LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (13-9, 8-3) at ARKANSAS FORT SMITH (13-10, 8-4)
Saturday, February 11, 2017 - 1:00 PM
Stubblefield Center (Fort Smith, Ark.)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 7-0
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ONE LAST TIME
Lubbock Christian University has played 15 of 22 games on the road this season, but Saturday in Fort Smith, Ark. (facing Arkansas Fort Smith) marks their final regular season road game. LCU (5-7 in true road games) is seeking their first successful conference road trip leg with a pair of wins, after winning Thursday at Rogers State. LCU, who will play their final four regular season games at home, enters Saturday 13-9 on the season and in third place in the Heartland Conference with an 8-3 conference record. They sit a game behind St. Mary's (9-3) and two games behind St. Edward's (11-1), with five conference games remaining.
LOOKING BACK AT THEIR LAST CONTEST
Former Lubbock Titans members
Tess Bruffey (21 points) and
Hannah Harbin (17 points) combined for 38 points and Lubbock Christian University outscored Rogers State 27-8 in the third quarter to surge to a 60-33 Heartland Conference road win Thursday night at Claremore Expo Center.
Bruffey and Harbin's numbers combined to outscore a Rogers State squad that combined for only 33 points off a 22.4% shooting performance (13/58). The Hillcats were a miserable 0-for-14 from three-point range, marking the first time an LCU opponent has been successful from three-point range since BYU-Hawaii went without a three-point field goal on Nov. 28, 2013. RSU's 33 points is the lowest LCU has allowed since holding Texas Permian Basin to 33 points on Mar. 3, 2016 at the Heartland Conference Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. The last time LCU has held an opponent to 33 points or less on the road was Jan. 17, 2009 in a 69-31 road win at St. Gregory's.
Neither team was able to find any offense early. Bruffey made LCU's first field goal attempt, but LCU followed missing their next seven attempts and the two teams opened a combined 2-of-15 in the game. The teams combined for 11 first-quarter points, with LCU shooting 15.4% (2-of-13) and RSU going 10.5% (2-of-19) in the opening frame, as LCU led 7-4 at the quarter's end.
Teams doubled their first quarter field goal totals in the second quarter and LCU led 18-13 at the half, with Bruffey doing most of the work. She had 11 points, seven blocks and five rebounds in the first half. Five of the seven blocks came in the first quarter.
LCU came out on fire in the third quarter and it was an inferno compared to the first half. The Lady Chaps, who had six field goals in the first half, had six field goals in the opening 5:30 of the third quarter. LCU used a 26-3 over a span of 8:24 beginning with 6:47 left in the third quarter to pull away to a 51-23 lead with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter. They outscored RSU 27-8 in the third quarter and 15-12 in the fourth quarter (42-20 in the half) off 55.6% shooting (15/27) in the half.
Bruffey finished the game 8-of-16 from the field and matched a career high with three three-pointers. She co-led the team in rebounds (seven alongside
Olivia Robertson) and led all players with 21 points and seven blocks. She only played eight minutes in the second half, as no LCU starter played more than 28 minutes in the game. Harbin was explosive in the second half, scoring 14 of her career-high 17 points in the second half in just 10 minutes of work in the half off 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line.
Bailey Haist joined Bruffey and Harbin in double figures with 10 points. RSU's Lauren Schuldt led the Hillcats with 15 points and nine rebounds. She scored nine of her 15 points in the fourth quarter.
NATIONALLY KNOWN
The United State Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) announced Lubbock Christian University's
Tess Bruffey has been named this week's recipient of the Women's Division II National Player of the Week for the week ending February 5.
Bruffey, a 6-4 junior forward, was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Week after averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game, which included notching the program's third triple-double, as the Lady Chaps posted a 2-1 record.
Her triple-double came against previous conference leader St. Mary's, as she posted 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks in the 70-56 victory Saturday. The 10 blocks matched a program and Heartland Conference single-game record (conference record which Bruffey owns).
The Lubbock, Texas native opened the week with 25 points and 11 rebounds despite a 61-60 road loss at Newman. Bruffey followed with 17 points in an 84-49 win at Texas A&M International in the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase game before a nationally televised audience.
This is Bruffey's first USBWA national weekly honor and the program's second. Last season,
Nicole Hampton claimed the honor for the week ending Feb 14, 2016.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
LCU has not completed a road trip this season in which they swept each game of the conference two-game trip.
Tess Bruffey leads LCU on the road averaging 14.4 points per road game. LCU is 5-7 on the road and five of the seven losses have been by 10 points or less.
Bobbi Chitsey (84.2%) and
Olivia Robertson (88.0%) are a combined 38 of 44 (86.4%) from the line on the road.
D-FENCE
LCU's defense ranks second nationally, holding the opposition to a 32.5% shooting mark, despite ranking 222nd nationally in three-point shooting defense (33.2%). LCU has allowed 138 three-pointers this season, but inside the arc, their defense has held opponents to a 32.2% shooting mark.
MILESTONES
Tess Bruffey heads into the week 14 rebounds shy of 500 in her LCU career. Thursday, she recorded seven blocks, which has her ranking with the fifth best single-season mark for blocks (72). She has a spot in the top-5 for single season blocks for a third time, marking each season she has been with the Lady Chaps.
BLOCKING THINGS OUT
LCU, who led NCAA in blocks last season, ranks sixth in the NCAA this season in blocks per game (5.7) and is fifth in total blocks (126).
Tess Bruffey ranks third nationally in blocks per game (3.6) and is third in total blocks (72). Each block Bruffey garners adds to her career totals (236), which are program and Heartland Conference career records.
FOUL LANGUAGE
LCU ranks second in the conference and 11th nationally in committing the fewest amount of fouls. The Lady Chaps have been whistled for 320 fouls on the season, but despite the discipline play, their opponents have attempted 28 more free throws on the season. On the road, LCU has been whistled for 21 more fouls than their opponents and it has led to 50 additional free throws for the home team (Opponents average four more points from the line when LCU plays on the road).
PARTY LIKE ITS 2017
Tess Bruffey has posted at least 14 points in nine of the 10 games LCU played in 2017 (Since Jan.1, 2017). She averaged 17.7 points a game in January and is averaging 19.7 points a game in February.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT UAFS
• The Lions, who went 21-9 last season (11-2 at home, with one of the two losses coming to LCU), are 13-10 on the season, with a conference mark of 8-4. They, like RSU, will head into a meeting against LCU 2-2 in their prior four games.
• The Heartland preseason picked UAFS to finish second in the conference. They went 12-6 in conference play last season.
• This is UAFS first season with Elena Lovato at the helm. A former Mississippi State assistant coach, Lovato replaces Louis Wharton, who retired at the close of last season.
• The Lions will seek to take advantage of LCU's perimeter defense, as UAFS leads the Heartland Conference and ranks 12th nationally with a three-point shooting mark of 37.7%.
• UAFS leads the Heartland Conference in assists per game with a mark of 14.6 per game. Their assists per game numbers are a lot higher at home, as they are averaging 19.6 assists per game over their last five home games (averaging 12 per game over their last five road games).
THE SERIES AGAINST UAFS
LCU has won all seven all-time meetings and all meetings have been in Heartland Conference action. LCU is 3-0 all-time in Fort Smith, Ark. The previous meeting in the series was Jan. 5, 2017, with LCU winning 87-47 in Lubbock.
PREVIOUS RECAP VS. UAFS
Jan. 5, 2017 (Lubbock, Texas) - LCU :87 - UAFS:47
Lubbock Christian University showed they were happy to be home after a 39-day absence from Rip Griffin Center Thursday night, returning home from an eight-game road trip and receiving 19 points from
Tess Bruffey to lead LCU to an 87-47 Heartland Conference victory over Arkansas Fort Smith. The win improved the nation's leading active home win streak to 28 wins and LCU is now 29-0 all-time in Heartland Conference home games and they have won 35 consecutive conference home games.
LCU, playing in their first home game since Nov. 21, put the contest away early. The Lady Chaparrals opened the game on a 13-0 run started by a
Hannah Harbin three-pointer. Bruffey had eight of the 13 points in the opening four minutes of the contest. Sydney Franklin connected on a three-pointer with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter for UAFS's first field goal of the game. LCU was leading 15-4 following Franklin's three-pointer. The Lady Chaps had a 7-0 scoring advantage in points off turnovers in the first quarter, helping LCU to a 22-9 lead at the quarter's close.
The Lady Chaps held UAFS to seven points in the second quarter. UAFS went a span of 6:40 without a point during the first half and LCU took advantage with a 10-0 run for a 30-9 lead with six minutes remaining in the half. Twenty seconds after the run ended, a new one began. This run was an 11-0 run, which was part of an eventual 23-2 run for LCU. The Lady Chaps led 47-16 at the half, holding UAFS to 28.6% (6/21) shooting in the half.
Allea Harris connected on a three-pointer with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter for a 77-29 lead and the 48-point margin was LCU's biggest of the game. LCU shot 60% (15/25) in the second half, shooting 64.3% (9/14) in the third quarter.
LCU shot 54.1% (33/61) in the game, going 44% (11/25) from downtown (Clair Bruffey was 3-of-4 from three-point range) and 61.1% (22/36) from inside the arc (
Tess Bruffey was 7-of-10 inside the perimeter). Lubbock Christian produced a season high 16 steals in the game (prior high was nine) and forced a season high 20 turnovers leading to a 32-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
Caitlyn Buttram had a career high three steals and
Bobbi Chitsey matched a career high with three. Along with
Tess Bruffey's 19 points, LCU received 14 points from
Allison Szabo (added nine rebounds, coming close to a double-double) and 10 points from Chitsey.
Bailey Haist (4), Harbin (2) and
Delaney Gaddis (3) combined for nine assists and no turnovers. UAFS, shooting 31.6% (18/57) in the game, was led by Maya Perry and Tayla Taylor, who each had 11 points.
