LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Rowan Mackenzie scored 20 points for the fourth time this season, while
Kurt Wegscheider added a season-high 15 points, as Lubbock Christian rolled over Le Moyne College 78-64 to finish the weekend 2-0 at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic.
The Dolphins (8-6) started the game off hot, connecting on their first three baskets with layups by Isaiah Elmore and Kevin Constant, and an Elmore three put Le Moyne ahead 7-0 early. LCU (7-3) answered with a 10-0 run of their own, thanks to a pair of layups by Mackenzie, and threes from Wegscheider and
Russell Harrison, giving the Chaps a 10-7 lead with 15:54 left in the opening salvo.
Fletcher MacDonald got going for the Chaps with, scoring back-to-back buckets for LCU, and
Karhan Jones added a deuce of his own. Wegscheider continued his strong start, dropping in a pair of layups, before a three-pointer from
Aaron Gonzales put Lubbock Christian on top 23-13 with 7:54 left in the first half.
Gonzales continued to score at will, driving to the lane for a finger roll layup. Mackenzie dropped in a three, before scoring a layup to hit double figures with 11 points in the first half. Wegscheider added a jumper of his own, and LCU went ahead 37-21 with 2:10 left in the first. Constant and Luke Sutherland connected on a pair of buckets before the half, but the Chaps took a 37-25 lead at the break.
A pair of jumpers from Zy'Ever Wingfield cut the Chap lead back to single digits early in the second stanza, and a three from Isaiah Salter cut the LCU lead down to 39-32 with 16:51 left in the contest. Wegscheider turned the momentum back in favor of Lubbock Christian with a layup, before
Najeeb Muhammad hit his first three of the game, and the Chaparrals jumped back ahead 44-32 with 15:21 remaining in the game.
The two teams went back-and-forth trading baskets, highlighted by a dunk by Xavier Wilson to cut the Dolphin deficit down to eight, before a Gonzales three from the corner put LCU back ahead by 11. Gonzales hit another three to answer a Darrick Jones Jr. layup, and
Alec Zambie connected from long distance to give Lubbock Christian a 57-43 advantage with 10:10 left in the contest.
Le Moyne got as close as 12 points, before Mackenzie hit another three and Harrison flushed an emphatic dunk for the exclamation point to put the Chaparrals on top 72-56 with 2:54 remaining. A jumper from Muhammad put LCU up by as many as 20, their largest lead of the game. Wilson hit two more layups at the end of the contest but the Dolphins got no closer, and LCU rolled to a 78-64 victory.
The Chaps shot 93.3 percent from the free throw line, going 14-for-15 from the line, their best free throw percentage this season and their highest free throw percentage in a game since going a perfect 6-for-6 from the line against Western New Mexico on Feb. 24, 2022. Mackenzie led LCU, going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
With the win, LCU now moves to 4-0 all-time at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic. The Chaps have won each game by an average score of 82-70.
Mackenzie scored 20 points, the fourth time this season the junior has scored at least 20 points in a game. The Aussie flirted with a triple-double, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out five assists.
Wegscheider and Gonzales both scored 15 points each, a mark that is a new season-high for Wegscheider. Wegscheider also pulled down six rebounds and handed out three assists. Gonzales went 3-for-6 from deep and pulled in five rebounds.
Muhammad only scored seven points, but tied his season-high with eight assists. Harrison finished with double-digit points for the fifth straight game, scoring 12 points.
Jeremiah Washington led Le Moyne with 12 points, he also had six rebounds and eight assists.
LCU will take a well-deserved Christmas break before jumping back into conference play on Friday, Dec. 30 at The Rip against Cameron. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM. Tickets are available online at lcuchaps.com
