FORT SMITH, Ark. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men's Basketball took No. 7/10 Lubbock Christian down to the wire again Saturday night, but the unbeaten Chaps held off the Lions, 59-49, at the Stubblefield Center.

UAFS (3-7, 3-7 LSC) twice had stretches on defense where they held the Chaps (12-0, 12-0 LSC) in check, including more than a seven-minute stretch late in the first half where they held the Chaps scoreless.

Falling behind 29-12 after senior forward Chris Rollins picked up his second foul, Rollins re-entered the game, as the Lions went on an 11-0 run over six minutes. LCU did not score from the 7:36 mark until 16 seconds left in the half, heading into the break with a 33-23 advantage.

The Chaps extended the lead to 15 points at 48-33 with 12:08 left in the second half, but the Lions defense once again stepped to the plate.

UAFS slowly chipped away, going on a 14-4 run over the next 11 minutes, pulling within 52-47 with 1:39 left.

LCU responded with a layup with 1:14 left, but sophomore guard Evan Anderson quickly drove the length of the court to cut the deficit back to five. The Lions then had to play the foul game, but the Chaps made five of six at the line for the final margin.

In his first extended minutes of the season, freshman forward Dalton Gayman scored seven points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, providing a spark off the bench. He also tallied three steals.

Freshman guard Payton Brown led the Lions with 14 points, while Rollins added nine and senior guard Matthew Wilson seven.

The defense kept the Lions in the game, as they shot just 32.7 percent, their second lowest mark of the season. UAFS scored 12 points off turnovers, compared to just five for the Chaps.

Next up for the Lions is a trip to UT Tyler February 12-13.