LUBBOCK, Texas (November 21, 2024) -- Five Chaparrals scored at least 10 points and Lubbock Christian beat the St. Edward's Hilltoppers 87-72 at home Thursday to start Lone Star Conference play 1-0.
 
Those five players were led by Najeeb Muhammad, who had 20 points, seven assists and two steals. Amondo Miller Jr. added 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Jaylen Thompson helped out with 16 points and three steals off of the bench. Ty Caswell and Sean Murphy each added 10 apiece.
 
Lubbock Christian utilized excellent ball movement in Thursday's game, piling up 18 assists on 26 made field goals. The Chaps also took care of the ball, turning it over just nine times in the win. It is the third time this season that they have turned it over less than 10 times in a game.
 
Muhammad's seven assists led the team and he turned it over just once. The senior is second in the conference with a 3.7 assist to turnover ratio.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was St. Edward's that came out of the locker room hot, taking a nine-point lead less than four minutes after the opening tip. Back-to-back three-pointers by Caswell and another by Miller Jr. kept the Chaps in striking distance as the first media timeout came and went.
 
Miller Jr. made a free throw with just under 10 minutes to go that gave LCU its first lead of the game and Thompson followed it up with a three-pointer. Thompson was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field off the bench to reach his season high in points. The Chaps would not trail the rest of the way.
 
The Hilltoppers kept it close though, and tied the game up several more times in the closing minutes of the first half. It wasn't until the second half, when a Duncan three-pointer sparked a 10-0 Chap run that they were able to build a more comfortable lead.
 
Lubbock Christian kept the lead around that 10-point mark throughout the rest of the half, never letting it drop lower than nine points. Free throws late helped balloon it all the way out to 18 points when Miller Jr. hit a jumper with just over a minute to play. The team's leading scorer by average scored 14 of his 18 points in the final 20 minutes of play.
 
GAME NOTES
» Lubbock Christian has now won its conference opener in five straight seasons. The only time it lost the conference opener as a member of the Lone Star Conference was the 2019-20 season, their first in the league.
» Despite struggling in the first half (5-17) the Chaparrals ended up shooting well from behind the arc overall, hitting 11 of their 27 attempts for a 40.7 percentage. They have shot 40 percent or better in all but one game this season.
» Five Lubbock Christian players scored 10 or more points. It is the second-straight game that has happened.
» Lubbock Christian had a 32-31 edge on the boards in the win. They have out-rebounded their opponent in four of five games this year.
» Lubbock Christian cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game. It is the third time this season they have reached the double-digit mark in offensive rebounds.
» Najeeb Muhammad led the Chaparrals with 20 points. It is his eighth time scoring 20 or more points at LCU and the first time he has done so since Feb. 22, 2024, when he also had 20, also against St. Edward's.
» Lubbock Christian got a game-high eight rebounds from Amondo Miller Jr. He is now tied for the team lead with 5.2 rebounds per game.
 
NEXT UP
Lubbock Christian will continue its weekend with the saints on Saturday, taking on the Rattlers of St. Mary's at 3 p.m. at the Rip Griffin Center.

This article was paritally created using technology provided by Data Skrive.