LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (0-2) at No.6/11 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PERMIAN BASIN (2-0)
Wednesday, November 15 - 7:00 PM
UTPB Gym/Falcon Dome (Odessa, Texas)
Radio: AM 950/100.7 FM The Score
All-Time Series: LCU Leads Series 4-3
Tweet #LCUvsUTPB


 
HERE LIES THE CHALLENGE
Lubbock Christian University men's basketball will make their way down the road for a Wednesday night showdown against No. 6 (D2SIDA) /11 (NBCA) ranked University of Texas Permian Basin. The Chaps are still on the hunt for their first win of the season after going 0-2 on opening weekend in Denver, Colo. against Colorado School of Mines and Regis University.
 
LAST GAME RECAP
DENVER, Colorado (November 11, 2017) – Lubbock Christian University closed out their stay in Denver, Colo. Saturday afternoon with an 89-74 loss to Regis University at the Rocky Mountain/Heartland Conference Crossover Challenge. LCU junior Brennen Fowler led the Chaparrals and flirted with a double-double capturing 16 points and nine rebounds in the effort. Once again, the Chaps were unable to overcome a slow first half which proved to be their downfall.
 
Jay Workman had the game's first points on a mid-range jumper after a steal by Fowler to kick off a 7-2 run for the Chaps. The LCU streak was capped by a Marcos Schuster three-pointer at the 16:42 mark. Regis' Avonte Nelms answered with back-to-back triples to give the Rangers their first lead of the day. Workman rained in another shot from three-point range to put Lubbock Christian up for the final time. Ryan Beisty then converted a layup at the 12:38 mark to regain the lead for Regis at 14-13 marking the game's final lead change. Following the lay-in, the Rangers went on a 15-point scoring rampage for a 16-point lead, their largest of the opening period, at 29-13 with just over seven minutes on the clock. Asrat knocked down a jumper inside the paint to begin cutting away at the Chaparral deficit, but the Rangers kept LCU at bay. Lubbock Christian's Micah Bailey rung up a lay-in with 23 seconds left in the half, shrinking the RU lead to six points at 35-29. Beisty quickly answered with a three-pointer at the last second putting Regis up 38-29 at halftime.
 
The Chaparrals 29 first-half points were split among seven players. Fowler and Asrat led the offensive efforts for LCU with eight points apiece in the half. As a team, the Chaps knocked down 11 field goals on 30 attempts for a 36.7% mark. Five of their 11 jumpers came from behind the arc with Asrat and Schuster knocking down two each and Workman adding one of his own.
 
Ryan Beisty led the Rangers with nine points and five rebounds in the half. As a team, Regis shot 39.4% from the field (13-of-33) and 7-of-17 (41.2%) from downtown. The RU squad made it to the charity stripe six times and converted on five for an 83.3% average. Beisty and Jarrett Brodbeck each snagged five rebounds in the half to lead the Rangers to a 26-14 rebounding advantage over the Chaparrals in the opening period.
 
Dexter Sienko helped Regis pick up where they left off at the beginning of the second period with a quick jumper from inside the paint. Schuster knocked down a two-pointer at the 17:10 mark cutting the Ranger's lead to 42-35. Christian Little came back with a layup to spark an offensive push that eventually expanded the RU lead back to 13 points, 51-38, with 14:26 to play. LCU began to mount one more comeback that reduced Regis' lead to five points at 52-47 after a pair of free throws by Workman with just under 11 minutes to go. It was at that point that Little knocked down two free throws of his own to prevent the Chaps from getting any closer. Within the remaining 10 minutes, Regis pushed the tempo and took an 85-66 lead, their largest of the day, after a trey by Sienko with 3:00 to play. Lubbock Christian worked for another comeback, but eventually finished the game on the losing end of an 89-74 result.
 
Fowler tacked on a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds in the second half. As a squad, the Chaps had a much stronger performance in the final period scoring 45 points on 16-of-30 (53.3%) shooting. Gilbreath netted Lubbock Christian's only triple of the half as the Chaparrals shot 14.3% (1-of-7) from behind the arc. Gilbreath was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line helping LCU to a 92.3% (12-of-13) in the final 20 minutes.
 
Regis finished the day with a 48.5% (32-for-66) field goal average. Brodbeck tallied a game-high 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting with four three-pointers and a pair of free throws. The Ranger's bench also came up with 26 points for the day. In total, RU outrebounded LCU 40-26 and had six players in double figures.
 
Lubbock Christian ended the game shooting 27-of-60 for a 45% field goal mark. Fowler led the Chaps with 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Asrat, Schuster and Workman joined Fowler in double-scoring figures. LCU knocked down 14 of their 17 free throw attempts in the game for an 82.4% average. The Chaparral squad registered 36 points in the paint and 12 points from the bench.
 
TOUGH CROWD 
The Chaps head into Wednesday night's matchup against another ranked opponent marking their second Top-25 foe within their first three contests. Though they are off to a slow start, LCU head coach Todd Duncan and his squad had a closer result against No. 9 ranked Colorado Mines than they did against Regis over the weekend. Last season, the Chaparrals played three NCAA ranked opponents, beating one and losing by a combined six points in the other two contests.
 
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
Following their opening weekend results, Lubbock Christian finds themselves in very unfamiliar waters. Over the course of the 2016-2017 campaign, the Chaps outrebounded opponents 1,056-909 for a 147-cumulative rebounding margin. Heading into Wednesday evening, LCU has been beaten on the boards 68-62. Despite being outperformed on the glass as a team, junior Brennen Fowler has posted game-high rebounding performances with nine boards in each game to open up the season.

SHORT GAME 
Lubbock Christian has already worked to press their opposition from close to the basket in their first two contests. For the Chaps, 38 of their 78 points against Colorado School of Mines came from inside the paint, while 36 of their 74 points against Regis were scored from down low. As a team, the Chaparrals are shooting 45.8% from the field sinking 27.5 buckets per contest. Fowler has paced the offense with a 54.8 field goal percentage and 19.5 points per game in LCU's first weekend.
 
CHARITY POINTS
Lubbock Christian has earned a trip to the free throw line a total of 32 times in their first two games, converting on 27 for an 84.4% free throw average. The Chaps have posted one perfect free throw shooting half in the first period of their game against Colorado Mines. Sophomore Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath leads the Lubbock Christian roster with a perfect 8-of-8 free throws this season. Right behind Gilbreath is Isaac Asrat (5-of-5) Jay Workman (2-of-2) and Kentton Williams (2-of-2) who have all yet to miss a shot from the stripe.
 
UTPB FACTS

• Texas – Permian Basin enters Wednesday night's contest ranked No. 6/11 with a 2-0 record. In both of their games this season, the Falcons have managed to score 80+ points. Their most recent victory was an offensively charged performance where they outlasted Adams State University 125-115 in a double overtime contest.
• As a team, UTPB has posted a 66.3% free throw mark while averaging 27.5 made free throws per contest. Their 55 made free throws places the squad 11^th nationally in the category.
• Senior Daeshon Francis has proven to be the motor of the Texas – Permian Basin program averaging 27 points and eight rebounds per game. The senior unloaded in his last performance with 36 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Francis has attempted and converted more free throws (28-of-34) than he has field goals (12-of-23) and holds an 82.4% average from the charity stripe. The senior also ranks first in the nation for free throws made and attempted.
• UTPB is averaging 107 points per game ranking them sixth nationally for scoring offense. Nine Falcon players have posted double-scoring figures in their games thus far.
• Texas – Permian Basin has spread the floor well on the offensive end averaging 48 points per game inside the paint, 24 points per game from their bench, 37.5 points per game from three-point range, 46 points per game from inside the arc and 22.5 points per game from the free throw line.

 
THE SERIES AGAINST UTPB
Wednesday's contest will serve as the eighth meeting all-time between the Chaps and the Falcons dating back to the 2011-2012 season. LCU holds a 4-3 series advantage over UTPB, with their last victory coming in 2016, an 82-71 result inside Rip Griffin Center (1/21/16). Lubbock Christian lost in their most recent meeting, 85-84, in an overtime affair on UTPB's floor in Odessa, Texas (2/20/16). The Chaparrals hold a 1-2 record when playing inside UTPB Gym. Three of the seven games in the rivalry have extended into overtime periods.