TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (2-18, 2-8) at LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (10-9, 5-3)
Thursday, February 2, 2017 - 6:00 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: KJTV AM950/100.7FM
TV: American Sports Network (KJTV Fox 34 News NOW)
All-Time Series: LCU leads 8-1
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SHOWCASE CONTEST
Lubbock Christian University will not only play in front of a home audience this week, but Thursday, LCU will host Texas A&M International in front of a national audience. The game is part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase, with American Sports Network airing the game nationally. The Lady Chaps, who enter the week with only five games played at home, will remain home Saturday to host St. Mary's. LCU is sitting in fourth place in the Heartland Conference with a 5-3 conference mark (10-9 overall), as St. Mary's and St. Edward's are atop the standings with a 9-1 conference record.
LOOKING BACK AT THEIR LAST CONTEST
Tess Bruffey's 25-point and 11-rebound double-double performance was not enough to help Lubbock Christian University overcome an 11-point second half deficit, as a late three-pointer by Newman's Natialia Hausmann helped the Jets claim a 61-60 win over LCU in a Monday night Heartland Conference contest at Fugate Gymnasium. The 25 points for Bruffey helped her eclipse 1,000 career points in her LCU career.
Bruffey, who had 12 points in the fourth quarter, had given LCU a 57-55 lead with a layup as 1:26 remained in the game, but they were unable to get a stop on the defensive end. Cierra Tjaden missed a three-point attempt for Newman, but Hannah Alexander was able to garner the offensive rebound and able to lay the ball up on a put-back to tie the game 57-57 with 1:03 remaining. It marked the seventh time in the contest the game was tied. LCU turned the ball over in the ensuing possession and Newman took advantage of it with Hausmann drilling a three-pointer just under 15 seconds remaining for a 60-57 Jets lead.
Caitlyn Cunyus, who has 2-for-3 in the game from long range leading into the game-tying attempt, missed everything on her attempt with three seconds left, but the game was not necessarily over at the shot's conclusion.
Hannah Harbin committed a foul on the inbounds and Mali Wright went to the line for Newman. She missed her first attempt, but made the second shot for a 61-57 lead. Bruffey was able to attempt a long distance shot and it was successful, but she was unable to draw a foul for a four-point play and LCU fell 61-60.
Newman thrived off free-throws in the game. The Jets, who average 20.6 attempts from the line per game on the season, went to the free-throw line 30 times in the game, which is the most by a Lady Chaps opponent since Colorado Colorado Springs had 31 attempts on Nov. 14, 2014. The Jets converted on 22 of the 30 attempts, which is the most since Oklahoma Panhandle State made 23 attempts on Jan. 28, 2016. Newman outscored LCU 22-11 from the line, with five different Jets attempting at least four shots.
In the opening quarter, LCU opened the game with a 7-1 lead and held Newman without a field goal for the opening four minutes of the game. Newman, held to two field goals in the opening quarter, was able to keep the deficit to a 15-13 deficit at the quarter's completion, with nine of their 13 points coming from the free-throw line.
LCU went a span of 6:11 without a field goal in the second quarter and a span of 9:39 in which they had one field goal. Meanwhile, the Jets took advantage of LCU scoring dry spell with a 13-1 run to take a 29-19 lead. NU would lead 31-24 at halftime.
In the third quarter, LCU trailed 42-32 with 4:41 left in the quarter before they started to rally back. Cunyus hit a three-pointer and LCU eventually trailed 46-39 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Chaps held the Jets without a field goal for a span of 6:13 and went on an 11-0 run, which was capped by a three-pointer from Bruffey for a 48-46 lead. LCU never led by more than two points in the fourth quarter and they were 0-for-5 from the field on possessions in which they were seeking to increase a two-point lead (7-of-10 outside of those five attempts in the fourth quarter).
LCU out-shot Newman in the game, with a 38.9% shooting mark (21/54) topping a 30.9% (17/55) mark by Newman. Bruffey was LCU's lone player in double figures. Her 25 points was one point shy of her career high. Her three three-pointers matched a career high. The double-double was her fifth of the season and she has hit the feat in consecutive games. Newman had four players in double figures. Wright led the Jets with 14 points and was joined by Bria DeGrate's 13 points, Hausmann's 11 points and Tjaden's double-double, which included 14 rebounds and 10 points.
STARTING THINGS OFF
Last season, LCU used the same starting five players in every regular season game. Monday at Newman, the Lady Chaps were without senior
Allison Szabo, who had started in each of the 18 prior games. Szabo suffered a season-ending knee injury last week in practice, leaving LCU with two players that have started in all 19 LCU games this season (
Hannah Harbin and
Olivia Robertson). Prior to this season, Harbin had four career starts (in 84 career appearances prior to this season) and Robertson had not started in a game.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
LCU has only played five of their 19 games at home this season. They are 5-0 at home this season and 30-0 all-time in Heartland Conference home games. LCU holds the nation's longest home win streak at 29 games and have won 36 consecutive conference home games.
Tess Bruffey leads LCU at home this season with an average of 17.2 points per game. She is a rebound shy (9.0) of averaging a double-double at home. LCU is shooting 46.1% at home and holding opponents to a 26.3% shooting mark at home this season. No opposing team has scored more than 50 points against the Lady Chaps inside Rip Griffin Center this season.
TUBE TALK
Thursday's game will mark the first ever national televised event inside Rip Griffin Center, as the NCAA Div. II Basketball Showcase contests are carried by American Sports Network. Last season, LCU's men's and women's basketball games at Arkansas Fort Smith were carried by ASN. Ramar Communications carried those games in the Lubbock market and will air Thursday's games on Fox 34 News Now. In total, LCU made national television on four occasions last season, with women's basketball having two of their games during the National Championship Tournament carried nationally. Darren Goldwater (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (color) will serve as the talent behind the microphone for ASN. The contests will also air online through the NCAA's online platforms.
D-FENCE
LCU's defense ranks second nationally, holding the opposition to a 32.6% shooting mark, despite ranking 234th nationally in three-point shooting defense (33.4%). LCU has allowed 121 three-pointers this season, but inside the arc, their defense has held opponents to a 32.3% shooting mark.
MILESTONES
Tess Bruffey had 25 points Monday to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in her LCU career. Bruffey (1,006 career points) is LCU's only active member with over 1,000 points in her LCU career. The last Lady Chaps member to reach the 1,000-point plateau was
Haley Fowler, who hit the mark on Mar. 13, 2016 against West Texas A&M. She was one of three active 1,000-point members LCU had on the squad last season.
BLOCKING THINGS OUT
LCU, who led NCAA in blocks last season, ranks 10th in the NCAA this season in blocks per game (5.4) and is 11th in total blocks (102).
Tess Bruffey ranks sixth nationally in blocks per game (3.2) and is eighth in total blocks (54). Each block Bruffey garners adds to her career totals (218), which are program and Heartland Conference career records.
FOUL LANGUAGE
LCU ranks second in the conference and 30th nationally in committing the fewest amount of fouls. The Lady Chaps have been whistled for 295 fouls on the season, but despite the discipline play, their opponents have attempted 45 more free throws on the season. Monday, Newman went to the free-throw line 30 times, which is the most by a Lady Chaps opponent since Colorado Colorado Springs had 31 attempts on Nov. 14, 2014.
PARTY LIKE ITS 2017
Tess Bruffey has posted at least 14 points in six of the seven games LCU played in January. She averaged 17.7 points a game in the month.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TAMIU
• The Dustdevils are 2-18 on the season, with a 2-8 conference mark. They are 0-8 on the road this season and have dropped their last nine road games (started on Feb. 27, 2016 in Lubbock).
• TAMIU comes to Lubbock on a two-game losing streak, with their latest contest (Jan. 28) resulting in an 80-57 loss at Arkansas Fort Smith.
• Hannah Bead leads TAMIU with 13.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She recorded double figures in points in 14 of her first 15 games, but has only completed the task twice in the last five games.
• The Dustdevils have one of the smallest rosters (similar to last season), running mostly with seven active players this season. Four players average at least 30 minutes a game.
• TAMIU is in their first season with Jeff Caha serving as head coach, which is his first head coaching gig after serving as an assistant at Eastern New Mexico.
THE SERIES AGAINST TAMIU
LCU leads the all-times series 8-1 against TAMIU. The Lady Chaps won the first five series meetings. Their prior meeting in Lubbock, Texas resulted in a 74-61 LCU win on Feb. 27, 2016. LCU is 6-1 against TAMIU since joining the Heartland Conference and 3-0 in Lubbock in that span.
PREVIOUS RECAP VS. TAMIU
Jan. 2, 2017 (Laredo, Texas) - LCU :72 - TAMIU:53
Bailey Haist connected on a single-game program record eight three-pointers and her 26 points matched a career-high performance and led Lubbock Christian University to a 72-53 road victory over Texas A&M International Monday night at TAMIU's Kinesiology and Convocation Building for LCU's first Heartland Conference win of the season.
Haist topped her prior career mark of five three-pointers and the team's prior mark of seven three-pointers, which had been done four times and most recently by Hailey Burton on Nov. 14, 2014. She attempted 17 three-point attempts, which was one attempt off the team single-game record set by Burgundy Bass on Jan. 18, 1990. The three-point field goals mark is tied for the seventh most three-pointers made by an individual in NCAA Div. II this season and the 17 attempts ranks tied as the fifth most in a NCAA Div. II contest this season. In addition, the eight three-pointers ranked tied for the third most and the 17 attempts was the fourth most in the Heartland Conference record books.
Early on, it appeared that TAMIU was going to be breaking any three-point records. The Dustdevils opened the game with five three-pointers in the first quarter. Three-of their first four attempts were successful and helped them take a 9-3 lead in the opening three minutes of the game. TAMIU led as much as 32-25 (4:35 remaining in the second quarter) before LCU rallied back. LCU ended the half on a 12-2 run, with
Tess Bruffey recording seven of the points in the span. The run gave LCU a 37-34 halftime lead.
LCU never relinquished the lead once they took it late in the half. Haist's opening three-pointer to start a 14-2 Lady Chaps run. Haist hit five of her three-pointers in the second half and had 17 points in the half. LCU outscored TAMIU 19-8 in the third quarter and 35-19 in the second half.
Haist finished the game 8-of-17 from long range and 9-of-18 from the field. She was 5-of-8 in the second half from long distance. Overall, LCU was 12-of-33 from three-point range (the rest of the team combined 4-of-16 for 25%).
Along with outside shooting, LCU played with ball control. They limited themselves to 10 turnovers, which is the lowest since committing nine on Nov. 12 against Colorado State – Pueblo. LCU outscored TAMIU 17-0 in points off turnovers. LCU out-rebounded TAMIU 35-25 and used 10 offensive boards to have a 12-1 scoring advantage in second chance points. The Lady Chaps contributed 23 assists on 26 field goals in the game.
Bruffey joined Haist in double figures with 19 points. Bruffey also had a career high with seven assists. She produced three blocks, which moved her past
Kellyn Schneider (204) and Bruffey's 205 career blocks is a program career high.
TAMIU only suited six active players and Joanna Perez led the Dustdevils with 16 points. Hannah Beede contributed 13 points in the loss.
