FORT SMITH, Ark. (February 13, 2020) – After two impressive comebacks of their own in the last two Lubbock Christian men's basketball games, the Chaps nearly blew a lead of their own, topping Arkansas-Fort Smith 69-67 in the Stubblefield Center.
 
LCU's largest lead of the game was 15 (59-44) with 9:33 left to play in the second half, and they looked to be cruising to a comfortable road win. UAFS stormed back, however, outscoring the Chaps 23-10 from that point on. The Lions pulled within one point of tying the game with just 15 seconds left to play when Brian Halums hit a three-pointer. Ty Caswell was fouled on the ensuing Chap possession and made the first but missed the second. LCU's defense held up and UAFS was unable to get off an attempt at the game-winner.
 
Halums was almost unstoppable in the game, leading all scorers with 33 points and adding in 12 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. Caswell and Hicks finished tied for the LCU team lead with 16 points apiece, and the former was the leading Chap rebounder with six. Cameron Copley also finished in double-figures for the second straight game with 13 points.
 
Lubbock Christian was able to build a big enough lead thanks to strong shooting, especially in the first half. LCU shot it just over 50 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play but really made their mark from behind the three-point line, where they hit eight of their 13 attempts (61.5 percent). Hicks hit the first Chap three-pointer to give LCU its first lead at 5-2 and they kept coming.
 
Another three from Hicks at the 15:16 mark gave LCU the lead for good and he sparked an 8-0 Chap run that put them up by double-figures for the first time with 12:33 left before halftime. UAFS did a good job closing out the first half though, just like they would in the second half, and cut the deficit to just four with under a minute to play before the break. Caswell got to the free throw line though and Silas Crisler hit a three-pointer before the horn, giving LCU a nine-point halftime lead despite 21 first half points from the Lions' Halums.
 
The Chaps did not shoot as well from behind the arc in the second half, hitting only 40 percent of their three-point attempts (2-5), but they still shot 50 percent from the field, giving them a 51 percent shooting percentage in the game. It was the eighth time this season LCU has shot 50 percent or better from the field and they are 8-0 in those contests.
 
UAFS cut the deficit to seven points early in the second half, but a 7-0 run by LCU's Copley and Lloyd Daniels kept them at bay before the furious comeback attempt in the final nine minutes that ultimately fell just short.
 
Lubbock Christian now leads the all-time series against UAFS 7-5, and they have won three straight games against the Lions, including two straight in the Stubblefield Center. UAFS's last win over LCU was on January 27, 2018.
 
TURNING POINT
Hicks went to the free throw line for a pair of attempts with just 18 seconds left and a chance to put LCU back up by five, but missed the second, which allowed for the Halums three-pointer that brought UAFS within one point of tying the game. Caswell was fouled the next time down and also made only one of his free throws, but with nine seconds left, UAFS was unable to get off a game-winner.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Although Halums hit from behind the arc four times, the Chaps held the Lions to just 26.1 shooting on three-pointers. It was the lowest opponent three-point shooting since LCU held ENMU to just 12.5 percent from behind the arc on January 16.
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will now travel to Oklahoma City, where they will take on Oklahoma Christian in the Eagles Nest at 4 p.m. on Saturday. OC is coming off an overtime loss to Angelo State.