LUBBOCK, Texas - Lubbock Christian opened the second half on an 18-2 run and never looked back, rolling to a 73-56 win over Arkansas Fort Smith on Saturday, Dec. 3.

Both squads struggled to uncork the lid on the rim, as the first seven shots of the game went off the mark before the Lions (4-4, 0-2 LSC) took a 2-0 lead at the 17:02 mark of the opening frame. LCU (4-2, 2-0 LSC) got on the board thanks to a layup from Rowan Mackenzie, but a three-pointer by Evan Anderson gave UAFS an 8-2 advantage at the first media timeout with 15:54 remaining in the first half.

Alec Zambie made a layup to start a mini 7-0 run for the Chaps, as a shot from Aaron Gonzales and a three-pointer from Russell Harrison put Lubbock Christian in front 9-8 with 12:45 left. A pair of jumpers from Bush and Anderson pushed the Lions back ahead 12-9, but back-to-back threes from Harrison allowed the Chaparrals to retake a 17-16 lead with 9:25 remaining in the first half. 

The two foes continued to retake the lead from each other, as an Anderson three for UAFS was answered by a Mackenzie jumper to tie the game at 19, and a Harrison three was answered by a Payton Brown make from long-range to give the Lions a slim 22-21 lead with 5:17 left. Another three from Brown pushed Arkansas Fort Smith ahead 27-23 with 3:42 left, but another Harrison jumper cut the lead down to 27-25 with 3:14 remaining. For the sixth time this season, LCU made a shot at the first half buzzer, as Kendall Dow's jumper with four seconds left sent both teams to the locker room tied at 27.

Lubbock Christian could not miss from beyond the arc to start the second half, as the Chaps made six straight three-pointers to open the final twenty minutes of the game. Back-to-back makes by Najeeb Muhammad gave LCU a 33-27 advantage just 2:05 into the second stanza, before two threes from Aaron Gonzales put the Chaparrals up 39-29 with 16:21 remaining in the contest. Gonzales added yet another three, his third in a row, before Harrison connected with a downtown shot of his own, and Lubbock Christian swelled the advantage to 45-29 with 14:59 left. 

An old-fashioned three-point play by the Lions' Bush cut the LCU lead to 47-36 with 13:27 left, but a layup by Muhammad followed by two more made threes from Harrison put the Chaps back on top 55-40 with 9:51 remaining. Lubbock Christian would struggle from the field for a bit, but made eight straight free throws to keep the Lions at bay and stay ahead 63-47 with 6:09 left. 

The Chaps used transition buckets from Gonzales and Harrison in the final two minutes, along with a Zambie layup with 16 seconds left to finish the job and give Lubbock Christian the 73-56 win over Arkansas Fort Smith.

In the second half of the game, LCU shot 51.7 percent from the field compared to 40.7 percent in the first half. The Chaps were blistering from three-point range in the second half, shooting 44.4 percent in the final 20 minutes of the contest compared to just 18.8 percent from beyond the arc in the opening salvo.

Harrison scored 33 points, tying his overall career-high from his lone season at Claredon College (2019-20). The Lubbock native shot a blistering 52.4 percent from the field, going 11-for-21 and connecting on six three-pointers, shooting 6-for-14 from beyond the arc. Harrison flirted with his first double-double of the year, hauling in eight rebounds. He also dished out a pair of assists, blocked one shot and pilfered the pocket of one unlucky Lion for a steal.

Gonzales also flirted with his first career double-double, hauling in a career-high nine rebounds and scoring 13 points. Gonzales shot 50 percent from the field (5-for-10) and made three three-pointers, while also setting a new career-high in assists with three. Mackenzie came close to his first career triple-double, scoring seven points and hauling in eight boards, while leading the Chaps with four assists. 

Muhammad tied his career-high with 12 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field (50 percent). His two three-pointers tie a career-best as well.

Evan Anderson led the Lions with 21 points. The Chaparral defense held the conference's leading scorer, Payton Brown, to 14 points and just 2-for-9 from beyond the arc (22.2 percent). 

Lubbock Christian will head on the road for the first time in almost a month and for the first time in conference play, travelling south to Laredo to face Texas A&M International. Tip-off between the Chaps and Dust Devils is set for 8 PM on Thursday, Dec. 8.