ST. MARY'S (16-8, 10-6) at No.1 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (24-0, 16-0)
Thursday, February 25 - 6:00 PM                                                    
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
TV: Fox 34 News Now                
Radio: KJTV am950/100.7fm               
All-Time Series: LCU leads 7-2
Tweet #LCUvsStMU

REGULAR SEASON COMING TO A CLOSE
The No.1 Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals have an opportunity to close the regular season with a perfect 26-0 mark, but in their way is St. Mary's University and Texas A&M International University, who the Lady Chaps will host this week (Thursday vs. StMU and Saturday vs. TAMIU) for the final regular season games. LCU has secured the top-seed for next week's Heartland Conference Tournament, but things are not so clear for this week's opponents. TAMIU is currently sitting in second place with a 11-5 conference mark (14-10 overall), with St. Mary's in fourth place with a 10-6 conference record (16-8 overall).

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME
Top-ranked Lubbock Christian University set a program conference single game scoring mark with 109 points, as Tess Bruffey led a foursome of Lady Chaparrals in double figures, with 21 points, and to a 109-56 win over Texas-Permian Basin Saturday afternoon at Falcon Dome.
 
LCU posted a season-high 43 field goals in the game, with assists granted to 31 of the field goals (sixth best single game mark in Heartland Conference history). The Lady Chaps were 61.4% (43/70) from the field, shooting over 60% for a second consecutive game. Inside the arch, LCU was 34-of-47 (72.3%) from the field and it led to a 62-14 scoring advantage in the paint.
 
There were four lead changes in the first quarter and LCU had a narrow 21-18 lead after the quarter. The game would get no closer starting the second quarter. Bruffey opened the quarter with a three-pointer and sparked an 8-0 LCU run. The Lady Chaps grabbed some separation with a 14-0 run during the quarter, turning a 31-24 lead into a 45-24 lead. An old fashioned three-point play by Allison Szabo was followed by three-pointers by Kelsey Hoppel and Nicole Hampton as part of the 14-0 run. LCU was 68.4% (13/19) from the field in the second quarter and it led to LCU outscoring UTPB 37-11 in the quarter for a 58-29 halftime lead.
 
UTPB was trailing by a 29-point deficit despite 50% (10/20) shooting in the first half. Most in part to LCU posting a 26-0 scoring advantage in points off turnovers in the first half.
 
The momentum continued into the third quarter for LCU. Haley Fowler tallied the first seven points of the third quarter and LCU quickly led 63-29 with 8:14 remaining. LCU had a 14-2 run carrying over from the first half and eventually built the lead to where they had a lead of at least 40 points over the game's final 13:20.
 
LCU played 13 players and all 13 produced at least two points and had at least one field goal. Bruffey led all players with 21 points off a 9-for-11 shooting performance. Hoppel finished with 17 points, Szabo with 16 points and Fowler with 10 points. Szabo (6-of-7), Hoppel (6-of-11) and Bruffey (9-of-11) combined to shoot 72.4% from the field. Hampton produced a season high 10 assists in the win. Hoppel had five three-point attempts and moved into second on the program's career three-point attempts list. With 566 career attempts, she moved ahead of Jordan Hampton, who had 565 attempts from 2005-09.
 
After shooting 50% from the field in the opening half, UTPB struggled in the second half. They were 7-of-27 from the field in the half and placed UTPB's shooting mark at 36.2% for the game.
 
The Lady Chaparrals had 16 steals and forced 23 turnovers in the game, leading to a 37-4 advantage in points off turnovers. Hampton, one of eight Lady Chaps with a steal, led LCU with four steals.

FOR STARTERS
LCU is 24-0 to start the season. It is their best start in program history, surpassing a 16-0 start from the 2012-2013 season. They are one of two NCAA Div. II teams entering Thursday undefeated on the season. The other is Limestone.

MARGINS
LCU has the national lead in average margin of victory at 31.2. They have outscored their opponents by at least 20 points in 21 of their 24 games this season, and have a 39.9 average margin of victory over the past seven games.

BLOCK PARTY
The Lady Chaps lead the nation in blocks per game with an average of 7.0 per game. They also lead in total blocks  (169). Kellyn Schneider ranks ninth nationally in blocks per game (2.8) and is 12th nationally in total blocks (67). Teammate Tess Bruffey is not far behind, ranking 21st in blocks per game (2.3) and 27th in total blocks (54). Schneider's 67 blocks this season are ranking as the fourth highest single-season total in program history.
 
BACK ON TOP
The new national rankings were released Tuesday and LCU remained No.1 by D2SIDA and in the WBCA/USA Today (Coaches Poll), but they share the spot with Alaska Anchorage in the Coaches Poll. This season marks LCU's second season eligible in the D2SIDA poll and the first in the Coaches Poll. Jan. 19 marked LCU's debut at No.1 in the D2SIDA Poll and Jan. 26 marked their debut at No.1 in the Coaches Poll. LCU is receiving 10 of 16 first-place votes in the D2SIDA poll and 12 of 24 first-place votes in the Coaches Poll.  The D2SIDA poll is voted on by sports information directors and the WBCA/USA Today is voted on by WBCA coaches.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
The NCAA released their second South Central Region regional rankings of the season Wednesday and LCU was ranked No.1 in the region.  The final regional rankings determine the eight-team regional field to open NCAA Div. II postseason play (following conference tournaments). The top team in the region receives hosting

1    Lubbock Christian
2    West Texas A&M
3    Colorado State - Pueblo
4    Texas Woman's University
5    Colorado School of Mines
6    Black Hills State
7    Angelo State
8    Regis (Colorado)
9    Colorado - Colorado Springs
10    Colorado Christian
 
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES   
LCU is the only program in NCAA Div. II which ranks in the top-five in field goal shooting (leads at 51.3%) and field goal defense (second nationally holding opponents to a 32.2% shooting mark).
           
MILESTONE WATCH
-Nicole Hampton is two free-throw makes away from second (passing Brittany Roberts, 459 from 2008-12) in program history for career free-throws made and eight from the program's all-time mark (Emily Pool, 464  from 2010-14).
-Hampton is 14 field goal attempts away from 1,000 career attempts.
-Hampton is six field goal makes away from 536 career field goals, which would move her into fifth all-time in program history and past Jordan Hampton (2005-09).
-Kelsey Hoppel is seven three-point attempts away from moving into second on the all-time career three-point attempts list, moving her past Jordan Hampton (565 from 2005-09).
-Hoppel is six points away from 1,300 career points.

SENIOR SALUTE
This week marks LCU's final set a regular season home games inside Rip Griffin Center this season. The Lady Chaps have five seniors (Haley Fowler, Nicole Hampton, Kelsey Hoppel, Kellyn Schneider and Blair Taylor) that will be playing in their final regular season home games of their LCU career. Schneider is the only transfer (Texas Tech), but the remaining four have played their entire college career at LCU. Fowler and Taylor have a four-year record of 106-12 (89.8%), while Hampton and Hoppel (each missed last season) have a four-year playing record of 108-11 (90.8%).

TIME WARP
Since the NCAA adapted "quarters" this season, LCU had never trailed after any quarter of play until the first quarter on Dec. 19 at St. Mary's. It ended a streak of 36 consecutive quarters in which LCU had led at the completion of the quarter. LCU has led 90.5% of their season through 24 games, with a total amount of time in the lead at 872:54 of their 965 minutes played this season. Their opponents have led a total of 49:49 (5.2%) this season. LCU has led throughout in 10 games this season and have trailed less than 50 seconds in 16 of their games. Their current streak (entering Thursday) is 42 consecutive quarters completed with the lead.

THEY HAVE HEART-LAND
As active roster members, redshirt-seniors Nicole Hampton and Kelsey Hoppel are 36-0 in Heartland Conference games. They have also been part of 39 consecutive conference wins. Their last loss in a conference game was Feb. 14, 2013 against Rogers State.

CONFERENCE CONFIRMATION
LCU will open the Heartland Conference Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. Mar. 3 at noon facing the eighth-seeded team, which will either be Texas-Permian Basin, Newman or Oklahoma Panhandle State.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT StMU
• The Rattlers are 16-8 on the season and 7-4 on the road to enter the week. They are coming off a 57-53 home loss to Texas A&M International.
• The Heartland Conference preseason polls had StMU preseason picked third in the conference.
• StMU have lost three of their last four road games.
• Four Rattlers average double figures including Kiara Etheridge, who averages 14.1 points per game.
• Etheridge ranks 25th in the nation in double-doubles, entering the week with 12 on the season. She averages  a conference-leading 9.7 rebounds a game to go along with her point production. She ranks 25th nationally with seven defensive rebounds per game average.   

THE SERIES AGAINST StMU
LCU leads the all-times series 7-2 over StMU. They have won seven of the last eight meetings, winning the season series opener 77-51 on Dec. 19, 2015 in San Antonio. LCU is 4-1 against the Rattlers since joining the Heartland and 2-0 in Lubbock over that time.

PRIOR MEETING VS. StMU
Dec. 19, 2015 (San Antonio, Texas): LCU 77 - StMU 51
Nicole Hampton led five players in double-figures offensively with 19 points and No.4/12 Lubbock Christian University shot a season-high 61.2% en route to a 77-51 victory Saturday in Heartland Conference action to end the Rattlers six-game home win streak at Bill Greehey Arena.
 
LCU was initially in unchartered waters, trailing their largest deficit of the season (14-6) with 3:50 to go in the opening quarter. A minute later, LCU bounced back with a 10-2 run to tie the game 18-18 (7:35 remaining in the second quarter). Combined with LCU out-scoring StMU 20-4 in the second quarter alone, LCU outscored StMU 26-6 over the final 12:51 of the first half. The Lady Chaparrals were 7-of-11 from the field in the second quarter and closed the half hitting five straight field goals. Three of the field goals were by Hampton, who had nine points in the quarter and 13 points in the half.
 
The Rattlers cut the LCU lead to a 10-point lead on two occasions in the third quarter, but LCU never let the lead dip into single digits and took a 52-40 lead into the fourth quarter despite an 8-1 Rattlers run. LCU was 7-for-10 from the field in the fourth quarter. They out-scored StMU 25-11 in the quarter, with a 20-4 advantage in the paint in the quarter.
 
The Lady Chaps were 68% (17/25) from the field in the second half. Kellyn Schneider (2-for-2), Tess Bruffey (3-for-3) and Allison Szabo (3-for-3) combined to go 7-for-7 from the field in the second half. LCU was 14-of-19 (73.7%) inside the perimeter in the second half for a 28-6 scoring advantage in the paint. Haley Fowler led LCU in points in the second half with seven.
 
Nicole Hampton had 19 points and was an assist shy (9) of a double-double. LCU also received 15 points from Kelsey Hoppel, 11 points from Bruffey and 10 points each from Fowler and Szabo. Schneider was impressive with 14 rebounds and six blocks. Bruffey added four blocks for a team total of 10 in the game.
 
While LCU was 61.2% (30/49) from the field, StMU was 31% (18/58) from the field. LCU produced a 50-14 scoring advantage in the paint. StMU received a game-high 20 points from LaBraile Field in the loss.