ST. MARY'S (17-3, 9-1) at LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (11-9, 6-3)
Saturday, February 4, 2017 - 1:00 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 9-3
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PUTTING IT ON THE LINE
Lubbock Christian University puts all of their home win streaks on the line Saturday, hosting Heartland Conference co-leading St. Mary's. LCU is sitting in fourth place in the Heartland Conference with a 6-3 conference mark (11-9 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
Claire Bruffey recorded a career high 22 points and
Tess Bruffey provided 17 points, as the sisters combined for 39 points and helped Lubbock Christian University knock down a season high 16 three-pointers (one shy of matching a program record) in an 84-49 win over Texas A&M International Thursday evening. The contest was part of the NCAA Div.II Basketball Showcase, as the Heartland Conference game was carried nationally on American Sports Network and the first ever nationally televised event inside Rip Griffin Center.
LCU produced 51 points from their bench, with four players coming off the bench to set career highs in points.
Claire Bruffey, whose prior career high was nine points, had 16 points in the first half. She was 5-of-7 from long range to start the game and finished 7-of-12, coming up one three-pointer short of matching the program single-game record. Toss in her sister Tess's long distance shooting (2-of-3) and the sisters were a combined 9-of-15 from downtown.
Tess had the upper hand in the opening quarter, connecting on a pair of three-pointers and knocking down four field goals for 10 points in the quarter. LCU was 9-of-14 from the field in the quarter and closed the quarter on a 17-2 run to take a 24-14 lead.
The sisters would have 28 combined points at the half and accounted for 10 of the team's 15 field goals in the half. LCU had an 18-15 scoring advantage in the second quarter for a 42-29 halftime lead.
LCU pulled away in the second half, as 10 different Lady Chaps had a point in the second half. The Lady Chaps shot 57.1% (8/14) in the third quarter. They used an 11-2 run to outscore the Dustdevils 18-7 in the quarter and took an 84-49 lead heading into the final quarter.
Caitlyn Buttram and Kambry Blakey came off the bench to score six points apiece in the fourth quarter, and they were part of a 57.1% (8/14) shooting performance in the quarter for LCU. Buttram was 2-of-3 from three-point range in the quarter. LCU's bench posted 24 points in the fourth quarter and LCU led as much as 82-43 prior to the final horn.
The Lady Chaps had at least three three-pointers in each quarter and finished with 16 three-pointers. The program single game record stands as 17, set Dec.10, 2015 against Oklahoma City. They were 47.1% from long range with a 16-of-34 performance from behind the arc.
Overall, LCU was 48.4% (30/62) from the field, with 16 three-pointers and 14 field goals for two points. Eleven of LCU's 12 players that touched the floor figured into the offense.
Claire Bruffey (22 points), Blakey (six points), Buttram (six points) each set a career high in scoring and
Abby Morris matched a career high with three points.
Allea Harris and Claire each set career highs in rebounds and co-led LCU with six rebounds. Claire and Tess were the only Lady Chaps in double figures.
TAMIU finished the contest 38.8% (19/49) from the field. They were outscored 42-20 in the second half. LCU outrebounded TAMIU 42-23. Nayiri Aslanian led TAMIU with 20 points, connecting on four three-pointers.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
LCU has only played six of their 20 games at home this season. They are 6-0 at home this season and 31-0 all-time in Heartland Conference home games. LCU holds the nation's longest home win streak at 30 games and have won 37 consecutive conference home games.
Tess Bruffey leads LCU at home this season with an average of 17.2 points per game. She also averages 8.5 rebounds at home. LCU is shooting 46.6% at home and holding opponents to a 28.0% 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.
D-FENCE
LCU's defense ranks third nationally, holding the opposition to a 32.9% shooting mark, despite ranking 244th nationally in three-point shooting defense (33.9%). LCU has allowed 129 three-pointers this season, but inside the arc, their defense has held opponents to a 32.4% shooting mark.
BLOCKING THINGS OUT
LCU, who led NCAA in blocks last season, ranks eighth in the NCAA this season in blocks per game (5.4) and is 12th in total blocks (108).
Tess Bruffey ranks eighth nationally in blocks per game (3.1) and is 13th in total blocks (55). Each block Bruffey garners adds to her career totals (219), which are program and Heartland Conference career records.
FOUL LANGUAGE
LCU ranks second in the conference and 23
rd nationally in committing the fewest amount of fouls. The Lady Chaps have been whistled for 300 fouls on the season, but despite the discipline play, their opponents have attempted 38 more free throws on the season.
PARTY LIKE ITS 2017
Tess Bruffey has posted at least 14 points in seven of the eight games LCU played in January. She averaged 17.7 points a game in the month of January and followed with 17 in the opening game of February.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT StMU
• The Rattlers, who went 18-10 last season are 17-3 this season and are 9-1 in conference play. Two of their losses were against Texas A&M Kingsville and their lone conference loss was to St. Edward's.
• The Heartland preseason picked StMU to finish fourth in the conference. They went 11-7 in conference play last season.
• StMU has a six-game win streak and is coming off a 71-57 win at Rogers State for their third straight road win (5-2 on the road).
• Kiara Etheridge was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women's Division II National Player of the Week on Tuesday. She averaged 24.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game as the Rattlers pushed their win streak to six games with road victories at Arkansas-Fort Smith and Rogers State.
• Etheridge ranks 28th in NCAA Div. II in rebounds per game (10.1), ranking fifth nationally in defensive rebounds per game (8). She also ranks 11th with 11 double-double.
THE SERIES AGAINST StMU
LCU leads the all-times series 9-3 over StMU. LCU is 6-2 against the Rattlers since joining the Heartland. StMU won the prior meeting this season 55-47 in San Antonio, Texas (Dec. 31, 2016). The prior meeting in Lubbock resulted in a 77-47 LCU win on Feb. 25, 2016.
PREVIOUS RECAP VS. StMU
Dec. 31, 2016 (San Antonio, Texas) - LCU :47 - StMU:55
Allison Szabo (12 rebounds, 10 points) completed her third consecutive game with a double-double, but it was not enough, as St. Mary's University defeated Lubbock Christian University 55-47 to end the Lady Chaparrals 18-game Heartland Conference win streak and end a streak of 11 consecutive conference opening wins.
St. Mary's received a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) by Arysia Porter and won the contest despite shooting 27% (20/74) from the field. The Rattlers had 27 more shot attempts
than LCU, due in part to a 52-37 rebound advantage and a 17-8 advantage in forced turnovers. Credit the discipline of StMU, who committed eight turnovers and 10 fouls in the game. Toss in nine steals and StMU outscored LCU 11-2 in points off turnovers. Of the 52 rebounds for StMU, 25 were on the offensive end, leading to an 11-5 advantage in second chance scoring. The numbers spelled "doom" for LCU in the contest that did not see either team have more than an eight-point lead. StMU outscored LCU in each quarter, but did not outscore LCU by more than three points in any quarter. The contest also included seven lead changes.
LCU heaved up a season high 30 three-point attempts (most since Mar. 11 vs. Angelo State), connecting on nine of the attempts. The three-pointers did not come from the usual three-point shooters, as
Hannah Harbin (tied career high),
Allison Szabo (tied career high) and
Olivia Robertson (new career high) each contributed two three-pointers and each hit career marks in the process. Robertson led LCU with 12 points off 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Harbin just missed a double-double, as she had eight points and a career high nine rebounds.
The loss ended LCU's 18-game Heartland Conference win streak. It also ended a streak of 11 consecutive conference openers. They fall to 12-2 all-time under
Steve Gomez in conference openers and 3-1 in Heartland Conference openers. In addition, LCU falls to 4-2 all-time in games played on New Year's Eve.
St. Mary, who held LCU to 18 second-half points, outscored LCU 9-4 from the free-throw line.
