LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (0-0) vs. COLORADO COLORADO SPRINGS (0-0)
Friday, November 14th - 5:00 PM (Central)                                          
Lockridge Arena (Golden, Colo.)
Radio: KJTV AM950/100.7FM
Tweet #LCUvsUCCS

LETS GET IT STARTED
Last season marked the first time since 1987-1988 season in which Lubbock Christian University did not have a team head to a postseason tournament, but it was with reason. LCU was ineligible to participate in any NCAA Div. II postseason, and the Heartland Conference does not allowing transitional schools to participate in the conference tournament. For one more season, if things go accordingly, the same will be said this season, as LCU opens up the 2014-2015 campaign in Colorado at the Tony Corbetta Classic hosted by Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. Play begins Friday with LCU facing Colorado Colorado Springs and continues Saturday with LCU facing Colorado School of Mines.

THE EXHIBIT
Lubbock Christian University went 2-0 in exhibition play this season, winning a pair of games against quality NAIA competition. They opened play with a 76-55 win over Wayland Baptist on Nov.1 and followed with a 100-80 win over No.11 Our Lady of the Lake University. The most recognized statistic coming out of exhibition play was LCU recording 28 blocks in the combined two games. The program record at home for blocks in a game is 11. They would have matched and broke that record in each game if statistics would have counted.

STREAK STILL ALIVE
LCU enters this season on a 23-game win streak, which is the second active longest win streak in NCAA Div. II behind Bentley's 35-game streak. They have nearly gone a whole calendar year since their last loss, which was on Nov.16 at Tarleton State.

SUMMARIZING LAST SEASON
The Lady Chaparrals women's basketball program finished with the program's best overall (25-1) and conference (20-0) record last season. They won 96.1% of their games and the undefeated 20-0 conference record marked the first time in program history they completed conference play with an unblemished record and the third time they have finished atop the conference standings in program history. The 25-1 record does not include an exhibition road win at NCAA Div. I University of Houston to open the season. They were able to start the same five starters for every game and four of them (Nicole Hampton, Kelsey Hoppel, Emily Pool and Haley Burton) claimed All-Conference honors. Hoppel did so while setting the program record with a NCAA Div. II free-throw shooting mark of 93.8% (61/65).

SO WHO LEFT?
Last season, LCU said good bye to seniors Kacey Boyles and Emily Pool. Boyles, a Lubbock native that had spent three prior seasons at Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), started in all 26 games last season for LCU and averaged 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. She was 51.0% shooting from the field on the season. Pool utilized the last game last season to move past Mamy N'Kolomoni (1,715 points from 1998-2002) and into third all-time in LCU career points with 1,725. She left ranked as the program's leader in free-throws made (565) and free-throws attempted (725), fourth in field goals attempted (1,213) and fifth in three-pointers made (172) and attempted (458).

WHICH STARTERS ARE RETURNING?
The Lady Chaps will have only one returning starter active for this season. Shallowater, Texas native Haley Burton is LCU's only returning starter active for this season. Boyles and Pool graduated and seniors Kelsey Hoppel and Nicole Hampton plan to redshirt this season.  

THE NEW KIDS
LCU will have five new players suited up for a first time this season when play gets underway. They are comprised of transfers Kellyn Schneider (Texas Tech) and Bailey Haist (Otero JC), freshmen Caitlyn Buttram (Georgetown, Texas) and Tess Bruffey (Lubbock Titans) and Claire Bruffey, who had to sit out last season after transferring from McMurry.
 
SHOOTING MARKS
Lubbock Christian led the Heartland Conference with a shooting percentage of 48.8%, which would have led all of NCAA Div. II if LCU was eligible for national statistical rankings.

FOR OPENERS
LCU is probably more known for how they finish the season, than begin the season. The Lady Chaps have dropped four of the last seven season openers. They had lost their last three season openers until claiming wins in openers the last two seasons. In season openers, LCU is 23-12 and 7-4 under head coach Steve Gomez. Friday marks LCU's first season opener on the road since opening the 2010-2011 season at Texas Woman's University. LCU has lost their last three season openers on the road and have not won a season opener on the road since defeating LSU-Shreveport to open the 2006-2007 season.

1,000 POINT CLUB
Haley Burton enters the season 10 points away from 1,000 points in her LCU career. She would join Nicole Hampton (1,273) as players on the current LCU roster with 1,000 points in their LCU career.

THE OTHER HALEY
Haley Fowler probably wishes the Lady Chaps contest against Our lady of the Lake was not an exhibition game. She produced 25 points in the game, which nearly doubled her career high of 13 points.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS
Prior to making the move to NCAA Division II, LCU was in the top-10 in the NAIA in free-throw shooting for eight consecutive seasons: 12/13 (1st), 11/12 (1st), 10/11 (9th), 09/10 (5th), 08/09 (2nd), 07/08 (1st), 06/07 (6th) and 05/06 (9th). Last season, LCU led the conference with a 78.1% shooting mark from the free-throw line, which ranked fifth in NCAA Division II. Hoppel set the program's single season free-throw shooting mark last season at 93.8%. It broke Nicole Hampton's mark of 92.4% from the 2011-2012 season.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
It will be a thrill for sophomore Bailey Haist when she steps on the floor Friday. The Otero Junior College transfer will have the opportunity to play in her home state and also have the opportunity to play a program (Colorado Colorado Springs) based in her hometown of Colorado Springs. Speaking of Colorado, LCU's last game in Colorado was on Nov. 22, 2008 in Alamosa, Colo. facing UCCS in a neutral site game in Alamosa, Colo.

ABOUT UCCS
The Mountain Lions will open the season with a new head coach, as  Shawn Nelson makes his UCCS debut against LCU. He previously spent time at Central Washington and produced a solid program over eight seasons at Carroll College (NAIA). UCCS has Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Abby Kirchoff, who averaged 20.9 points a game and broke the program's single season points mark. They were preseason picked third in the RMAC Preseason Poll and were one of five teams to receive first place votes. They are coming off a 13-14 record last season.

THE SERIES AGAINST UCCS
The Lady Chaps and UCCS have met three prior times and both under Steve Gomez. LCU is 3-0 all-time against UCCS and each game was played on away from Rip Griffin Center.

THE LAST MEETING AGAINST UCCS
Nov. 22, 2008 (Alamosa, Colo.)  - LCU: 91  / UCCS: 73
The No. 15 Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals are off to their best start under coach Steve Gomez and their best start since winning 15 straight to open the 1996/1997 season, as they improved to 6-0 with a 91-73 victory over University of Colorado Colorado Springs at the Adams State Bankers Classic Saturday inside Plachy Hall.

The Lady Chaps benefited off Jordan Hampton's career high 34-point effort. Twenty-three of Hampton's points came in the second half, as the Lady Chaps out-scored the Mountain Lions 52-37 in the second half. UCCS was impressive from the field, shooting 49.2% in the game (31/63), but they just couldn't get any opportunities from the free-throw line. Call it good discipline on the Lady Chaps or lack of inside play for Mountain Lions, but UCCS only shot two free throws in the game. It marked a UCCS school single-game record for free throw minimums. It did not mean LCU was not fouling, as they committed 11 fouls and Brittany Blackmon posted 18 points in the game and was cautious playing with four fouls. LCU did however make their free throws.  Less than 24 hours after hitting 20-of-25 and 10 of their last 11 against Adams State to seal a win, the Lady Chaps relied on free throws to carry them through again, as they nailed 17 of 19 shots from the charity stripe. Hampton was an amazing 10-of-10 from the free throw line, but there is even more amazement. She was also 10-of-10 last season against UCCS, and this season she is a perfect 21-of-21 from the line.

As far as the game, LCU was able to break open a 39-36 halftime lead in the second half with a 17-4 run sparked by nine points by Hampton in the first 4:11 of the half. The run placed the score at 56-40, but the Mountain Lions would come back.  A 12-2 run by UCCS cut the deficit to 69-66 with 7:42 remaining, but they would get no closer. LCU would out-score UCCS 22-7 the rest of the way for the win.

UCCS had also set a record in their prior game with 37 turnovers (against West Texas A&M). LCU forced 20 in the game, which led to 27 points.  The Lady Chaps dominated the inside play with a 42-26 scoring advantage in the paint. Ashley Coggins had an impressive outing for LCU with three steals to go along with 11 points. The Mountain Lions were led by a 15-point contest by Jazzmin Awa-Williams, who was 7-of-7 from the field.