CANYON, Texas - Lubbock Christian shot just six percent from three and turned the ball over 17 times, falling to no. 25 West Texas A&M 68-55 on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Both squads struggled early, with Rowan Mackenzie making the first shot of the game with 17:19 left in the first half for LCU (18-9, 14-7 LSC). The two rivals continued to trade buckets early, and a layup by Mackenzie tied the game at six apiece at the first media timeout. 

The Buffs (21-6, 19-2 LSC) opened up a 9-0 run, including threes from Addison Wallace and Larry Wise. Mackenzie answered with a jumper of his own, but a Wallace jumper and a Zach Toussaint triple pushed West Texas A&M ahead 21-12 with 7:08 remaining in the first half.

Wallace picked up a steal and slam dunk to put the Buffs ahead by double digits, while jumpers from Damion Thornton and Wise pushed WT ahead 31-18 with 3:08 left in the opening stanza. Toussaint made three straight from the free throw line to end the half, and the Buffs took a 37-22 lead into the locker room.

The Chaps opened the second half with an 8-0 run, as Najeeb Muhammad and Aaron Gonzales connected on jumpers to cut the deficit down to 37-30 with 17:08 left in the game. A layup from Russell Harrison kept the Chaparrals within striking distance, but another three from Toussaint swelled the lead back to double digits, and the Buffs went back ahead 44-34 with 14:56 remaining. 

A Thornton jumper and another connection from downtown by Toussaint pushed WT up 53-38 with 11:28 left in the contest. A Julius Brown triple and then a pair of free throws from Thornton gave West Texas A&M their largest lead of the game, going ahead 61-42 with 5:33 left in the game. 

Harrison drained a shot from deep, the first make from three for the Chaps, with 4:07 remaining in the game. Kendall Dow ended the game strong for Lubbock Christian, scoring the final eight points of the game himself, but it wasn't enough as the Buffs knocked off LCU 68-55.

LCU went just 1-for-16 from three, keeping their 238 consecutive game streak with a made three-pointer alive. The last time the Chaps did not make a three-pointer was on Jan. 24, 2015 when the Chaps went 0-for-4 from three against St. Edward's. The Chaparrals shot six percent from three, the lowest in a game since shooting six percent (1-for-16) from three on Dec. 17, 2015 against Texas A&M International.

Mackenzie and Muhammad both led the Chaps with 12 points. Mackenzie pulled down six rebounds, while Muhammad had five. Harrison sniffed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. Dow scored ten points off the bench, shooting 4-for-4 from the free throw line. 

Toussaint led the Buffs with 15 points off the bench, shooting 4-for-8 from three. Thornton flirted with a double-double himself with 14 points and nine rebounds. 

The Buffs and Chaps meet again this Saturday, Feb. 25, for the final game of the regular season. LCU will hold senior day festivities before the game, honoring senior guard Russell Harrison and manager Miro Szabados. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM. Fans can purchase tickets at lcuchaps.com