DALLAS, Texas – The Louisiana Christian University men's basketball team jumped out to a 17-point first half lead, but saw Paul Quinn rally before halftime before falling to the Tigers 72-63 Thursday night at the Tiger's Den.
 
LCU's big first half run started with less than 16:30 remaining in the period with LCU leading 7-6 as KJ Bilbo's made three-pointer sent the Wildcats off on a 20-4 run that was capped by another three-pointer by Bilbo that put LCU up 27-10 with nine minutes left before halftime. After trading buckets to make it 29-12 Wildcats, it was Paul Quinn's turn to go on the run to get back into the game as the Tigers scored the next 15 points to cut the LCU lead down to just two points at 29-27 with three minutes to go before halftime. LCU was able to maintain the lead, taking a 33-32 lead into the locker room.
 
Paul Quinn started the second half by scoring the first seven points to take a six-point lead right out of the gate. The Wildcats responded with the next seven points to reclaim the lead on a three-pointer by Jordan Adebutu which gave the Wildcats a 40-39 lead with 15 minutes left in the game. Over the next few minutes, the two teams would stay neck-and-neck with each other until there was less than four minutes left as PQC went on a 9-3 push that turned a one-possession game at 56-53 PQ into a three-possession game at 65-56 with just over a minute left. Jordan Adebutu tried to close the gap with a three-pointer, but the Tigers hit free throws down the stretch to keep LCU at bay.
 
Jordan Adebutu came off the bench to lead the team with 18 points as he hit seven of his 15 shot attempts, including a trio of three-pointers. KJ Bilbo continued his good play from Monday as he was six-of-11 from the field, including three-of-seven from above the arc, for 17 points. Malik Cooper rounded out the leading scorers with 12 points. Ferontay Banks grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds while handing out seven assists. Kae'ron Baker led the team with three steals but finished with just nine points.
 
LCU made just one less field goal in the game than Paul Quinn and hit on four more three-point attempts than the Tigers. But Paul Quinn made up for it by getting to the free throw line as the Tigers hit 16 of their 27 free throw attempts while the Wildcats were just five-of-seven at the charity stripe.
 
The Wildcats (12-13, 7-7 RRAC) look to finish the regular season on a high note and get some momentum heading into the conference tournament on Saturday against Southwest. Tip-off in Hobbs, N.M. of Saturday's game against the Mustangs (10-13, 6-7 RRAC) is set for 4:00 P.M. Mountain Time. 5:00 P.M. Central Time at the Jack & Mabel Maddox Student Life Center.