HONOLULU (November 27, 2021) - It was a strong defensive effort that secured the win and a perfect road trip for the Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team, as they took down Chaminade 52-38 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Chaps (7-0) held the Silverswords to just 38 points and only 28.6 percent shooting, including 1-for-24 (4.2 percent) from behind the arc. The Silverswords have not been held to that few of points since at least the beginning of the 2002-03 season, which is as far back as records are available. Last week, Chaminade took on three Division I teams – No. 23 Oregon, Notre Dame and Butler – scoring at least 49 against all three, including 64 against the Fighting Irish.
 
LCU's offense did not perform incredibly well either, but shot well enough – 44.7 percent – from the field. They were much better in the first half, when they shot 55.6 percent and scored 35 points. In the second half, they just out-scored Chaminade just 17-16 and shot only 30 percent.
 
The defensive tone of the game was set early, with only four combined points scored before the first media timeout at the 15:51 mark. Scoring got going from there, but the game remained tight through the 10-minute mark. Chaminade actually took a brief lead with a three-pointer with 12 minutes to go, but LCU went back on top thanks to a jumper from Rowan Mackenzie.
 
A three-pointer from Zach Stepp at the 8:30 mark sparked a quick 10-2 run by the chaps and put them up by nine. The lead went up to double-digits thanks to a jumper by Lloyd Daniels with just over three minutes to play, and the Chaps led by 13 at halftime.
 
Only 33 combined points came in the second half, and it was mostly from CU early on. The Silverswords opened the half on a 10-2 run and cut the deficit to just five points with only 13:36 left to go. Daniels finally got the Chaps going again with a jumper at the 11:39 mark, followed by a bucket from Parker Hicks.
 
With just under 10 minutes to play, Aamer Muhammad made a layup and was fouled, making the free throw to push the Chap lead to its widest of 14 points. The Silverswords cut the lead back to single digits one final time at the 3:55 mark, but it would be the last basket they scored. The Lubbock Christian defense locked in and did not allow a single point throughout the remainder of the game, and the Chaps ended things on a 15-0 run.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
52 | LCU's 52 points were their lowest in a single-game since scoring 46 in a loss to No. 14 Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 9, 2019. It is the fewest number of points scored in a win in head coach Todd Duncan's tenure (2010-11 season)
38 | It is the fewest points allowed by the Chaps since Jan. 22, 2021, when they also held Texas A&M-International to 38 points
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps have more than a week off before their next game. They will next take on the Stars of Oklahoma City at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 at the Rip Griffin Center.