LUBBOCK, Texas (March 14, 2021) – Hosting an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in program history, Lubbock Christian University did not disappoint, jumping out to an early lead and cruising past Oklahoma Baptist 79-55.
 
The win moved the Chaps to 18-2 on the season and puts them in the in the South Central Regional Championship Game – also a program first in a year that has been full of them.
 
On the court for the first time in 12 days, LCU hit their first three field-goal attempts – two of which were by Lloyd Daniels - to jump out to a quick 6-0 lead just a minute and a half in. OBU finally scored on a dunk at the 17:57 mark, but Parker Hicks followed with a jumper to put the Chaps up nine and force a Bison timeout.
 
Six straight points by Rowan Mackenzie put Lubbock Christian up by double-figures for the first time, and the Chaps followed that up with a 10-0 run that put them up by 18 at the 11:46 mark. LCU kept the around that margin for the next five minutes before OBU finally was able to make any kind of run. The Chaps went scoreless from the 5:48 mark to the 0:24 mark, but held up the Bison defensively, limiting their run to just six points. Daniels hit a jumper in the final minute to stop the Chap drought, and LCU went into their locker room ahead by 12.
 
Lubbock Christian shot the ball extremely well in the game's first 20 minutes, hitting 55.2 percent from the field, including 51.6 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, they held the Bison to just 29 percent shooting.
 
Oklahoma Baptist kept the gap between 12 and 15 points early in the second half, but LCU kept the lead at a comfortable distance thanks to buckets by Cameron Copley and Ty Caswell. An 8-0 run by the Chaps with just under 15 minutes to play stretched the gap out to 20 points for the first time, but OBU would not let them run away with it yet.
 
The Bison made one final push, going on an 11-2 run that pulled them within 11 of the Chaps twice, but they were never able to cut the lead to single-digits thanks to a pair of free throws from Mackenzie and a three-pointer from Aamer Muhammad.
 
Leading by 12 with just under four minutes to go, Lubbock Christian made its final push while Oklahoma Baptist – playing their second game in as many days – ran out of gas. The Chaps closed out the game on a 12-0 run, winning by 24 points.
 
Mackenzie ended up leading the team in scoring with 18 points, marking just the third time this season he has been the top scorer. Daniels was close behind with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while Caswell (12), Hicks (11) and Muhammad (11) all also finished in double-figures. Hicks grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds as well, getting his fourth double-double of the season and second in as many games.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Lubbock Christian shot 51.6 percent from the field in the win, including 48.9 percent from behind the arc. It is the 13^th time this season they have shot better than 50 percent in a game, and they are 12-1 in those contests.
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will get to face the winner of the other semifinal game, No. 1-seed West Texas A&M. This will be the third meeting this season between the two teams.