LUBBOCK, Texas (January 8, 2022) – Oklahoma Christian may have scored the game's first basket, but it was all Chaps in the Rip Griffin Center on Saturday afternoon, as Lubbock Christian University ran away with an 88-56 win.
 
It's the 14^th win in a row to start the season for the Chaps, who are now two wins away from matching the program-best start of 16-0 that they set just last season. They are also 2-0 to start Lone Star Conference play, making them one of just two teams left unbeaten in league action. Texas A&M International is the only other one, but they have played just one LSC game.
 
OC did have the lead briefly, getting a three-pointer from Moun'Tae Edmundson to open the game, but the Chaps had moved in front by the first media timeout thanks to back-to-back jumpers from Parker Hicks and Aamer Muhammad.
 
The two jump shots were part of a 13-0 run for the Caps that put them on top for good and led to a 10-point lead at the 13:25 mark. Oklahoma Christian responded though, scoring seven straight points of their own to cut the lead back to three points.
 
At that point, it was apparently time for Muhammad to take things into his own hands. Starting at the 9:17 mark, the New Mexico native scored 11 straight points all by himself. He hit three straight three-pointers and capped off the run with a steal and a fastbreak dunk, increasing the Chap lead to 15 points.
 
Muhammad scored a game-high 22 points overall, but 18 of those came in the first 20 minutes of the game. He was incredibly efficient in his shooting with nine makes on 12 attempts, including a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc. It is the fourth time this season he has scored at least 20 points, which ties him with Hicks for the team lead.
 
Before the half ended, the Chaps had posted one more 11-0 run, and they led by 23 points as the teams went into the locker room.
 
LCU's lead was pushed out to 30 points less than six minutes into the second half when Jalen Brattain hit a three-pointer, and the Chaps began subbing out starters shortly thereafter. Every player on the roster saw action in the game, and 11 of the 12 scored at least two points.
 
The widest the gap ever got was 36 points, when Alec Zambie scored in the paint to put the Chaps in front by 36 as they cruised past the Eagles.
 
Hicks and Lloyd Daniels were the only two Chaps to join Muhammad in double-figures, even though LCU shot 59 percent from the field as a team. Hicks was 6-9 from the floor and drilled both of his three-point attempts for 17 points. He was also the team's leading rebounder with five. Daniels was also an efficient 7-10 for 16 points, while notching a team-high eight assists.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The Chaps held Oklahoma Christian to 56 points, which marks the ninth time this season they have held an opponent to 60 points or fewer.
 
NEXT UP
The Chaps will be on the road next week, making the East Texas swing with games at Texas A&M-Commerce and UT Tyler on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.