LUBBOCK, Texas (January 27, 2020) – Lubbock Christian University's men's basketball team shot 62.1 percent, outscoring Midwestern State 46-24 during the second half on Wednesday night, leading to an 83-60 win in the Rip Griffin Center.
 
With the win, the Chaps are now 9-0, both overall and in Lone Star Conference play. It matches the program's second-best start ever, as they went 9-0 to start the 2000-01 season. The best start ever came in the 1996-97 season, when the team went 10-0, and the Chaps can match that with a win on Saturday.
 
LCU actually led wire-to-wire in the win, getting out in front 9-6 by the first media timeout thanks to three three-pointers, two of which came from Parker Hicks. The hot start continued throughout the night for Hicks, who had a game-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds. It was his fourth 20-point game of the season.
 
The Chaps were even able to push their lead out to double-figures midway through the first half and looked to be running away with the win, leading by 12 points with 10:53 left before the break. A quick nine-point run from the Mustangs cut the gap back to three points, but they were never able to pull in front. With 2:47 left, MSU even pulled within one point, but a timely bucket from Lloyd Daniels, who finished the game with eight points, kept LCU on top.
 
The score remained close for the remainder of the half, and a layup by MSU's Terrell Wilson with three seconds left put the Mustangs within one as the two teams headed to their locker rooms.
 
In the second half, it was all Lubbock Christian from the start, as the Chaps opened with a 12-2 run, capped off by three-pointers from Hicks and Rowan Mackenzie. Mackenzie was extremely effective on the offensive end of the floor for LCU during the win, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including a 4-of-6 showing from behind the arc. The four three-pointers were a career-high for the Australia native.
 
Lubbock Christian's lead was pushed out to double-digits for good at the 12:55 mark. Six minutes later, Cameron Copley got to the free throw line and hit both foul shots to increase the gap to 20 points. Copley remained perfect at the free throw line in the game (17-17 for the season) and added in a team-high six assists.
 
LCU didn't let up in the game's closing minutes, getting six points from Gonzalo Corbalan as well as a three-pointer from Jalen Brattain with 1:12 left, that pushed the lead all the way out to 25-points, which was the widest it got all game.
 
Midwestern State hit one final layup for the game's final margin of 23 points.
 
TURNING POINT
Whatever LCU head coach Todd Duncan said to his team at halftime worked. The Chaps came out of the locker room on fire, hitting six of their first eight shots and scoring 12 of the first 14 points in the half and turning a one-point lead into a 12-point lead.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Lubbock Christian shot 53.3 percent from the field in the win, marking the sixth time this season they have shot 50 percent or better. They are now shooting 51.6 percent for the season, which is the second-best mark in the Lone Star Conference.
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps will take on the Mustangs for a second time this weekend, heading to Wichita Falls, Texas and D.L. Ligon Coliseum, with tipoff Saturday scheduled for 5:30 p.m.