LUBBOCK, Texas - Despite being down as many as 13 points in the first half, a furious second half rally and a buzzer beater in overtime by Russell Harrison gave Lubbock Christian their first conference win of the season, knocking off Oklahoma Christian 70-68 on Thursday, Dec. 1.

It was all Oklahoma Christian (4-2, 0-1 LSC) early in the contest, starting the game on an 11-4 run, thanks to an opening three by Moun'Tae Edmundson and a pair of layups by Drew Tennial. The Eagle advantage swelled to 19-6 at the 11:57 mark of the first half, thanks to another bucket from Tennial, before Karlyn Kenner added a layup and earned a pair at the charity stripe.

Lubbock Christian (3-2, 1-1 LSC) clawed back to cut the lead down to 20-16 with 7:04 left in the opening salvo with a 10-1 run, thanks to a pair of layups by Harrison and jumpers from Aaron Gonzales and Rowan Mackenzie. OC pushed the lead back to double digits after an emphatic dunk from Tennial and a jumper from Edmundson to go up 28-17 with 3:54 remaining in the first. 

The Chaps would not go away, as Mackenzie drained the first three-pointer of the game for Lubbock Christian at the 2:42 mark, before Kendall Dow added a three of his own 37 seconds later to lower the lead down to 30-25. For the fifth straight game, LCU made a shot with under five seconds remaining in the first half, as Gonzales connected with a layup at the horn to cut the Oklahoma Christian advantage to just 30-27 at halftime.

Mackenzie opened the second half with a three-point bucket to tie the game for the first time since it was 0-0, but a trio of shots from beyond the arc connected for Kenner, Edmundson, and Tennial, and the Eagles retook a 39-34 lead with 14:39 remaining in regulation. Back-to-back three-pointers from Edmundson and Kenner pushed Oklahoma Christian to an 11-point lead with 9:31 left, as the Eagles went on top 51-39.

The Chaps once again did not stop competing, rattling off an 11-2 run thanks to a pair of layups by Mackenzie and two more threes from Gonzales and Dow, and LCU was down just 53-52 with 4:39 left. Alec Zambie came through on the defensive end 12 seconds later, as his steal and score gave Lubbock Christian their first lead of the contest, going on top 54-53 with 4:27 remaining.

Another Zambie scoop and score, along with a pair of Najeeb Muhammad free throws pushed LCU ahead 58-53, but a pair of layups from Antonio Gordon cut the lead down to 58-57 in favor of the Chaps with 1:12 left. Mackenzie came through with another layup with 37 seconds left, giving Lubbock Christian a 60-57 advantage. 

Oklahoma Christian did not blink, as Mojus Mojus drained a three with 26 seconds left to tie the game at 60. Harrison got a look from three with four seconds left for the Chaps, but it rimmed out and the two conference rivals headed to overtime.

It was LCU coming out hot in the overtime period, with Gonzales draining a three in the opening seconds before a Mackenzie step-back jumper gave the Aussie 30 points for the game and put LCU ahead 66-62 with 2:18 left in the extra period. Once again, Oklahoma Christian had an answer, as Kenner nailed a three-point basket before a Gordon free throw tied the contest at 66 with 1:05 remaining. 

Two three throws by Muhammad with 37 seconds left put Lubbock Christian. on top 68-66, but OC answered with a Gordon layup with 26 seconds left. After calling a timeout with 15 seconds left, it was Harrison who got another chance to end the game, getting off a one-handed fall-away layup with 0.2 seconds on the clock that rattled home, and LCU finished off the Eagles with a 70-68 win in overtime.

It's the first overtime win for LCU since Jan. 27, 2022 when Lubbock Christian knocked off Angelo State in double-overtime by a score of 85-79. The Chaps are 2-2 in overtime games since joining the LSC in 2019, all of those being conference clashes.

The win is the fourth straight for the Chaps over Oklahoma Christian, and the ninth straight win for LCU at home against their longtime rivals from Oklahoma City. The win is also the third straight conference opening win for Lubbock Christian since joining the Lone Star Conference, and LCU is 3-1 all-time in conference openers. 

Mackenzie scored 30 points in a game for the second time this season. The junior scored a career-high 35 points against Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 12. He also finished with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals while shooting 3-for-5 from the three-point line. Mackenzie was also perfect from the free throw line, going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe, finishing just one made attempt from being eligible for the single-game free throw percentage record (to be eligible for the record, a player must attempt at least 10 free throws in a game). 

While Harrison finished with just six points, he hauled in nine rebounds and dished out two assists. Fletcher MacDonald set a career-high in points for the second straight game, scoring five points while bringing down a career-best seven boards. Zambie also set a new career-high in rebounds, finishing with six.

Karlyn Kenner led Oklahoma Christian with 16 points.

The Chaps wrap up their three-game homestand against Arkansas-Fort Smith in another Lone Star Conference clash. Tip-off is set for 3:30 PM on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tickets are still available at lcuchaps.com.