LUBBOCK, Texas (January 23, 2025) – Lubbock Christian ended the first half on an 11-0 run to take a one-point lead into the break and carried that momentum into the second half to beat Oklahoma Christian 67-51 at home Thursday.
 
Ethan Duncan's 21 point effort led the Chaparrals (13-6, 8-3) as he shot 8-15 from the floor, including 5-9 from behind the arc. Najeeb Muhammad helped out with 13 points and two steals and Sean Murphy chipped in with 11 points.
 
The Chaparral defense was key in the comeback, forcing 21 Oklahoma Christian turnovers, including 13 in the second half. Those takeaways turned into 22 points on the other end of the floor. OC was also held to just 34.8 percent shooting in the second half compared to 50 percent shooting in the first half.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was LCU that had trouble with turnover at the start of the game though, with four in the first two minutes and 15 seconds as Oklahoma Christian opened on a 9-0 run. Kendall Dow finally got the Chaps on the board at the 16:48 mark with a three-pointer, but they still trailed by as many as 11 with just over six minutes left in the first half.
 
With 5:46 left in the half, Duncan hit a three-pointer to cut the gap back to single-digits and spark what turned into a 14-2 Lubbock Christian run to close out the half. The scoring was spread around throughout the run with a pair of buckets from Muhammad, a jumper from Amondo Miller Jr., a three-pointer from Jaylen Thompson and a pair of free throws from Ty Caswell to cap it off and give the Chaps their first lead of the game at 33-32.
 
Oklahoma Christian took their final lead of the game on the first possession of the second half, going up 34-33 before Lubbock Christian went on a 17-0 run, finished off by Muhammad's three, to seize a 50-34 lead with 15:08 to go in the contest.
 
The Eagles didn't let the lead getting wider than that 16-point gap and even cut it back to just 10 with only 7:32 left in the game, but Duncan hit another three-pointer to stop the momentum.
 
GAME NOTES
» Lubbock Christian found success from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 treys in the game. It is the 10^th time this season they have reached the double-digit mark in three-pointers made.
» The Lubbock Christian defense forced 21 turnovers. It is the most turnovers forced by the Chaps in a game against a Division II opponent since March 6, 2020, when they forced 22 in a double overtime game against Angelo State in the LSC Tournament. 
» Oklahoma Christian was held scoreless for the final 5:52 of the contest.
» Ethan Duncan led the Chaparrals with a game-high 21 points. It is the eighth time this season he has scored at least 20 points and the ninth time he has led LCU in scoring.
» Lubbock Christian got a game-high nine rebounds from Amondo Miller Jr. It is the eighth time this season he has led the Chaps in that category.
 

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