About Hillsdale Free Will Baptist
The Saints are 2-4 in 2014, coming off a 77-53 loss to Heartland Conference member Rogers State on Thursday night. HFWB is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and is currently ranked No. 8 in its Division II standings.
 
History between Chaps and Saints
LCU leads the all-time series over Hillsdale, 3-0, with the last meeting taking place during the 2009-10 season. The Chaps have won the contests by an average of 22 points.
 
LCU looking for victory number one
The Chaps are on the hunt for their first win of the season after opening at the Texan Tip-Off Classic in Stephenville, dropping two close contests to Lone Star Conference opponents. LCU lost an 83-76 decision to Texas A&M-Commerce and hung close with host No. 12 Tarleton before being defeated, 65-61. The Chaps have not begun a season 0-3 since 2005-06.
 
Luckey off to strong start
A.J. Luckey, the Chaps leading returning scorer, is at the forefront of LCU's offense, producing a team-best 19 points per game. His efforts during opening weekend earned him All-Tournament honors at the Texan Tip-Off, which included a game-high 24 points against Texas A&M-Commerce. The junior from Dallas is also contributing 3.5 rebounds and three assists per contest.
 
Shallow bench for Chaps
Head Coach Todd Duncan has been unable to reach deep into his roster during the early goings of the season, only relying on eight players in the rotation. Tyler Rogers, who would have been the Chaps' leading returning scorer, underwent ankle surgery prior to the season and is using a medical redshirt in 2014-15. Big man Ondrej Gargula (rib) and Jacob Dawson (ankle) have yet to be cleared for the Chaps, giving Duncan just six healthy, returning bodies. Freshmen Marcos Schuster and Scout Teal have stepped in and are collectively giving the Chaps nine points and 3.5 rebounds a game.
 
Furious late Chap rally not enough to overtake No. 12 Tarleton State
STEPHENVILLE, Texas (November 15, 2014) – A three-pointer by A.J. Luckey with 43 seconds remaining pulled Lubbock Christian to within four points of the number 12 team in the country, Tarleton State, but the Chaps were unable to cut into the deficit any further, falling 65-61 to the Texans November 15 at Wisdom Gym during the final game of the Texan Tip-Off Classic.
Luckey, a Tip-Off All-Tournament selection, again led the Chaps (0-2, 0-0 Heartland) in scoring, posting 14 points, while Ridrell Holman, Isaac Cardona and Marcos Schuster each tallied nine. LCU connected on 20-of-53 shots from the floor compared to 16-of-44 from TSU, but the Texans (2-0, 0-0 Lone Star) took advantage at the free throw line, hitting 25-of-32 to the Chaps' 14-of-21.
Trailing 60-50 with just under a minute-and-a-half to go, a steal by Schuster led to Luckey making one of two shots on a technical foul assessed to the Texans' Davene Carter, and Schuster then drained both of his attempts from the line after being fouled to trim the lead to eight. On the next play, Schuster came up with another steal and converted a running bank shot for a two possession game with 1:15 left in the contest. The Chaps applied full court pressure, leading to a double dribble call on the Texans, but a Beau Durham three-point attempt from the top of the key rattled out.
A Chap foul led to the Texans making one shot in the double bonus before Luckey's three-pointer from the left wing on a pass from Schuster sliced into the lead for the four-point contest. The Texans again hit one-of-two free throws on the next trip down the floor to push the lead to five before Luckey was called for an offense foul, giving TSU the ball back with 37 seconds to play. The Chap defense came up big, forcing a Texan turnover, but Schuster's three-point attempt was barely off of the mark, forcing LCU to commit a foul. TSU's Lee Mo, the Tournament MVP, made his second of two freebies for a six-point Texan advantage and 14 ticks on the clock. A successful drive by Schuster trimmed the lead to four with seven seconds to go, but Texan Tevan Jones drained two from the line and a final three by Schuster did not quite fall, allowing TSU a sigh of relief in the narrow victory.
The Chaps never placed themselves out of contention throughout the entire game, earning their first lead at 12:52 in the first half on a free throw by Cardona, and did not allow TSU to pull away by more than 14 points throughout the night. LCU took great care of the ball before halftime, committing just a trio of turnovers, trailing by no more than five points heading into the locker room.