ROGERS STATE UNIVERSITY (9-6, 2-3 Heartland) at LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (8-6, 2-2 Heartland)
Saturday, January 7, 2017 – 3:00 PM
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
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All-Time Series: RSU leads 13-6
 
HISTORY BETWEEN THE SQUADS
The rivalry between the Hillcats and the Chaparrals began in the 2007-08 season where Rogers State experienced immediate success capturing the first eight meetings between the squads. Since head coach Todd Duncan took over at LCU, the Chaps have captured a 5-4 record over the Hillcats. Upon entrance into the Heartland Conference, Lubbock Christian has won two out of the last five meetings with Rogers State.
 
3-BALL
The Chaps are coming off of their highest three-point shooting performance of the season. In their tilt with Arkansas Fort Smith, LCU posted a 52.4% mark from behind the three-point line on 11-of-21 attempts. Lubbock Christian currently sits third in the Heartland from beyond the arc with a 37.7% average. The Chaparrals are knocking down 6.6 three-pointers per game.
 
LAST GAME RECAP
LUBBOCK, Texas (January 5, 2017) - Lubbock Christian University halted a two-game skid on the shoulders of Ridrell Holman who tallied a career-high 25 points in an 84-64 win over Arkansas Fort Smith in a Heartland Conference tilt inside Rip Griffin Center. In addition to Holman's career night, Marcus Arrington showed up with 17 points and six assists, while Tyler Rogers posted 16 points of his own.
 
Isaac Cardona got things cooking for the Chaps with a quick layup over the Lion's defense. Although Marcus Wallace answered back for Arkansas Fort Smith with a three-pointer, the Chaps dialed up the pace and jumped to a 9-5 lead on a trey by Holman. LCU traded blows with the Lions before Jay Workman tied up the game at 18-18 with 11:20 to play in the half. Tyler Rogers gave Lubbock Christian a 28-25 lead on yet another Chaparral three-pointer with more than seven minutes remaining. UAFS tried to keep things interesting by tying up the score at 36-36 on an Alex Cooper jumper, but the Chaps pecked away at UAFS's defense. Holman could not seem to miss as he was fouled while netting his second three-pointer of the evening with 1.5 seconds remaining in the half. Ridrell drained the free throw giving LCU a 44-36 lead going into the break.
 
Offense was the name of the game for both squads in the first half, as LCU narrowly edged out the Lions on the boards by a margin of 14-13. The Chaps held UAFS to 11-26 (42.3%) shooting. Marcus Arrington lit up with 14 points on 5-of-6 (83.3%) from the field. Holman shot 3-of-5 from the floor, two of which were behind the arc. Rogers was a perfect 3-of-3, in addition to his sole free throw, to grab eight points before the break. As a unit, Lubbock Christian picked their spots and shot 53.6% (15/28) from the floor while shooting 54.5% (6/11) from downtown. LCU was a flawless 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
 
UAFS spread the floor in the first period and shot 46.2% (6/13) from three-point land, while grabbing a 42.3% (11/26) field goal percentage. Seth Youngblood led the Lion's charge with 15 first half points. Twelve of Youngblood's 15 came from behind the arc. In total, there were six tie scores and six lead changes in the first half.
 
LCU returned to the hardwood after a breather and picked up right where they left off. Fort Smith tried to mount a comeback on the shoulders of Youngblood, but Tyler Rogers showed that he had the shooter's touch with back-to-back three-pointers that bounced off of the front iron before they fell in. Rogers' pair of treys gave the Chaps a 13-point lead at 62-49 with 12:12 left to play. Lubbock Christian never looked back from there, as they sped off to an 84-64 victory after a final layup by Michael Grant.
 
In total, the Chaparrals threw down a season-high 11 three-pointers on 21 attempts, four of which came from Holman. Ridrell's 16 points in the second half were mainly due in part to 10 shots from the charity stripe (knocked down eight). Rogers remained untouched with eight more points in the second period. Although LCU's second half was slower than their first, it was not by much. The Chaps blew up for 44 first half points before they eased up for 40 points in the second period. Isaac Cardona led Lubbock Christian on the glass with nine total rebounds, eight of which came in the second half. The Chaps outrebounded the Lions 36-24 on the evening.
 
Lubbock Christian University finished the evening shooting 52.4% (11/21) from the three-point line, 49% (25/51) from the field, and 82.1% (23-28) from the free throw line. Holman's career-high 25 points led all scorers for the evening. Marcus Arrington (17 points) was one point shy of tying a career-high scoring performance. Arrington also dealt out six assists. Tyler Rogers followed right behind with 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
 
The Lions had six players tally points in the second period, with Youngblood accounting for nine. All nine of Youngblood's points came from downtown. As a squad, Fort Smith shot 37% (10/27) from the floor and 38.5% (5/13) from behind the arc in the second half. Although UAFS was perfect from the charity stripe in the second period, they only shot three free throws.
 
LCU improved to 8-6 overall and 2-2 in Heartland Conference standings. The Chaparrals will get a quick breather before they play Rogers State on Saturday. Tipoff is at 3pm inside Rip Griffin Center immediately following the LCU women (Lady Chaps tip off at 1 p.m.).
 
HIGHS AND LOWS
Senior Ridrell Holman is coming off of a career performance in which he knocked down a stellar 25 points. Holman shot 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 (57.1%) from downtown and 9-of-11 (81.8%) from the stripe.
 
In their last game with UAFS, the Chaps only recovered two steals against the Lions. The mark is a season low for Lubbock Christian in a campaign where they are averaging 5.9 steals per game.
 
Aside from snapping a two-game slide in their win over Arkansas Fort Smith, the Chaparrals tallied their highest scoring win over an NCAA opponent this year. Their 20-point margin over UAFS was their largest win since dismantling Our Lady of the Lake in a 93-67 rout (Nov. 21, 2016). LCU also recorded their lowest turnover performance of the season (8) against UAFS.
 
SUCCESS AGAINST SUCCESS
The Chaps have proven that they are not intimidated by success so far. LCU kicked off the Heartland season by knocking down the reigning Heartland Conference Tournament Champions in Dallas Baptist University. The 65-58 victory (Dec. 17, 2016) set a high standard for Coach Duncan and his men.
 
In their three matches against ranked opponents, LCU has captured a 1-2 record. Lubbock Christian took out then-No.16 ranked West Texas A&M (Nov. 17, 2016) 95-86. In their two losses against ranked opponents, the Chaps have lost by a total of six points.
 
After suffering a pair of tough losses to St. Mary's (Dec. 31, 2016) and Texas A&M International (Jan. 2, 2017), Lubbock Christian seems to have found some footing with their victory over UAFS. LCU toppled the preseason Heartland favorites on Thursday night (Jan. 5, 2017) in a stunning 84-64 victory.
 
HOME COURT
Home court advantage has proven to be a helping hand for LCU. Last season, the Chaps rattled of an impressive 14-1 record inside the Rip Griffin Center. LCU dropped the first two games at home, but have won five straight and are 5-2 on their home floor.
 
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
- Isaac Cardona has grabbed a total of 440 total rebounds in his four-year career.
- Marcus Arrington has dealt 319 assists in his career and has shown that he is still seeking more. Arrington currently has 47 assists this year while averaging 3.4 per game.
- Ridrell Holman leads the Chaps this season with 28 made three-pointers on 69 attempts. He also leads LCU players with 29.2 minutes per game.
- Tyler Rogers' 77.4% free throw percentage ranks among the top of the LCU roster. He has knocked down 41-of-53 shots from the charity stripe so far this year.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE HILLCATS
- JD Tisdale has made a habit of getting to the free throw line. Tisdale sits first in the conference, third in the nation, in free throw attempts (123) and sixth in the nation with 85 free throws made. This will be the second game in a row that the Chaps have faced a squad that succeeds from the stripe.
- Travis Hester reigns from three-point land for the Hillcats. He ranks first in the Heartland with 3.2 three-pointers per game and a 45.7% three-point field goal percentage. Hester also ranks first in the conference and 13^th in the country with 48 three-pointers made so far.
- RSU has dropped three of their last four contests. They are currently ranked seventh in conference standings after their 74-69 loss to Dallas Baptist University.
- The 2016-17 season marks RSU's first season of post-season eligibility. Despite winning the 2015-16 Heartland Conference, the Hillcats were forced to watch the postseason from the bench due to their final year of ineligibility after joining the NCAA. Rogers State finished last season with a 23-5 overall record.
- The Hillcats were preseason picked to finish fourth in the Heartland. Rogers State returns one starter from last season in Jeylyn Sharpe, who is currently averaging 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
 
PRIOR MEETING WITH ROGERS STATE
LUBBOCK, Texas (February 13, 2016) – For the second consecutive game, Brennen Fowler collected a double-double and A.J. Luckey scored a game-high as Lubbock Christian University tied a season-best in points in a 99-70 win over Rogers State Saturday afternoon inside the Rip Griffin Center to push the Chaparrals into a tie for second place in the Heartland Conference alongside RSU and Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
Fowler registered a career-best 20 points to go along with his game-high 12 boards and Luckey tallied 23 points, while Marcos Schuster had 16 and Tyler Rogers added 10. The Chaps (17-7, 11-5 Heartland) held the top three Hillcat scorers to a collective 15 points when the trio averages nearly 45. Offensively, LCU shot a season-best 31-of-50 (62%) from the floor and drained a season-high 32 free throws on 50 attempts (80%).
 
The top spot in the Heartland standings is still not solidified with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Dallas Baptist leads the pack at 12-3 followed by LCU, RSU and UAFS at 11-5 while Texas A&M International (10-6) rounds out the top five.
 
Two three-pointers by Schuster and a hook shot in the lane from Isaac Cardona in the opening minutes set the tone for the contest, and the Chaps gained their first double-digit lead on three free-throws by Luckey six minutes. Scout Teal made a bucket in the paint to put LCU up 21-9 and then took his first of three charges to give the ball back to the Chaps, which led to six straight points and a 27-9 advantage.
 
Fowler connected on two shots in the paint for an 18-point lead with four minutes until the half. A three-point play by RSU's Corey Ayala brought the Hillcats to within 43-27 before Luckey added four Chap points. With two seconds remaining, Schuster drove through the lane and three defenders to convert a wild shot to put the Chaps up 49-30 at the buzzer.
 
A dunk by Fowler opened the second half as LCU continued to roll, extending the lead to 24 on a free throw by Rogers at the 14-minutes mark and then to 25 on a Luckey foul shot with 11:41 left in the game. A jumper by Michael Grant and four shots from the line by Fowler pushed the Chaps in front, 83-55. A shot by Ridrell Homan extended the margin to 30 points with 3:19 to play, and another jumper by Grant gave LCU its largest lead at 94-62.