COMMERCE, Texas (January 13, 2021) – There were eight lead changes and six ties throughout the game Thursday night, but when the final horn sounded, Lubbock Christian University was on top, earning a 63-59 win over Texas A&M-Commerce at The Field House.
 
The Chaps moved to 15-0 on the season with the win and 3-0 in Lone Star Conference play. If they win on Saturday at UT Tyler, they will match the program-best start of 16-0, which was set last season.
 
TAMUC suffered just its third loss of the season and is now 2-2 in league play. Although their 40 percent shooting performance was not their worst the year, the 59 points did mark a season-low. The Lions were better from the field in the first half, when they shot 44.4 percent, although the Chaps still led by one at the break.
 
The game was scoreless for more than two minutes as the teams traded early misses, but Lloyd Daniels finally opened the scoring with a  three-pointer at the 17:35 mark, and TAMUC got to the free throw line on their next possession to answer. The Lions then went on to take an early lead at 9-5, but that would be their largest lead of the night.
 
Parker Hicks hit a three-pointer with 12:47 left in the first half that sparked a quick 7-0 LCU run to put them back in front. Another quick burst of six straight points leading up to the under-eight media timeout increased the Chaparral lead to eight points, and with 3:23 remaining before the break Hicks hit a three-pointer to put LCU up by 11. It would be their only double-digit lead for the entire game, as the Lions ended the half on a 13-3 run. Alphonso Willis capped things off with a buzzer-beater three-pointer to end the half with LCU leading by only one point.
 
A turnover by the Chaps led to a fastbreak dunk for Texas A&M-Commerce to start the second half, and turnovers proved to be a problem for LCU for the rest of the half. The Chaps gave the ball away nine times in the final 20 minutes, leading to nine fastbreak points for the Lions. LCU's 15 total turnovers in the game was only one short of matching their season high.
 
Although LCU led for much of the first half, the final 20 minutes saw a lot more  back-and-forth action. The Chaps' largest lead of the half was just five points, and that didn't happen until Aaron Gonzales hit a jumper with just over eight minutes left in the game. Two minutes later, the Lions had the game tied up again.
 
The last time the game was tied was with just 1:43 left, when Willis hit a tough, contested jumper in the paint. TAMUC missed a three-pointer that would've given them the lead after that, and on the ensuing possession, Rowan Mackenzie got to the free throw line, hit both ends and gave the Chaps the lead for good. Aamer Muhammad and Hicks both hit free throws in the game's final 30 seconds to secure the LCU win.
 
Hicks was a perfect 9-9 at the free throw line on the night and scored a game high 21 points. To go along with it, the senior pulled down 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the year. Daniels and Mackenzie were the only two other LCU players in double figures with 12 apiece.
 
TURNING POINT
After Mackenzie's free throw makes with 42 seconds left, TAMUC took the ball back down the floor. They missed a three-pointer, but got the offensive rebound for a second chance. Muhammad showed his quick hands though, stealing the ball and driving down the floor, where he drew a foul and gave the Chaps some breathing room.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
For the first time this season, Lubbock Christian was out-rebounded in a game. They grabbed 28 boards compared to 31 for the Lions. An incredible 15 of TAMUC's rebounds came on the offensive glass, but the Chaps still limited them to just 10 second-chance points.
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps will head even further east, to Tyler, where they will take on the Patriots of UT-Tyler at 4 p.m. on Saturday.