Lubbock Christian (7-4, 4-0 Heartland) at Oklahoma Christian (2-9, 0-5 Heartland)
Saturday, January 10 at 3 p.m.
Oklahoma City, Okla. (Eagles' Nest)
 
About Oklahoma Christian
The Eagles are currently on an eight game skid, with the last two losses occurring during an overtime period. OC is searching for its first Heartland Conference win of the season and sits 0-5 in the league. The Eagles' have struggled offensively, as their 60.9 points per game are the lowest average within the conference, and have not had much success beyond the three-point line, having connected on a league-low 28.3 percent. OC relies heavily on big man Josh Moon, as the 7-0 sophomore leads the team in scoring (15.6) and rebounding (8.9), which ranks sixth and first within the Heartland, respectively.
 
History between Chaps and Eagles
OC leads the all-time series versus LCU, 38-18, dating to 1971. The Chaps are 2-0 over the Eagles since both squads have joined the Heartland Conference, which included an 87-77 victory in Oklahoma City on December 14, 2013, and a 78-61 win in Lubbock on February 8, 2014.
 
Last meeting between LCU and OC
LUBBOCK, Texas (February 8, 2014) – Lubbock Christian withstood a 19-5 run at the start of the second half by Oklahoma Christian to record its fifth straight win in a 78-61 victory over the Eagles on Saturday afternoon at The Rip Griffin Center as Anthony Brancato tied his season-high with 23 points and knocked down a career-high seven three-pointers.
Eli Baker notched his ninth double-double on the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, A.J. Luckey contributed 15 vital points off of the bench and Tyler Rogers added a dozen for the Chaps (13-6, 8-5 Heartland). LCU tied a season-high with 14 three-pointers en route to their seventh win in the past eight games.
The Chaps held a steady 43-27 lead heading into the second half before Oklahoma Christian (7-14, 3-10 Heartland) found some offensive firepower and LCU went quiet. OC's Kendre Talley hit a three and big man Josh Moon threw down a dunk to cut the Chap lead to 46-34 three minutes into the period. A jumper by Jeremy Ford gave the Chaps more two points, but Moon converted a three-point play and Willie Harper scored a three-pointer to slice the lead to 48-40 with 14:08 to play.
Talley was fouled and sent to the line for two shots, and a technical foul was whistled on LCU, giving Talley two more attempts. He hit all four to pull the Eagles within 48-44, and a jumper by Harper cut the Chaps' lead to two with 12:55 to play.
Brancato and Luckey then went to work, with Luckey draining two treys and a free throw and Brancato knocking down three shots from beyond the arc to compile a 16-7 LCU run for a 64-53 Chap lead with 5:46 to play. A score in the paint and a jumper by Beau Durham extended the lead to 70-54 with 4:09 to play, and the Chaps held on for the 17-point victory.
The Eagles started the game off hot, with Talley scoring the contest's first points on a jumper and Harper drilling a three-pointer within the first minute for an instant 5-0 OC advantage. Baker answered with five points of his own to tie things up and Rogers rattled in a three from the right baseline to put LCU on top, 8-5. Moon hit two free throws to bring OC to within a point, but the Chaps went on a 14-4 scoring surge consisting of a three-pointer and a layup by Brancato, a three each by Rogers and Luckey, and capped by a three-point play by Isaac Cardona to double OC's point total at 22-11.
Luckey made a drive from the right baseline and finished the bucket on the other side to give the Chaps their biggest lead of the half, 37-20, with 4:15 remaining. Baker finished off the stanza with six straight points, with the final bucket coming off of a dunk from a Rogers' bounce pass through the lane.
The Chaps picked a perfect time to rack up their seventh win in eight games, as the last time the Chaps pulled off that feat was during the 1982-83 season. Prior to the Chaps' victory versus the Eagles, the '82-83 team was recognized as the first squad in LCU basketball history to win a conference championship. The Chaps claimed the TIAA (Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association) regular season and post season tournament titles, finishing with a 24-9 record.
 
Luckey leading offensive charge
Junior guard A.J. Luckey's 19.5 ppg provides over a quarter of the Chaps points this season and ranks as the fourth highest in the Heartland. The Dallas native has led the team in scoring in eight of its 10 games, with a season-best 24 coming against Texas A&M Commerce in the season opener on November 14. Luckey is also contributing 2.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals on the year.
 
Impressive start in conference play
The Chaps, picked to finish sixth in the 11-team Heartland Conference, picked up a pair of victories during opening weekend of league play. LCU demolished the preseason number three pick, Texas A&M International, 73-55, and outlasted second-picked St. Mary's, 64-62. The Chaps then followed up with an 86-78 win versus Dallas Baptist on December 5 and Thursday's 76-69 defeat of Newman to grab sole possession of first place in the Heartland. Texas-Permian Basin and No. 15 St. Edward's each are 4-1 in conference play to sit a step below LCU. The Chaps have won 12 of their last 13 Heartland Conference contests, dating to the 2013-14 season. LCU's most recent loss in league play was to UTPB, a 99-84 defeat in Lubbock on February 22, 2014.
 
Sophomore surge for Cardona
Forward Isaac Cardona has stepped up during his second season as a Chap, nearly doubling his point average and hauling in three more rebounds per game. The Calhoun High School product is recording 11.3 points and a team-leading 6.0 boards for the Chaps, compared to 5.9 and 3.0 in 2013-14. This season, Cardona posted a career-high 21 points and nine caroms in a 72-55 victory over McMurry on November 25.
 
Duncan hits half-century mark
Head coach Todd Duncan earned win number 50 win during his fourth season at the helm of the Chaps on December 16 in the defeat of EC. Duncan is now 54-41 all-time during his tenure, including a 16-6 mark in Heartland play, which earned LCU a third-place finish last season with a 12-6 finish.
 
Career night by Alford sets Chaps atop conference standings in win against Jets
WICHITA, Kan. (January 8, 2015) – Matthew Alford's first career double-double in addition to a near perfect shooting night from the free throw line by Lubbock Christian gave the Chaps a 76-69 win over Newman Thursday night at Fugate Gymnasium, leaving LCU as the only team remaining in the Heartland Conference with an unblemished record.
Alford's game-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds were also a career best. A.J. Luckey was 11-of-11 from the free throw line on his way to 18 points, and Isaac Cardona scored 16. The Chaps (7-4, 4-0 Heartland) went an impressive 26-of-28 from the charity stripe, including 24-of-26 after halftime. A loss by No. 15 St. Edward's (4-1 Heartland) to Texas-Permian Basin tonight places LCU in sole possession of first place in the league.
Perhaps Alford's biggest plays of the evening occurred within the final three minutes of the contest with the Chaps clinging to a 65-63 lead over the Jets (5-6, 1-4 Heartland). Off of a Luckey miss, Alford corralled the offensive board and drew the foul to double LCU's to four. The ensuing free throw resulted in a rare miss and gave the Jets an opportunity for a pair which Ryan McCarthy converted on the other end to slice the Chap lead to 67-65 with 2:15 left on the clock. On the next trip down the floor, Alford put the ball through the hoop as the shot clock expired and hit the floor hard to put him at the line once again. His successful free throw put LCU ahead, 70-65, with 1:38 to go.
NU's Reggie Baker hit two freebies to make it a one possession game, and Luckey lost his dribble on the next possession, but the Jets were unable to capitalize, missing a three-pointer. The Chaps then closed out the contest by draining their final six free throws.
The game began with Cardona putting on a clinic, scoring 10 points within the first four minutes which included the Chaps first eight points. The game stayed extremely close until LCU put together an 8-0 run to scoot ahead 36-25 at the break. The start of the second half did not go in LCU's favor, as the team went a combined 3-of-13 during the next eight minutes to allow the Jets to close within 47-45 with just until twelve minutes remaining.
The Chaps earned the win despite committing a season-high 20 turnovers, with resulted in 20 Jet points off of miscues, but outrebounded NU 47-to-27.
For the Jets, Baker registered 19 points, James Pegues had 14, Cortrael Colbert tallied 13, Jeremy Espinoza contributed 11 and McCarthy added 10.