Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

LUBBOCK, Texas (January 28, 2012) - No.14 Southern Nazarene University closed their contest against Lubbock Christian University with a 13-5 run filled with nine free-throws to dodge an upset and sneak out of the Rip Griffin Center with a 68-64 win over the Chaparrals Saturday afternoon in a Sooner Athletic Conference contest.

For the Chaps, the loss is another result of what could have been.  LCU, falling to 10-10 overall, has now suffered their eighth loss decided by single digits and their seventh decided by six or less points.  It is also their sixth consecutive game decided by five or less points.  The Chaps also fall to 3-4 in contests against ranked opponents, with the four losses containing an average deficit of 5.3 points.

The game featured nine lead changes and the score tied on 10 occasions.  Neither team led by more than six points in the game.  The Crimson Storm out-shot LCU in the game 52% (26/50) to 40% (20/50).  The Chaps trailed 33-30 at halftime despite being out-shot 50% (14/28) to 39.3% (11/28) in the half.  Both teams put on a clinic from the charity stripe.  LCU was 19-of-20 (95%) from the line in the game and SNU was 12-for-12 until missing their final free-throw attempt to finish 12-of-13 (92.3%).

LCU received a solid performance from Douglas Williams in the loss.  Williams led all players with a game-high 20 points and game-high eight rebounds.  Jon West led SNU with 14 points.  He was 5-of-8 from the field, 2-for-2 from long-range and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. 

SNU improved to 17-5 overall and 11-3 in the SAC.  LCU moved to 6-7 in the SAC. The meeting marked their final meeting in a SAC conference game, as SNU is in transition to join the NCAA Div. II ranks next season and will not be a part of the SAC.