LUBBOCK, Texas (November 29, 2019) – Lubbock Christian's men's basketball team got back in the win column Friday night, taking down the University of the Southwest 73-55 in the Rip Griffin Center.
 
The Mustangs, although competing at the NAIA level, were a tough test for the Chaps, having already taken down one NCAA Division II opponent earlier this season. USW got on the board first on Friday night, followed by a steal and another score for a quick 4-0 lead. LCU's first point came at the 17:34 mark, as Kobe Thompson got to the line and hit a free throw. Rashaan Proctor followed with back-to-back made jumpers in the paint to get the Chaps their first lead of the night.
 
Lubbock Christian did not hold their lead for long, and neither team was able to create much breathing room during the first 20 minutes of play. The biggest hap lead came at the 9:39 mark, when Parker Hicks hit a three-pointer. LCU and USW were tied again at 17-all and 25-all, but the Chaps closed the half on a 5-0 run, capped off by another Hicks three-pointer, and went into the locker room up six.
 
Playing in just his fifth game with the Chaps, Hicks set a number of new career-highs, including his team-leading 22 points. All but four of those points came from behind the arc, as the Decatur native hit six three-pointers on nine attempts. The six threes made are the most in a single game by a Chap since Isaac Asrat made eight on November 20, 2017. Hicks also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Southwest was again the hotter team to start the second half, scoring seven straight points to regain a one-point lead just over two minutes in. Proctor stopped the run with bucket in the paint and the two teams traded scores for the next two minutes. USW's last lead of the game was at the 16:14 mark, as Tyler Watkins hit a three-pointer to put them up by one.
 
Lubbock Christian followed with a 10-2 run, going up by seven on a three-pointer from Ty Caswell. The three-point shooting was LCU's biggest improvement from the first half to the second. After shooting only 27.8 percent from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes, the Chaps went 5-10 on three-pointers in the second half.
 
The LCU lead was stretched to double-digits for the first time at the 8:59 mark on a layup from Caswell. Southwest mounted one last comeback effort, cutting the deficit to just five points at the 5:32 mark, but Hicks stopped the run with another three-pointer and Thompson got to the line and hit both his free throws, building the lead back out to 10.
 
Zach Stepp had five points in the game's closing minutes, and LCU got buckets from Aamer Muhammad and Cameron Copley to close out the game with a comfortable 18-point win.
TURNING POINT
Lloyd Daniels forced a turnover and hit a fastbreak layup with just under 15 minutes to play in the second half and Hicks followed with a three-pointer, sparking LCU's 10-2 run that put them in the lead for the remainder of the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Copley scored a career-high 13 points in the win, reaching the double-figure mark for just the second time in his LCU career while adding in five rebounds and a team-leading five assists. Hicks' 22 points in the win made him the fifth different LCU play to lead the team in scoring in a game this season and made him the second Chap with a 20-point game during the year. Thompson's added in 11 points, scoring in double figures for the third time in five games this year.
 
NEXT UP
It's a quick turnaround for the Chaps, as they return to the hardwood of the Rip Griffin Center at 5 p.m. on Saturday to host Oklahoma Panhandle State.