ST. MARY'S (9-17, 5-13 Heartland) at LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (18-8, 12-6 Heartland)
Thursday, February 25 at 8 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas (Rip Griffin Center)
All-time Series: St. Mary's leads 4-3

History between Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's
Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's had two meetings in 2012 before matching up again when the two schools became Heartland Conference members. The Rattlers own a 4-3 all-time series edge over the Chaps.

Last meeting amongst the squads
San Antonio (December 19, 2015) - Lubbock Christian University overcame a sluggish start to the second half to hang on for their first Heartland win of the season in a 70-62 defeat of St. Mary's Saturday afternoon inside Bill Greehey Arena, as Tyler Rogers produced a game and season-high 19 points and Marcos Schuster set his season-best with 17 to send the Chaps into Christmas break with a mark in the win column.

MBB reaps first ranking
Lubbock Christian University men's basketball received its first ranking since entering the realm of the NCAA in 2015-16 as the Chaparrals were slated in the sixth spot within the South Central regional ranks on February 17.
Last week's release marked the first time the Chaps have garnered recognition in the polls since their initial transition into the NCAA during the 2013-14 season.
The regional rankings consist of the top 10 teams in each of the eight respective regions: Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South Central, South, Southeast and West. Following the conclusion of conference tournaments in the upcoming weeks, the top eight teams in each region move on to regional tournaments.
The South Central Region is comprised of the Heartland, Lone Star and Rocky Mountain Conferences. Angelo State (Lone Star) currently owns the number one spot while Dallas Baptist (Heartland) and Fort Lewis (Rocky Mountain) round out the top three.
The Chaps slid down to the seventh spot in this Wednesday's release following a 1-1 showing last week.

Fowler on the rise
Since being inserted into the starting lineup versus Arkansas-Fort Smith two weeks ago, freshman Brennen Fowler has been a force for the Chaps. Prior to his starting campaign, the forward was averaging 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12 minutes of action per game, and within the last four games has risen those numbers to 6.8 and 4.5 per while playing an average of 30 minutes.  
Folwer has recorded four straight double-doubles since debuting within the first five. The Symer High School product has produced averages of 20 points and 12 rebounds over the last four contests, highlighted by a career-high 35 points at Texas-Permian Basin Saturday.
Following his performances versus UAFS and Rogers State two weeks ago, Fowler netted Heartland Conference Player of the Week honors.

Tight race in the Heartland
This season the conference has changed the postseason tournament from a four-team tournament at the number-one seed to an eight-team neutral site format. Considering only two games separate the top team from the current fifth place squad, the switch is a welcome change.
As of February 24, Dallas Baptist holds down the number one spot at 14-4 while Arkansas-Fort Smith and Rogers State, who is not eligible for postseason play, are in second at 13-5. LCU and Texas A&M International are next at 12-6 followed by St. Edward's at 10-8.

Shared scoring of the Chaps
During LCU's 25 contests of 2015-16, eight Chaps have stepped up to lead the squad in scoring. A.J. Luckey has tallied top honors nine times, while Tyler Rogers is close behind at seven. Marcus Arrington has on five occasions, while Isaac Cardona and Marcos Schuster have each carried the team in three games. Ridrell Holman, Matthew Alford and Brennen Folwer each have notched a team-high in points once.

Welcome home, Chaps
The Chaps have performed well inside the Rip Griffin Center this season by compiling a 12-1 record (8-0 in Heartland play), with the only loss coming at the hands of then fifth-ranked Angelo State in overtime.
At home, LCU scores eight more points than on the road, shoots five percent higher from the field, connects on nine percent more shots from three-point range and hauls in five more rebounds per game.