No.11/4 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN vs. COLORADO STATE - PUEBLO
Saturday, November 12 - 6:00 PM (Central)                                             
Auraria Event Center (Denver, Colo.)
Radio: Online Only    
All-Time Series: Tied 3-3
 
LOOKING FOR A RESPONSE
For the first time since losing the final game of the 2014-2015 season in Laredo, Texas (at Texas A&M International), the Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals seek to see how they will respond following a loss, as LCU had their 35-game win streak come to an end Friday with a 67-51 loss at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The game was not only the season opener of the 2016-2017 season, but it also marked the opening game of the Holiday Inn Cherry Creek Classic. Saturday, they close out their Mile High stay facing Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason favorites Colorado State – Pueblo at 6 p.m. (Central).
 
FRIDAY REWIND
With the roster transitions from last season, LCU expects they will face more adversity than last season's national championship run, but they did not expect the current season to open as it did Friday. LCU missed their first four field goal attempts and two free throw attempts before they finally received a field goal from Allison Szabo 4:11 into the game, which also ended Metro State's 6-0 run to open the game. LCU was held to seven points in the opening quarter and trailed 15-7 heading into the second quarter.  The Lady Chaps ended up going 5-of-24 from the field in the first half for a 20.8% shooting mark from the field. They were 0-for-11 from three-point range (0-of-7 in the first quarter). Meanwhile, Metro State was 43.3% (13/30) from the field at the half with a 32-15 lead.
 
The Lady Chaps did not have anything more than a 3-0 run until Delaney Gaddis followed a Bailey Haist three-pointer with a field goal as 5:30 remained in the third quarter and LCU trailed 39-24. Haist ended up with a pair of three-pointers in the third quarter and was later joined with one by Allea Harris, and it was LCU's first sign of life, as they closed the third quarter on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to 41-30. LCU had trailed as much as 19 points in the quarter.  LCU was never able to cut the deficit into single digits.
 
The Roadrunners outscored LCU 11-2 in second chance scoring, taking advantage of a 43-27 rebound advantage. The lone second chance points came on a foul on an offensive rebound, which led to Harris making the free throws for two of her seven second half points.
 
Georgia Ohrdorf (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Emily Hartegan (17 points, 11 rebounds) each produced double-doubles in the win for the Roadrunners. Metro State was 60% (6-of-10) from three-point range.
 
Haist and Szabo co-led LCU with 10 points. All 10 came in the second half for Haist, who was 3-of-4 from long range in the second half. Szabo had five rebounds and five of LCU's six blocks in the game (the five blocks matched a career high for a third time). Robertson matched a career high with eight points.
  
FOR STARTERS
LCU started Friday's game with five different players than they started in every regular season game last season and in their national championship game in Indianapolis this past April. Tess Bruffey is the only returning starter from last season and the All-American is out of the lineup with an injury. Allison Szabo was LCU's only starter that had started a game last season (she started two games during the conference tournament as Kellyn Schneider was injured). Bobbi Chitsey, Olivia Robertson and Hannah Harbin made their first career start and Bailey Haist made her first start since the 2014-2015 season. Szabo is the only player of the starting five that averaged more than 10 minutes a game last season.
 
UNUSUAL TERRITORY
LCU trailed 38:50 of Friday night's game. The Lady Chaps trailed an entirety of 63:03 during the 2015-2016 season (4% of their season). LCU's streak of 86 consecutive quarters in which LCU led at the quarter's conclusion came to an end. Their 16-point margin of deficit was their largest loss deficit since an 85-55 loss they suffered at the NAIA National Tournament in Kentucky against Oklahoma City University on Mar. 19, 2012. In addition, the 51 points was their lowest point output since scoring 46 on Jan. 8, 2015 at Newman.
 
IN-N-OUT
Friday, new Lady Chaps additions Delaney Gaddis (Otero JC) and Maddi Chitsey (Wall H.S.) made their Lady Chaps debut. Gaddis played 27 minutes and led the team with two steals, while also scoring four points. Chitsey was perfect at the line (2-for-2) and produced a block. Caitlyn Cunyus, Abby Morris and Kambrey Blakey are still seeking their LCU debut.
 
FOR OPENERS
With Friday's loss, LCU moved to 24-14 all-time in openers and 8-6 all-time in openers under Steve Gomez. LCU has never opened a season 0-2 with Gomez at the helm. The last 0-2 start in program history was the start of 2001-2002 season with losses to West Texas A&M and Oklahoma City University.
  
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CSU-P
• CSU-P is coming off a 26-6 season, which included a trip to the South Central Regional Tournament in Lubbock, where they fell 78-60 to Black Hills State in the opening round.
• The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason picked the Thunderwolves to win the conference. They received eight of the 15 first place votes.
• They return two First Team All-RMAC members from last season in Tuileisu Anderson and Megan Rohrer, who are each Preseason All-RMAC selections.
• Last season's 26-win season was a CSU-P program record and they were in their first season with head coach Jim Turgeon at the helm.
• The Thunderwolves opened the season Friday defeating Texas A&M Commerce 81-58. The T-wolves were solid from the field, shooting 42.6% from the field, 45.5% from long range and 86.4% (19/22) from the charity stripe. Molly Rohrer led CSU-P with 18 points, three blocks and also supplied eight boards.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST CSU-P
CSU-P, formerly known as Southern Colorado, and LCU are knotted up 3-3 in the all-time series. The home team won the first five prior meetings, with LCU bucking that trend last season. Each of the first two all-time meetings came down to the final buzzer. On Dec. 9, 1989 in Lubbock, Burgandy Bass hit the game winning shot at the horn for a 58-56 LCU win. Nearly a year later on Dec. 8, 1989 in Pueblo, LCU rallied back from a 63-55 deficit with 24 points from Sherry Blackwell, but a three-pointer at the buzzer didn't fall and LCU fell 73-72. The last three meetings have been in Pueblo and under Steve Gomez's watch. The prior meeting was Nov.13, 2015 and served as the season opener for both teams. LCU won 68-43.
 
PRIOR MEETING VS. CSU-P
Nov. 13, 2015 (Pueblo Colo.): LCU 68 - CSU-P 43
Playing in her first regular season game since the 2013-2014 season, No.15/23 Lubbock Christian University's Nicole Hampton registered a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to help the Lady Chaparrals claim the first season-opening road victory since the 2006-2007 season with a 68-43 win over Colorado State University – Pueblo at Massari Arena.
 
LCU opened the game with a 6-0 lead and held the Thunderwolves off the scoreboard for the first 3:55 of the game. The T-wolves opened the game 1-of-13 from the field and 0-of-6 from the free-throw line, but back-to back three-pointers for CSU-Pueblo, with just over two minutes remaining in the opening quarter, led to a 9-9 tie. LCU opened the second quarter with a 14-10 lead, but a 6-0 run to start the second quarter had CSU-Pueblo leading 16-14.
 
With 7:20 remaining in the second quarter, LCU had already accumulated 13 turnovers.  They would go the remainder of the quarter turnover free and after a media timeout with the game tied 16-16. LCU ended the half with a 14-4 run. Part of the run included CSU-P without a field goal for a span of 5:15.  LCU led 30-20 at the half.
 
CSU-Pueblo was playing their first game under new head coach Jim Turgeon and LCU was not sure what to expect. The Lady Chaps used the halftime to adjust and came out with a strong second half performance. Leading 32-26, LCU went on a 10-2 run and ended the quarter with a 51-33 lead. The Lady Chaps were 7-of-11 (63.6%) shooting in the fourth quarter (held CSU-P to 3-of-15 for 20% from the field in the quarter) to distance themselves for the win. Tess Bruffey led LCU with 11 points in the second half.
 
LCU combined to shoot 62.5% (15/24) in the second half and held CSU-P to a 25.7% (9/35) shooting mark in the half (1/9 from three-point range). Overall, LCU was 50% (24/48) from the field and 84.2% (16/19) from the free-throw line. It was a different story for the T-wolves who finished the game 26.2% (17/65) from the field and 31.3% (5/16) from the free-throw line. The five free-throws made for CSU-P was the fewest free-throw total by an LCU opponent, with at least 10 attempts, since Westmont was held to five on Mar. 17, 2012. The 31.3% was the lowest percentage by an LCU opponent since Northwestern Okla. State was 18.8% (3/16) on Jan. 20, 2011. LCU was able to garner the 25-point win despite committing 23 turnovers and opening the game 0-of-7 from three-point range (responded going 4-of-8 the rest of the way from downtown).
 
Hampton was one of three Lady Chaps in double figures offensively, as she was joined by Bruffey (15 points) and Haley Fowler (10 points).