LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (10-7, 4-3 Heartland) at OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (6-10, 1-7 Heartland)
Saturday, January 21, 2017 – 3:00 PM
Eagles' Nest (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: OC leads 37-23
Tweet #LCUvsOC | Tweet #HeartlandMB
 
HISTORY BETWEEN THE SQUADS
Lubbock Christian University and Oklahoma Christian have a rivalry that dates back to both schools' NAIA days. The first meeting took place in the 1971 season, as the Chaps won 69-62 (Jan. 26, 1971). Since then, OC has taken a 37-23 advantage over the Chaparrals. LCU has won five of the last six matchups since joining the Heartland Conference into NCAA Div. II.
 
LAST GAME RECAP
It took a hot shooting performance on the road for Lubbock Christian University, as the Chaparrals were able to knock off Heartland Conference co-leaders St. Edward's University 90-83. The Thursday night tilt took place inside Recreation and Convocation Center and featured a 66.7% team shooting percentage from the Chaparrals. Ridrell Holman led all LCU scorers with 21 points, with teammate Tyler Rogers not far behind with 19 points.
 
The Chaps jumped out to an early 6-5 lead on a jumper from senior Isaac Cardona, but John Gramlich immediately answered back with a three-pointer to give the Hilltoppers their first lead of the evening. SEU then extended their lead to 17-12 over the Chaparrals before a layup by Brennen Fowler allowed LCU to begin chipping away at the St. Edward's lead. A pair of free throws by Tyler Rogers gave Lubbock Christian their second lead of the night at 20-19, however, a jump shot by Landon Goesling returned the St. Edward's lead to 26-24 with 7:06 left to play in the opening half. Cardona and Fowler combined for six of the Chaps last ten points to give LCU a 41-39 lead at the break.
 
Brennen Fowler had the hot-hand for the Chaps in the opening half by coming off the bench and knocking down 12 points on 75% (6-of-8) shooting. Rogers added 10 of his 19 points in the first period with a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. LCU shot 66.7% (16/24) from the floor while going 0-for-3 from downtown. The Chaps took 10 trips to the free throw line and converted on nine of them.
 
Sean Watkins and Ramir Burton combined for nine field goals and 24 of the Hilltoppers 39 first half points. Burton was a stellar 80% (4-of-5) from the floor while Watkins surged to an 83.3% (5-of-6) shooting percentage. Watkins knocked down 9 of his 14 points from three-point land. St. Edward's shot 15-for-30 from the field and forced the Chaps into 12 turnovers in the opening period.
 
Lubbock Christian remained in the drivers seat for a majority of the second half. At the 16:52 mark, Cardona showed his range by stepping behind the three-point line and knocking down his third triple of the season, opening up the Chap lead to 50-44. St. Edward's remained persistent and cut the LCU lead down to one point on three different occasions. Gramlich hit a jumper, with 11:37 left, to give SEU their first and only lead of the second period at 58-57. It was short lived, as Holman marched down the court and drilled a trey of his own to return the lead to the Chaparrals. From that point on, Lubbock Christian never lost their control or their cushion. Holman netted another triple with 2:02 left, giving LCU a 10-point lead, their largest of the evening. Marcos Schuster hit a trio of free throws that sealed the game and gave the Chaparrals a 90-83 victory over the Hilltoppers.
 
The Chaps showed consistency with a 66.7% (16-of-24) field goal percentage in the half to mirror their first half. But this time they were not blanked from the three-point line. Holman and Cardona combined for a 42.7% (3-of-7) three-point percentage. Holman was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and captured 16 points of his 21 points after halftime. Cardona's 12 second half points came from 71.4% (5-of-7) shooting. Marcos Schuster led the Chaparrals at the free throw line with a 75% (6-of-8) free throw mark. LCU posted an 82.3% (14-17) effort from the charity stripe in the second half and combined for an 85.2% (23-27) free throw performance for the game. LCU was 29-of-38 (76%) from the field inside the arc.
 
Watkins and Burton once again led the Hilltoppers in scoring for the second period with 11 points each. John Gramlich added 10 points to push St. Edward's to 42.9% (12-28) shooting from the field. Watkins, Burton and Gramlich, SEU's lone free throw shooters for the second half, were perfect from the stripe and gave the Hilltoppers a 14-for-14 free throw mark.
 
90's FLASHBACK
Of their 17 games this season, Lubbock Christian has posted at least 90 points in five of the contests. In all five games, the Chaps have proven victorious by an average margin of 17.2 points. LCU has shot well on the road this year, posting a 44.6% shooting mark in games away from Rip Griffin Center. Thursday's win over St. Edward's marked their first road games of the season to score at least 90 points.
 
MILESTONES
- Isaac Cardona has been creeping up on the 900-point club. His 18-point game against St. Edward's moved him up to 853 career points.
- Sophomore Brennen Fowler is still young in his LCU career and yet he is moving up the boards at an impressive pace. He has 295 career rebounds.
- Ridrell Holman has been riding a hot-streak as of late. His 21-point game against St. Edward's pushed him to 757 career points.
- Tyler Rogers has garnered 804 points in his time with Lubbock Christian, surpassing the 800-point plateau Thursday.
 
MOVING UP THE RANKS
The Chaps have continuously performed at a high level when playing successful opponents. LCU first proved themselves in a 95-86 win (Nov. 17, 2016) over a West Texas A&M squad that was ranked No. 17 at the time.
 
Lubbock Christian has since moved into conference play with the same tenacity against well-regarded teams. In their first Heartland game of the season, the Chaparrals took down a Dallas Baptist team that was crowned Heartland Conference Tournament champions last season. The 65-58 victory over DBU (Dec. 17, 2016) took place in the Patriots own Burg Center in Dallas, Texas.
 
LCU then returned home to host Heartland preseason favorite UA Fort Smith, and they dominated the matchup and defeated the Lions 84-64 inside Rip Griffin Center (Jan. 5, 2017).
 
Heading into Thursday night's matchup against St. Edward's, the Hilltoppers were tied for first place in Heartland standings. Lubbock Christian were able to claim the road win with a 90-83 victory (Jan. 19, 2017).
 
SEASON HIGHS
Seniors Tyler Rogers and Isaac Cardona are both coming off of impressive performances against St. Edward's. Rogers recorded a season-high 19 points on 77.8% (7-of-9) shooting. His seven field goals matched his season-high for the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Cardona is also coming off of a season-high scoring performance with 18 points against the Hilltoppers. He shot an impressive 72.7% (8-of-11) from the field and 1-of-2 from the three-point line. Cardona has showed his range this season by knocking down a triple in three different contests.
 
As a squad, the Chaps tallied a 66.7% (32-of-48) shooting percentage against St. Edward's on Thursday night (their highest of the season). Despite only shooting 3-of-10 from behind the three-point line, the Chaparrals were able to compensate with their offense inside the arc. LCU posted a 76.3% (29-of-38) mark from inside of the three-point line and 36 points in the paint.
 
WIN/LOSS COMPARISON
The Chaps hold a 10-7 record on the season and a 4-3 record in Heartland play heading into Saturday's matchup. When broken down, five of LCU's seven losses have been by four points or less. Out of their seven total losses, the Chaparrals have lost by an average margin of 5.4 points.
 
When looking at the winning portion of their record, Lubbock Christian has captured five of their ten wins by 15 points or more. In the Chaps 10 victories, they are averaging a 13.6-point margin over their opponents.  
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE EAGLES
- The Eagles rank first in the Heartland with the fewest committed fouls (314) in their 16 games played.
- John Moon ranks first in the conference for offensive rebounds by averaging 3.06 per game.
- As a team, the Eagles have posted a Heartland leading 3.7 blocks per game for a total of 59 blocks.
- Keilan Horton has led the conference by averaging 17.9 points per game. Horton has also been named Heartland Conference Player of the Week once this season.
- John Moon was named to the watch list for the Bevo Francis Award. The 7'0 senior is averaging 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.75 blocked shots per game. His 2.75 blocked shots per game ranks eighth in the nation, while his 44 total blocked shots are listed at ninth nationally.
 
PRIOR MEETING WITH OC
OKLAHOMA CITY (February 4, 2016) – A season-high 31 points by A.J. Luckey lifted Lubbock Christian University to a 64-59 win over Oklahoma Christian Thursday night inside the Eagles' Nest as the senior guard scored 10 points over the final 60 seconds to seal the Chaparrals' fifth consecutive win.
 
Luckey came to life in the second half with 24 of his game-high 31 points that included a 17-point barrage with 5:27 remaining in the contest. His three-pointer from the right wing cut the Eagles' lead to 45-44, and two free throws by Isaac Cardona gave the Chaps a one-point advantage. At the 2:42 mark Luckey pulled up from deep with a defender in his face and drilled a three to put LCU ahead 49-45.
 
Matthew Alford equaled a pair from the line by OC's Zack Norris on a jumper for a 51-47 Chap lead with 1:53 on the clock. On the ensuing LCU offensive possession, Luckey drove hard down the right side for a bucket and a foul that increased the margin to 54-48. OC hit five field goals within the final 35 seconds to trim to lead to five on three occasions, but Luckey drained all six of his shots from the line and Marcos Schuster converted two to keep the Chaps in front throughout the final seconds.
 
The game started slowly offensively as the teams were a combined 1-of-10 from the floor until Marcus Arrington hit a three-pointer from the left wing for a 3-2 Chap lead three minutes in. A reverse layup by Cardona finally put LCU in double figures, trailing 14-11 with 8:46 left until the half. A bucket by Brennen Fowler cut the deficit to a pair, but a three by Eagle Elijah Strickland upped the advantage to five. A shot by big man John Moon gave OC a 26-19 lead with 3:30 remaining before the break, but an 8-0 LCU run that include a three-point play by Marcos Schuster, a jumper by Fowler and a three-pointer by Arrington gave the Chaps a 27-26 lead at the half.