LUBBOCK, Texas (March 2, 2019) – For the first time since moving up into the NCAA's Division II, Lubbock Christian University secured a win over a top 5 opponent, defeating St. Edward's 68-60 in the final game in the Rip Griffin Center this season.
 
LCU AGAINST TOP-RANKED OPPONENTS
Prior to Saturday's upset, the last time LCU had beaten a team ranked No. 5 or better was when the Chaps took down a No. 5 ranked Rogers State team 92-87 on 1/19/12. It was the second to last season as an NAIA school for Lubbock Christian. LCU has beaten a team ranked higher than No. 4 before, as they took down No. 2 ranked Oklahoma Baptist on 3/3/10. The game against the Bison was in the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament and came by a score of 67-64 as the Chaps led wire-to-wire.
 
HEARTLAND FINALE
Saturday's game marked the end of an era for both the Chaps and the Hilltoppers, as they played their last Heartland Conference games ever. Both teams will be a part of the merger with the Lone Star Conference this summer. LCU first played in the Heartland Conference starting in the 2013-2014 season, and they have played 110 conference games overall. They finish the era with a 74-37 (.673) record.
 
It was senior day for the Chap, as LCU's two senior players Isaac Asrat and Brennen Fowler as  well as senior manager J.T. Weldon. All three were honored prior to the start of the contest.
 
Both teams started slowly on offense and stayed slow most of the first half, with the score just 29-25 at the break. The Chaps got up, however, by as many as six with 15:15 left to play in the half. St. Edward's got their first lead of the game two minutes later at 10-9, but Asrat put the Chaps back on top with a three-pointer.
 
The Hilltopers widest lead of the opening period came with exactly nine minutes to go, as Ashton Spears hit a jumper in the paint to go up by five. SEU's lead quickly evaporated, however, when Fowler got to the free throw line with 5:14 let to play. The trip to the charity stripe sparked a 9-0 LCU run and gave them a four-point lead that they still held when the two teams went into the locker rooms for halftime.
 
St. Edward's got the first two baskets of the second half to start the second half, setting up a close and tense final 20 minutes of play. Hilltopper August Haas got an and-1 basket and made the free throw with 16:29 left to play that gave them their first lead of the half. SEU continued to lead for the next 10 minutes of the game, but timely buckets from Fowler, Kobe Thompson and Silas Crisler.
 
Thompson and Crisler were key components in the final 20 minutes, as Thompson got all six of the points he scored in the game during the second half, and Crisler got eight of his 10 as the game wound down. It was only the fourth time this season Crisler reached the double-digit scoring mark.
 
By far the best performer of the second half, however, was Rashaan Proctor, who's career-high 23 points included 13 in the second half. Proctor subbed in with 8:49 left to play in the game and promptly took over, scoring 11 points before he subbed out with 20 seconds left to play and the game in hand. A three-pointer from Cameron Copley (just his 10^th of the season0 tied the game up at 50-50, and then Proctor hit a bucket in the paint to give the Chaps the lead.
 
Perhaps his biggest shot came with 2:29 left in the game, as a loose ball bounced to him. Proctor stepped behind the three-point line and hit just his third shot from behind the arc of the season. The shot re-tied the game, and Proctor followed with the games' next four points as well, giving the Chaps a lead they held onto for good.
 
The Hilltoppers were forced to foul in the game's final minute, sending Fowler to the line where he got three final points. A four-year starter at LCU, Fowler had a strong game in his final time at the Rip, scoring 17 and pulling down 17 rebounds – one short of matching his career high.
 
TURNING POINT
Rashaan Proctor was entered into the game with 8:49 left in the second half with the Chaps down five. He scored 11 points over the next eight minutes and change, including a solo seven-point run that gave LCU their final lead of the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The game featured 12 lead changes, including four in the second half, along with eight ties in the final 20 minutes. LCU finally took the lead for good with 1:52 left in the second half.
 
NEXT UP
The win made Lubbock Christian the No. 3 seed at next week's Heartland Conference tournament, where they will take on the No. 6 seed Oklahoma Christian at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March. 8.