Men's Basketball | 11.29.2024

LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (4-3)
vs. ARLINGTON BAPTIST(1-6)
Saturday, Nov. 30 – 2 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
 
TIPOFF
It's a short Thanksgiving break for the Lubbock Christian men's basketball team, which will be back on the hardwood just two days after Turkey Day for a matchup with Arlington Baptist. The Chaps are coming off a huge offensive outburst just before the break that saw them hang triple-digits on future Lone Star Conference member UT Dallas. After this, LCU will hit the road and return to league play for a pair of games before a trip to Las Vegas for the final two non-conference games of the season.
 
FAB FIVE
In the 108-point scoring showcase on Tuesday, LCU had five different players finish in double-figures – the third time this season that has happened. Amondo Miller Jr. (22), Ty Caswell (20), Sean Murphy (19), Alex Anamekwe (12) and Aaron Gonzales (11) all set new season-highs. Anamekwe and Gonzales both reached their totals off the bench, contributing 23 of LCU's 30 points from reserves in the win. Najeeb Muhammad also pitched in with nine and Ethan Duncan added eight, just shy of double-figures.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Lubbock Christian was active on the defensive end against the Comets as well, blocking a season-high five shots in the win. The Chaps only tallied more than five blocks four times during the 2023-24 season. Anamekwe led the team on Tuesday with three blocks, while Miller Jr. had the other two. The pair are now tied for the team lead in that category with four apiece. LCU has 14 total blocks on the year for an average of 2.0 per game. That mark ranks 12^th in the conference
 
BEYOND THE ARC
The Chaparrals hit 18 three-pointers on 32 attempts on Tuesday. It is their most made three-pointers in a game since making 20 on Nov. 24, 2022 in a win against Western New Mexico and raised their season mark to 45.3 percent. That number leads the LSC and ranks No. 3 in all of Division II. The best three-point percentage for the team in the last decade was the 2020-21 season, when they shot 43.8 percent. Caswell leads the team in in that category at 68.2 percent and would lead the LSC in that category, but he does not have the requisite 2.5 made per game to qualify for the leaderboards. Duncan does qualify and ranks fourth in the league at 47.7 percent.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
Effective field goal percentage is a statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points, while all other field goals only count for two points. Lubbock Christian leads the LSC and No. 10 nationally in that category at 60 percent. On Tuesday, they shot 61.7 percent from the field and 56.3 percent overall – their second-highest single game mark in both of those categories this year. Their overall field-goal percentage is exactly 50 percent, which ranks third in the LSC. Murphy, Caswell, Anamekwe and Jaylen Thompson are all shooting better than 50 percent on the year.
 
CHARITY STRIPE
After struggling in their first two games of the season at the free throw line (.417, .462), Lubbock Christian has bounced back in a big way and now leads the conference with their 75.6 percentage at the line. They have shot better than 80 percent in each of their last five games, including a season-high 87.5 percent against Regis on Nov. 9. Duncan, Muhammad, Miller Jr. and Caswell are all shooting 80 percent or better from the line.
 
FRESH FACES
Three of the five players to finish in double-figures are new to the Chaps for this season, which is just the latest in a long like of strong performances from LCU newcomers this year. Overall, new players have scored just over half (50.5 percent) of LCU's 580 total points this year. Miller Jr. leads the way with 16.0 points per game and also leads the team with 5.0 rebounds per game after transferring from Fort Lewis. Murphy is averaging double-figures as well (10.3) and Anamekwe and Thompson are both averaging more than seven points a game.
 
PROTECT THE ROCK
Through seven games, Lubbock Christian is averaging just 9.1 turnovers per game, which is the fewest in the Lone Star Conference. Both Aaron Gonzales and Duncan are averaging at least 15 minutes of playing per game with fewer than five turnovers on the year. Muhammad has only turned the ball over eight times against a team-leading 28 assists. His 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the LSC.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
Saturday's game will wrap up a four-game homestand for the Chaparrals, who are currently 2-1 inside the Rip Griffin Center this season. Officially dedicated on October 9, 2000, the Rip Griffin Center, seating capacity is 1,950 for sporting events. Lubbock Christian went 11-4 on its home floor a season ago, averaging 83.0 points on 53.1 percent shooting. Najeeb Muhammad, Ethan Duncan and Aaron Gonzales all averaged double-figures in home contests last year. In the Todd Duncan era, the Chaps have a 146-38 record (.795) on their home floor.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE PATRIOTS
This will be the fifth all-time matchup between Lubbock Christian and Arlington Baptist, with LCU having won the previous four. The first meeting between the two teams was 2012. The Chaps have averaged 88.23 points per game in the four contests, while ABU has averaged 57.3. LCU had its largest margin of victory in a game against the Patriots in 2022, which was the last time these teams met. LCU won by 49 behind 20 points from Russell Harrison and 17 from Aaron Gonzales.
 
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS

• ABU has played four other NCAA Division II schools already this season, losing those games by an average of 19.5 points
• Lubbock legend Bubba Jennings is the head coach of the Patriots. Jennings was a four-year starter at Texas Tech and averaged 19.5 points per game his senior season, earning Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors and leading the Red Raiders to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years
•  Ahmad Webster leads the Patriots in most offensive categories with 14.8 points per game, 18 assists and 11 three-pointers
• The Patriots are coming off an 2023-24 season that saw them capture the NCCAA Southwest Region Championship and advance to the national tournament
• ABU's lone win this season came against Centenary College – an NCAA Division III institution – by a score of 78-75