TULSA, Oklahoma (March 8, 2019) – Lubbock Christian University suffered a first round loss in the Heartland Conference Tournament as Oklahoma Christian limited them to less than 50 points for just the second time all season. 
 
LCU got down early in the game in what turned into a wire-to-wire win for OC, as an early 7-0 run gave them a 9-2 lead less than five minutes into the contest. The Chaps finally got their offense going a little and had a 6-0 run and cut the deficit to just one. The Eagles came back with yet another run, scoring nine points to just two for the Chaps. With less than four minutes left before the half, Oklahoma Christian got the lead to double digits on a layup from Roderick Smith. They pushed the lead out to 13 points before the buzzer sounded and the two teams went into the locker room.
 
The Chaps struggled both outside and inside during the opening 20 minutes of play, missing all seven of their three-point attempts and being out-rebounded by the Eagles 24-10. Of the 24 rebounds OC pulled down, 10 came on the offensive glass, and they ended the game with 17 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds. Lubbock Christian did not attempt a single free throw in the first half, while Oklahoma Christian only attempted two. The 18 points the Chaps scored in the first half matched their lowest total in a single half this season.
 
In the second half, LCU got the first three baskets on layups from Cameron Copley and Rashaan Proctor and a jumper from Brennen Fowler. OC finally got a second-half bucket though, and built their lead back to double-digits, where it stayed for the better part of the half.
 
With eight minutes left, however, the Chaps attempted their comeback run when Fowler hit a jumper in the paint. Two minutes later, the Smyer native made the first three-pointer of the game for LCU, after missing their first 13 attempts from behind the arc. It cut the deficit to just three points.
 
Oklahoma Christian pushed the lead back out to seven with a four-point run, but Silas Crisler brought them close one final time on LCU's second and final three-pointer. The Chaps could never close the gap any further, however, and the Eagles pulled away with made free throws down the stretch.
 
Fowler led the Chaps in scoring with 17 points, but Isaac Asrat was the only other LCU player to finish in double figures with 10 points. Roderick Smith led the Eagles with 13 points, while Will Lienhard also finished with 10 and pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds.
 
TURNING POINT
Crisler hit a three-pointer with just under three minutes to go to bring the Chaps within three points, but they could not make a stop the next time down the floor, as Lienhard got a layup and kept the Eagles on top.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Lubbock Christian's two made three-pointers matched a season low that they only had twice before during the season, and their three-point shooting percentage of .125 was only that low when the Chaps lost to the Eagles on the road during the regular season.
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps will now wait and see if they advance to the NCAA Postseason Tournament. In the most recent rankings, LCU was slotted at No. 4, but the final bracket for the South Central Regional will be announced during the NCAA Selection Show at 9:30 p.m. central time on Sunday.