LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (4-4) at No.1 EMPORIA STATE (7-0)
Saturday, December 3, 2016 - 1:00 p.m.
Slaymaker Court at White Auditorium (Emporia, Kan.)
Radio: KJTV am950/100.7fm
All-Time Series: No Prior Meetings
FACING THE BEST
It will be a "hornets nest" Saturday when LCU steps on the hardwood of Slaymaker Court at White Auditorium, as they face the No.1 Lady Hornets of Emporia State University. LCU is seeking their first road win of the season (0-2), while trying to put a blemish into Emporia's 7-0 start to the season. LCU is playing the fourth game of an eventual eight-game road trip. The Lady Chaps are 1-2 on the current trip, which began in Puerto Rico.
LOOKING BACK AT THEIR LAST CONTEST
Southwest Baptist remained unbeaten at John Q. Hammons Court, with Megan Rosenbohm leading all scorers with 25 points to defeat Lubbock Christian University 67-54 Thursday evening in the first ever meeting between the two programs.
The Lady Chaps trailed throughout, with the Bearcats opening the game's scoring 12 seconds in with a layup by Caylee Richardson. She would hit again to cap a 6-2 run to open the game. LCU's
Allea Harris connected on a three-pointer with 2:45 left in the opening quarter to cut the deficit to 12-11 and it was one of two occasions LCU had the deficit to a one-point differential before SBU closed the quarter on a 4-0 run for a 16-11 lead. SBU built the lead to 24-14 with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter before LCU rattled off four consecutive field goals and closed the half making six of seven field goal attempts to cut the deficit to 31-27 at the half. Although LCU closed the half on a 13-4 run, they did not score more than five consecutive points at any time during the run, with the 5-0 run to close the half coming off a three-pointer from
Bailey Haist and a layup by
Tess Bruffey.
LCU was 7-of-12 from the field in the second quarter (58.3%), but SBU had six more points than LCU (9-3) from the free-throw line in the half. Rosenbohm led all scorers with 11 points in the half, while Bruffey led LCU with seven points in the half.
SBU held off any run the Lady Chaps attempted to establish in the second half.
Hannah Harbin converted a layup 1:09 into the second half to cut the deficit to 31-29, but Aliyah Isaac answered for SBU with her second three-pointer of the season to place the Bearcats up 34-29. Haist hit a three-pointer with 5:38 left in the third quarter to cut the Bearcats lead to 38-33, but again SBU answered, as Natalie O'Keefe's jumper to answer Haist's three-pointer was one of six consecutive field goals made in the quarter. SBU opened the quarter 8-of-10 from the field and had a 10-2 run to go up 48-35 with 3:01 left in the quarter.
The Lady Chaps attempted another small rally in the fourth quarter, extending a 5-0 run in the third quarter to a 7-0 run with 8:10 left in the fourth quarter. It cut the SBU lead to 48-42. LCU trimmed the SBU lead to 53-49 with 4:47 remaining, but Alex Botkin picked a timely opportunity to garner her first field goal, hitting a three-pointer with 4:28 remaining to extend the lead to 56-49. SBU would close the game on a 14-5 run, with their final nine points over the final 3:40 coming from the free-throw line. SBU was 12-of-14 from the line in the fourth quarter (85.7%), with Rosenbohm going 8-for-8 to complete a 14-point half.
SBU was 21-of-27 from the line (77.8%), while LCU was outscored 21-9 from the free-throw line. SBU was 52.5% (21/40) from the field, against an LCU team that entered the game with the opposition averaging a 30.4% shooting mark on the season.
Haist was LCU's only player in double figures in points with 11 points off a 3-of-6 shooting performance from ling range. Haist and Harris combined to go 5-of-10 from three-point range, while the rest of the team combined to go 0-of-6.
MILESTONES
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Tess Bruffey is nine blocks shy of eclipsing 200 career blocks.
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Allison Szabo is four points shy of 700 career points.
AGAINST THOSE RANKED
Saturday, LCU will face No.1 Emporia State, marking the third ranked opponent for LCU this season. LCU is 1-1 this season against ranked foes, with a win over NAIA No.22 ranked Wayland Baptist and a loss to No.19 Grand Valley State. The last time LCU faced a No.1 team was Mar. 19, 2012, as LCU fell 85-56 in a Fab Four contest against NAIA No.1 Oklahoma City at the NAIA National Tournament in Frankfort, Ky.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ESU
• The Lady Hornets went 28-6 last season and had their season come to an end with a 78-74 loss to Pittsburg State in the Central Regional Tournament Championship Game.
• The Mid America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) preseason picked ESU to finish atop the MIAA for a fourth consecutive season. They went 17-5 in conference play last season and return three starers in Kelly Moten (All-American), Kathryn Flott (2016 MIAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player) and Addie Lackey (2015 MIAA Freshman of the Year).
• ESU is one of 22 teams that remain unbeated this season in NCAA Division II and are 7-0 this season. They carry a No.1 ranking from both the D2SIDA and WBCA national polls.
• The Lady Hornets lead the nation in scoring offense (99.1 points a game) and tied atop the nation in scoring margin (44.3), and are coming off a 112-60 win over Arkansas Fort Smith for their fourth game of at least 100 points this season.
• Despite the strong offensive numbers, the Lady Hornets do not have a statistical leader in the MIAA, as they produce a balanced offense. Their closest leader is Kystie Miller, who ranks second in the MIAA in three-point shooting percentage (50.0%), which is 19th nationally.
THE SERIES AGAINST ESU
Saturday's meeting will mark the first ever meeting between the two programs.
