layups and jumpers from Fowler, Isaac Asrat and Jay Workman kept the Chaps just ahead of the Eagles for another eight minutes, but OC kept the game close and finally tied the game back up on a three-pointer from Marcus Blackwell with exactly four minutes to play in the half.
 
Blackwell's three-pointer was the first of three straight that the Eagles hit without LCU making a bucket, and by the time Rashaan Proctor made a layup with 1:15 left in the half, the Eagles had turned a three-point deficit into a nine-point lead. The Chaps would never lead or even tie the game again the rest of the way.
 
The Eagles held onto the momentum through the halftime break, opening the final period with an 11-1 run that put them up by 17 points just five minutes in.
 
LCU only came as close as 12 points of OC the rest of the way, and that was with 12 minutes remaining in the game. The Eagles shot a phenomenal 60% through the final 20 minutes of play, cruising to just their seventh win of the season and their second in Heartland Conference pay.
 
Oklahoma Christian was led by Jordan Box, who finished with 19 points on 7-14 shooting, including 3-5 on three-pointers. Fowler did out-do the Eagles' Will Lienhard, who leads the Heartland Conference with 12.4 rebounds per game. Lienhard grabbed 12 boards, while Fowler had 13.
 
TURNING POINT
Marcus Blackwell, Jordan Box and Braden Eggleston hit consecutive three-pointers with less than four minutes to go in the first half, while Lubbock Christian turned the ball over twice and missed a three-pointer of their own. The Chaps never tied the game or took the lead again.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Coming into play this week, the Chaps were 9-0 when committing less than 15 turnovers in a game. On Thursday, however, they lost while committing just 13, and today they lost while turning the ball over 14 times. The Eagles capitalized on those 14 turnovers, scoring 19 points off them in the game.
 
NEXT UP
LCU will return to the friendly confines of the Rip Griffin Center for another two-game Heartland Conference slate, taking on Newman Thursday night at 8 p.m. before facing Arkansas Fort Smith at 3 p.m. on Saturday.