WICHITA, Kan. (February 6, 2016) – Coaching in his 404th game, No.1 Lubbock Christian University women's basketball head coach Steve Gomez claimed his 300th coaching victory, as the Lady Chaparrals received 18 points from Tess Bruffey and a double-double from Nicole Hampton (17 points, 10 rebounds) en route to an 85-57 Heartland Conference win over Newman University at Fugate Gymnasium.
 
The Lady Chaps were prepared for the occasion on the road, as the team surprised Gomez in the locker room after the game with a cake and cupcakes.  The players and staff also surprised him with personal congratulatory letters. Gomez, in his 13th season, is 300-104 (74.3%) in his coaching career.
 
The team's focus was to revenge a loss in Wichita, from a season ago, and to reward their coach with his 300th win. They succeeded and it did not take long to jump out to a big lead. Kelsey Hoppel and Haley Fowler opened the game with three-pointers and LCU had the first eight points of the game. Newman cut the LCU lead to 10-5 but LCU responded with a 10-0 run and led 20-5 seven minutes into the game. They led 24-12 at the end of the opening quarter.
 
Hampton and Hoppel each had a trio of field goals in the second quarter and they each had 10 points in the opening half. Hoppel opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and it opened a 9-0 run to start the quarter. LCU was 13-of-20 (65%) shooting inside the arc in the first half and the pair of redshirt seniors combined for a 7-for-7 shooting mark in the half inside the perimeter. LCU led 48-27 at the half.
 
Bruffey had 15 of her 18 points in the second half, with 11 in the third quarter. LCU shot 56% (14-of-25) from the field in the second half, and that was with them missing four of their final five attempts in the game. They led as much as 85-48 (37 point lead with 2:42 remaining in the game) before Newman closed the game on a 9-0 run.
 
LCU was 52.5% (32/61) from the field in the game and held Newman to shoot 37.9% (22/58). Newman had 26 points from inside the arc and 27 points beyond the arc with nine three-point field goals made.
 
Each team had four players in double figures offensively. Hoppel (13 points) and Szabo (10 points) joined Hampton and Bruffey. Hampton's double-double was her fifth of the season and she has produced back-to-back double-double performances. She also had five assists and four steals. Newman's Natalia Hausmann led the team with 12 points. Iva Krstevska finished with 11 points and Bria DeGrate and Shaunice Robinson each finished with 10 points in the loss, which placed Newman with a 10-11 record and 4-9 in conference.
 
Hoppel had four three-pointers and moved into a tie with Sierra Lovorn (2005-09) for second on the program's all-time three-point list. Each have 234 in their LCU career.
 
LCU improved to 20-0 on the season. They are 12-0 in conference play and their magic number to claim their second consecutive regular season conference title is "two." It would mark their third consecutive season to finish atop (or tied atop) the Heartland Conference standings.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
NU moved within 10 points of LCU and started to gather some momentum, but LCU responded with an 11-0 run, including the 9-0 portion to open the second quarter. Szabo's pair of three-pointers shortly after quieted the Jets and they never moved within 18 points of LCU's lead.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
Allison Szabo hit back-to-back three-pointers 14 seconds apart in the second quarter. The two three-pointers not only matched a career-high but it matched her entire season total she had entering the game.