No. 8 Lubbock Christian rallies past St. Edward’s with huge second-half comeback - Lone Star Conference Skip To Main Content

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No. 8 Lubbock Christian rallies past St. Edward’s with huge second-half comeback

Championship Central
 
By NICK EATMAN
 
FRISCO, Texas –  Down by 15 points with less than eight minutes to play, LCU made a furious rally down the stretch to outlast St. Edward’s in Thursday’s first quarterfinal game of the LSC Championships.

The No. 3 seeded Chaps had many heroes in the final minutes, but it was Antonio Pusateri’s clutch tip-in with 3.7 seconds left that gave LCU a two-point lead. The Hilltoppers had one final attempt by Ryder Bradley whose three-point attempt rimmed off, giving LCU a dramatic a 79-77 win at Comerica Center.

St. Edward’s led 71-56 at the 7:57 mark after a Conner Mcmanus 3-pointer. But LCU never blinked, reeling off a 9-0 run. The Hilltoppers tried to answer behind Blake Nielsen, who scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second. Nielsen’s jump with 4:51 left, pushed the lead back to 75-67.

Once again, LCU answered as Kendall Dow drained a pair of 3-pointers in a 10-0 run, capped by a Amondo Miller jumper with 54 seconds left, giving LCU its first lead of the second half.

The Hilltoppers tied the game on a Bradley layup with 37 seconds left. But on the other end, Pusateri, the leading rebounder in the LSC, followed up a missed shot with a tip-in for the final bucket of the game.

LCU (27-4) has now won seven straight games. The victory moves them into Saturday’s semifinal round to face the winner of ENMU/West Texas A&M at Noon. It also helps protect LCU’s regional ranking. Despite being the third-seed in the LSC Championship, the Chaps are ranked No. 1 in the South Central region with a chance to host next week’s regional tournament in Lubbock.

But for a while Thursday, it didn’t appear as if LCU would survive the first round of this tournament.

With the game tied at halftime, Nielsen took SEU on his back, scoring the first seven points to put the Hilltoppers in control. The lead eventually doubled and got to 15 before LCU’s furious rally.

Pusateri scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds for the Chaps, who also got 19 from Dow and 17 from Amondo Miller, the LSC Player of the Year. Lucas Mercandino scored 13 with six rebounds and five assists.

Along with Nielsen’s 26 and, Bradley scored 17 for SEU, while Jamison Kay added 13. St. Edward’s drops to 24-8 but will get ready for next week’s regional. The Hilltoppers entered the weekend sixth in the latest regional ranking.
           
LCU Notes:
  • LCU has now faced St. Edward’s five times in the last six LSC Tournaments, owning a 4-1 record. Of the five games, three have now been settled by a last-second score.
  • LCU is now one win away for a third-straight appearance in the LSC Championship final, but still seeking its first-ever title in this tournament.
  • Pusateri recorded his 21st double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He ranks second in the nation in double-doubles.
  • Taking care of the ball has been a staple for the Chaps this year. With only eight turnovers Thursday, LCU is now 24-1 when they commit 15 turnovers or less.
  • Amondo Miller led the LSC with 35.9 minutes played per game this year, and was one of three Chaps to play a full 40 minutes, along with Dow and Leo Nordberg.
St. Edward’s Notes:
  • SEU falls to 7-7 all-time in LSC Championship Tournament play, one of nine teams and four active LSC schools with a .500 record.
  • Getting to the 32-rebound mark has been successful for SEU. But despite pulling down 33 boards, the Hilltoppers are now 20-3 this year when getting to that number on the glass.
  • Nielsen led the LSC in assists with 4.5 per game and finished with seven.
  • Conor Mcmanus ranked fourth in the league, averaging 2.5 three-pointers this season and topped that mark with three makes on Thursday.
  • The Hilltoppers entered the game with a 14-1 record when they get eight steals or more. However, SEU finished with exactly eight steals on Thursday, but fell short on the scoreboard.