DALLAS, Texas (March 15, 2025) - Najeeb Muhammad, Amondo Miller Jr., and Sean Murphy combined to score 47 of Lubbock Christian's 61 total points, but it wasn't enough as Lubbock Christian dropped its NCAA South Central Reginal quarterfinal matchup against St. Mary's in the Burg Center.
The Chaparrals finish the 2024-25 season with a 25-9 overall record, their most since the 2021-22 team. They won the Lone Star Conference West Division and played in the NCAA Tournament for a fifth consecutive season.
Muhammad led the Chaparrals with 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Miller Jr. tacked on a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Murphy chipped in as well with 11 points and four assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
St. Mary's was hot to start the game, shooting 44 percent from the field, including 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. The were up 8-0 before the first media timeout and led by as many as nine at the 8:47 mark.
The Chaps answered with a quick 6-0 burst to pull within three on Ethan Duncan's jumper at the 5:21 mark, but St. Mary's kept the lead into the break, leading 32-27 when the two teams went into the locker room.
Lubbock Christian came out of halftime clicking on all cylinders, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Miller Jr.'s three, to even the score at 32 all with 18:56 to go in the contest, and they even took the lead at 36-34. St. Mary's answered with a 9-3 run to go up by six again.
Muhammad did his best to keep the Chaps in the game in the final 10 minutes, even pulling them within one at the 5:24 mark. He nailed a three-pointer just a minute later that kept LCU within two, but the Rattlers scored the next five points.
Lubbock Christian's last gasp back-to-back layups from Muhammad cut the gap to three, but St. Mary's hit the free throws in the final minute to close out the upset.
GAME NOTES
» Amondo Miller Jr. notched a double-double for the Chaparrals with 15 points and 10 rebounds. It is just his second-double-double of the season.
» Muhammad led the Chaparrals with a game-high 21 points. He scored 16 of those in the second half.
» Muhammad, Miller Jr., and Murphy combined to account for 77 percent of the Chaparrals points.
» Najeeb Muhammad played the final game of his three-year LCU career. He finishes with 1201 collegiate points and 386 assists. That assist number is good for fifth on the LCU all-time list, surpassing Marcus Arrington (2013-17). Muhammad did not miss the NCAA Tournament in his three seasons at LCU.
» Ty Caswell also wrapped up an extended Chaparral career Saturday. The Wichita Falls native has been with LCU since 2019. He finishes with 1022 career points and 542 rebounds. Caswell was a member of five straight NCAA Tournament teams.
» Aaron Gonzales wrapped up his four-year LCU career. He scored 793 points as a Chaparral and pulled down 323 rebounds. He was a member of four straight teams to reach the NCAA Tournament.
» LCU also saw the end of LCU careers for Jaylen Thompson, Albert McBride Jr. and Sean Murphy, who transferred into LCU for their senior seasons.
This article was partially created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
