Lubbock Christian (2-2) at West Texas A&M (3-4)
Wednesday, December 3 at 7:30 PM
Canyon, Texas (First United Bank Center)
 
About West Texas A&M
The Buffs are under the new direction of first year head coach Tim Brown following a 2013-14 season where the squad finished 10-17 and 2-12 in the Lone Star Conference. WT returns just four players from last year's team and is off to a 3-4 start in 2014. The Buffs have a balanced scoring attack, led by senior guard Tez Dumars' 18.6 points per game. Freshman guard David Chavlovich (16.3), senior guard Antijuan Ball (14.6), and senior guard Miles Gatewood (13.7) also average double figures.
 
History between Chaps and Buffs
WT holds a 15-2 all-time advantage over LCU, but the last meeting was in favor of the Chaps, a 65-59 win during the 2007-08 season.
 
Luckey leading Chap offense
A.J. Luckey, the Chaps leading returning scorer, is at the forefront of LCU's offense, producing a team-best 20.3 points per game, the fifth-highest average within the Heartland Conference. 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. Luckey has produced game-highs in points in three out of the Chaps four contests this season. The junior from Dallas is also contributing 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest.
 
Durham from deep
Beau Durham has expanded his role, as well as his range, in his third year as a Chap, stretching the defense beyond the three-point line by knocking down 8-of-17 from deep four games into the season. Prior to his junior year, the 6-6 forward had attempted just five shots from beyond the arc, connecting on a pair. Twice already this season the Trinity Christian graduate has made a trio of threes versus Texas A&M-Commerce and Hillsdale Freewill Baptist. Durham is shooting 47% on treys compared to 46% from inside the three-point line, while also reeling in a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
Shallow bench for Chaps
Head Coach Todd Duncan has been unable to reach deep into his roster during the early goings of the season, steadily 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. Guards Jacob Dawson (ankle) and Broderick Perkins (ankle) have yet to be cleared for the Chaps, while big man Ondrej Gargula (rib) is closer to making his season debut, giving Duncan just six healthy, returning bodies. Freshmen Marcos Schuster and Scout Teal have stepped in and are collectively giving the Chaps 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.
 
Cardona, Luckey direct Chaps to win over McMurry
LUBBOCK, Texas (November 25, 2014) – Career-highs of 21 points and nine rebounds from Isaac Cardona, along with 20 points by A.J. Luckey, helped Lubbock Christian to a 72-55 win over McMurry November 25 at the Rip Griffin Center.
The Chaps (2-2) struggled from long range, hitting just three-of-18 from beyond the arc, but performed well from the free throw line, draining 25-of-30 attempts, and hauled in 44 rebounds compared to 27 by the War Hawks (2-2) in the win.
LCU led by as many as 11 within the first 20 minutes, but former Heartland Conference member McMurry rattled off an 8-2 run to begin the second half, including back-to-back threes within a 45-second span, to cut the lead to 38-35. The Chaps went scoreless for nearly the first four minutes after the half until Luckey hit a three, sparking scores by Marcos Schuster and Cardona to extend the Chap lead to a dozen with just under 14 minutes remaining.
The War Hawks once again went on a scoring spree, with Jordan Holmes taking advantage of a Schuster turnover by turning it into a layup and then banking in a three the next trip down the floor to make it a six-point contest. Cardona then went to work, producing a three-point play on an assist by Ridrell Holman and hitting a jumper and baby hook to put LCU up 55-44 with six minutes to play. A bucket by Beau Durham, a free throw from Holman and a steal and layup by Luckey concluded nine unanswered Chap points to give LCU a 60-44 lead with four minutes left on the clock. The War Hawks were unable to get closer than 11 points the remainder of the game, enabling the Chaps to even their season record at two wins and two losses.
Cardona scored the first bucket of the game on a putback off of his own miss and converted a tip-in from a Luckey miss for a tied game at 4-4. The War Hawks held a lead of two points three times, with Alex Lewis sneaking in for an offensive board and tip-in at the 12:32 mark. The Chaps responded with free throws from Marcus Arrington, Luckey and Scout Teal to pull ahead 15-12, never relinquishing the lead the rest of the way.
Schuster had his best game as a Chap, tallying 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.
For McMurry, Holmes recorded a team-high 12 points and Lewis had 10.