LUBBOCK, Texas - Najeeb Muhammad tied his season-high in points, while LCU scored 30 points off of turnovers as the Chaps pulled away to knock off Eastern New Mexico 89-65 on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Both teams traded three-point plays, with Biazej Czerniewicz opening the scoring for the Greyhounds (10-5, 5-4 LSC) with an and-1 play, before Muhammad tied the game up with his first make from deep. The Hounds went to work on offense, with a three from Jahcoree Ealy and a jumper by Greg Johnson putting ENMU on top 11-7 with 15:30 left in the first half. 

Muhammad and Rowan Mackenzie both drove inside for layups, but Eastern New Mexico had answer, thanks to a Grehlon Easter layup and a Malique Oates jumper. Another make from long distance by Muhammad cut the Hound advantage to one, and after a free throw by Mackenzie, the duo had scored the first 16 points of the game for the Chaparrals. LCU (10-5, 6-3) took their first lead of the contest with 7:56 left in the opening salvo, as an Alec Zambie triple gave the Chaps a 20-17 advantage. 

The run continued for Lubbock Christian, thanks to threes from Kurt Wegscheider and Mackenzie, and a pair of layups from Russell Harrison and Fletcher MacDonald to swell the bulge to 30-23. A Johnson layup got the Greyhounds within four, but another Mackenzie three and a buzzer beating jumper by Aaron Gonzales gave the Chaps a 39-30 lead at the break. 

Both teams came out firing in the second half, with the Greyhounds making three shots from beyond the arc, while a Wegscheider and-1 and a Muhammad triple kept the Dogs at bay. Another three from Easter along with a layup by Jose Murillo got Eastern New Mexico down just 46-41 with 16:58 left in the game. 

Back-to-back threes by Harrison got the lead back up to double figures for the Chaps, and a three from Gonzales and a pair of layups by Muhammad kept LCU at a comfortable lead. Harrison drained another triple, and Muhammad slid inside for another easy layup, and Lubbock Christian took a 70-50 lead with 6:45 remaining. The Greyhounds tried to crawl into the game by fouling the Chaparrals, but a corner three by Gonzales and a pair of layups by Karhan Jones and Vito Vujovic halted any idea of a come back, as Lubbock Christian pulled away for the 89-65 win.

Lubbock Christian forced 18 Eastern New Mexico turnovers, scoring 30 points off of those turnovers. Of those 18 turnovers, the Chaps drew eight offensive fouls against the Greyhounds, including six in the first half.

The Chaps shot 58.3 percent from the field in the game, their second-highest mark of the season. LCU shot 59.5 percent on Dec. 10 at Texas A&M-Kingsville. LCU also connected on 50 percent of their shots from three, tied for their second-best mark from downtown this year. Lubbock Christian also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc on Nov. 12 against Colorado School of Mines. 

Muhammad led the team with 21 points, tying his season-best mark from Dec. 17 against West Liberty. The Las Vegas, Nev. shot 7-for-8 from the field (87.5 percent) and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc (75 percent), tying his sesason-high for made threes that he set just one week ago at UTPB. He also tallied four assists in the game.

Harrison scored just two points in the first half, but scored 15 in the second to finish with 17 points, his 11th double-digit scoring game of the season. The Lubbock native also hauled in five rebounds and dished out three assists.

Mackenzie scored 11 points in the first half, finishing with 15 for the game. The Aussie went 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-4 from three, while also pulling in five rebounds and giving out three assists. 

Gonzales flirted with a double double with eight points and five boards.

Johnson led Eastern New Mexico with 15 points and hauled down five rebounds.

The Chaps will close out their final homestand of January against Western New Mexico on Saturday, Jan. 14. Tipoff from The Rip is set for 3 PM. Fans can purchase tickets online at lcuchaps.com.