Box Score LUBBOCK, Texas --- The Wayland Baptist Pioneer men's basketball team can't buy a break. For the second time in three days, the Pioneers suffered a heartbreaking defeat, falling Monday night to Lubbock Christian University by a score of 66-64.
After trailing the entire contest, the WBU men came back to tie the game at 64 with 1:08 left in the game on a basket and subsequent free throw from George Williams. Both teams missed three-pointers on each of their next possessions, and then with 1.8 seconds on the clock, LCU's Rashad Sample hit a driving layup over the outstretched hands of Robert Curtis to give his team the lead.
Just like they did in Saturday's home loss to Mid-America, though, the WBU men had one last opportunity to send the game into overtime, but TJ Jacobs's shot from the deep left corner bounced off the rim.
The Pioneers came out of the gate flat against their arch-rivals from down south. The Chaparrals scored the game's first six points and eventually worked their way up to a 37-21 advantage late in the opening period.
Wayland closed the gap to eight, 41-33, at the half on two threes by Marquis Green and Jacobs, and four consecutive points by Isaiah Jackson.
Bobby Watkins scored the first two points of the second half to make it 41-35. A little over three minutes later the senior from Amarillo took a pass from Jamie Eisinger and slammed home a dunk to become the 38th member of the Pioneer 1,000 Point Club.
The dunk made the score 47-42 and WBU would eventually close the gap to three, 54-51, on two Watkins free throws with just under nine minutes remaining in the game.
LCU's Douglas Williams, a senior from Floydada, hit a trey on the next possession – the only long shot of the half for his team – to widen the margin back to six, but four minutes later Robert Curtis evened it up at 59.
The Chaps scored the next five points, and the Pioneers responded with five of their own, all by George Williams, to make it 64-64.
Williams led all scorers with 14 points and Watkins added 11. LCU was paced by Jevvon Hunter with 13, 12 of which came from long distance.
The home team shot 54 percent from the floor and made eight treys. The Pioneers were good on 41 percent of their shots and had six three-pointers.
WBU had two more points in the paint, five fewer turnovers and six more steals, but were edged out on the boards, 32-29.
Wayland is now 10-16 overall and 4-14 in conference play, while Lubbock Christian improves to 13-12 and 9-9. The Pioneers have two more on the road in Shawnee, Okla. this weekend where they will take on SAC frontrunner Oklahoma Baptist and cellar-dweller St. Gregory's on Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon.
