LUBBOCK, TEXAS – (RV) Lubbock Christian seized control midway through the first half of action and never looked back, downing UT Tyler by a 68-52 final on Thursday night.
 
Lubbock Christian (14-5, 9-2 LSC) connected on four straight three-point attempts and then added another two-point make to build their first double-digit advantage of the game at 23-13 with 9:05 remaining in the opening half. The Chaps took a 14-point lead into the halftime break after going 9-for-14 from beyond the three-point line in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
UT Tyler (2-15, 1-10 LSC) couldn't keep pace offensively, shooting just 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from three-point range for the game. John Barbee had 11 points and Alec Zambie 10 points to lead a Patriot offense that went 19-for-46 (41.3 percent) from the field.
 
The Chaps extended their 38-24 halftime advantage to 20 with eight unanswered points to begin the second half and led by as many as 26 at 60-34 with 13:42 remaining in the game. UT Tyler cut the margin to 12 at 64-52 with 3:15 left, but went scoreless over the final 3:15 of play to bring the game to it's eventual 68-52 final.
 
Zambie and Bryce Roberts led UT Tyler with five rebounds.
 
UT Tyler will travel to Canyon, Texas on Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. tip-off against #1 West Texas A&M.