HONOLULU (November 24, 2021) – The No. 1 Lubbock Christian University's men's basketball team survived a tough shooting night from behind the arc and at the free throw line, beating Hawai'i-Hilo 72-66 on Wednesday at the Shark Tank.
 
It was the first game of the Malika Sports Thanksgiving Classic for the Chaps, who handed the No. 18 Vulcans their first loss of the season and improved to 5-0 on the year themselves.
 
LCU hit 28 of their 55 shot attempts overall for a respectable 50.9 shooting percentage, but they were only 5-18 from behind the arc and 11-19 from the free throw line.
 
Even with the tough shooting night, Lubbock Christian jumped out to a five-point lead just over five minutes into the game with baskets by Rowan Mackenzie, Parker Hicks and Lloyd Daniels. Those three would all finish in double-figures for the game.
 
Makenzie led the way with an efficient 6-for-11 performance and 18 points. He was the most consistent Chap at the free throw line, hitting five of his six attempts. Daniels had 16 points and set a new career high with 11 rebounds, notching the first double-double of his LCU career. Hicks also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Jalen Brattain was the only other Chap to reach double-figures, scoring 11 points in just 15 minutes.
 
LCU led by as many as eight points in the opening period, thanks to a jumper from Cameron Copley at the 11:53 mark. A 12-3 run by the Vulcans had the game knotted back up at 23 just four minutes later though. UHH took the lead for the first time with 3:40 before halftime on a jumper by Erik Borg and a three-pointer by Donald McHenry with two second left put them up five going into the break.
 
Just two minutes into the second half, the Vulcans had pushed the lead to double-digits. Then came a four-minute stretch where neither team was able to make a basket. UHH finally broke the spell and led by 12 at the 14:20 mark, which was their widest lead of the night.
 
An 11-1 run by Lubbock Christian followed, cutting the UHH lead to just two points with over 10 minutes to play. Daniels got to the free throw line with 5:40 left in the game, and Zach Stepp hit a three-pointer on the following Chap possession to give the Chaps their first lead of the second half.
 
Layups from Muhammad and Makenzie kept the Chaps ahead going into the final minute, where Stepp and Makenzie iced the game by going a combined 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
 
TURNING POINT
Lubbock Christian went five minutes and 41 seconds without a basket from the 19:18 mark to the 13:37 mark in the second half. The slump was broken by a layup from Aamer Muhammad though, and sparked an 11-1 LCU run and pulled them back into the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
57.9 | The Chaparrals were 11-19 from the free throw line for a 57.9 shooting percentage. It was their worst mark from the line since shooting 37.5 percent (3-8) on Nov. 23, 2019 in a loss against Angelo State. The last time they shot worse and loss was on Nov. 10, 2018, when they shot 52.4 percent (11-21) and beat Regis
6 | LCU blocked six shots in the win, matching their season high. They also blocked six against West Texas A&M on Nov. 18.
13 | The Chaps out-rebounded the Vulcans 47 to 34, for a positive rebounding margin of 13, which was their highest of the year. Daniels (11), Muhammad (11) and Hicks (10) all finished with double-digit rebounds
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will play their second game of the Malika Sports Thanksgiving Classic on Thursday, taking on host Hawaii Pacific at 4 p.m. HST / 8 p.m. CT.