LUBBOCK, Texas (February 28, 2026) — Lubbock Christian survived a scare in their regular season finale, narrowly defeating Sul Ross State 69-67 at the Rip Griffin Center on Saturday. 

The Chaparrals maintained a narrow lead throughout, with six blocks and nine steals contributing to their defensive efforts. Despite a strong second-half push from the Lobos, which included eight three-pointers, the Chaps' 36 points in the paint helped them secure the victory.

Lubbock Christian established its offense early with a three-pointer from Kendall Dow to start the game, assisted by Amondo Miller Jr., which set the tone for a competitive first half. The Lobos had an early lead, but never were ahead by more than four points. The Chaps responded with a 13-1 run that featured a three-pointer from Jett McCasland and a dunk from Amondo Miller Jr. 

Sul Ross responded though, with a 9-0 run though, and were back ahed with just under six minutes to go. It was LCU's run that closed the half though, and they went into the locker room up by six. 

The Chaps were still unable to pull away in the second half, as they struggled shooting from both behind the arc and the charity stripe. The LSC's top three-point shooting team missed all seven attempts against the Lobos, and the the shot just 60 percent from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes, making them unable to put the Lobos away. 

SRSU actually led again with less than 10 minutes to go, and was up three with 6:45 before the final horn. Back-to-back layups from Amondo Miller Jr. put the Chaps back on top for good, but the final minutes of the game were anything but easy. 

Devin Baccas made a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left to put LCU ahead by five, but an and-one layup from SRSU and a pair of charity stripe misses from Miller gave the Lobos one last chance. The three-pointer from Antwone Holmes missed, and LCU won the game. 

Lucas Mercandino led the Chaps with 20 points, converting 7 of 8 free throws while adding three steals. Miller contributed 18 points, made eight field goals, and recorded five rebounds. Pusateri collected a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while blocking four shots.

GAME NOTES:
- The Chaparrals' 26 wins are their most since the 2021-22 season, when they won a program record 27 games
- Pusateri's double-double is his 20th of the year, which leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks second in the nation
- The Chaps were held below 70 points for just the fourth time this season, but they are 4-0 in those contests
- The Chaps shot 50.9 percent, hitting more than half their shots for the fourth time in the last five games
- Mercandino's 20 points are a new career high, surpassing his previous high of 18 set on Dec. 11, 2025 against Oklahoma Christian

NEXT UP: 
Lubbock Christian earned the No. 3 seed in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, where they will take on St. Edward's at noon on Thursday at the Comerica Center.