ST. EDWARD'S (9-8, 3-2)
at No.3 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (15-1, 4-0)
Thursday, January 18, 2018 - 6 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
TV: Fox 34 News Now
Radio: 100.7 The Score
All-Time Series: LCU Leads 9-6
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FOLLOWING THE BREAK AFTER THE BREAK
No.3 Lubbock Christian University is coming off a 70-38 victory (Jan. 10) at Rogers State University, which was their lone game over an 11-day stretch. The rest and relaxation comes to an end Thursday, as the Lady Chaparrals host defending Heartland Conference champions, St. Edward's University. It is a normal conference week for LCU, as they complete the week Saturday hosting Oklahoma Christian.
WEDNESDAY WRITE-UP
No.3/5 Lubbock Christian University held Rogers State University to six two-point field goals and
Caitlyn Cunyus' 14-point performance topped a foursome of Lady Chaparrals in double-figures, as LCU marched to a 70-38 victory over Rogers State inside Expo Center Wednesday night in their first Heartland Conference road test of the season.
In the opening 2:23 of the game, RSU was charged up and opened the game with a 7-2 lead, as LCU was 1-of-6 from the field to start the contest. Darian Jackson hit one of two three-pointers in the opening 5:22 of the game and her trey provided RSU a 10-6 lead. RSU, 3-of-5 from the field to that point, would be held to 28 points the rest of the way and they would go 8-of-45 (17.8%) from the field in the game's remainder.
LCU took advantage of the dry spell, responding with a 12-0 run over the final 4:38 of the quarter to take an 18-10 lead.
Olivia Robertson was the spark for LCU, scoring nine of her 11 points in the opening quarter. LCU struggled most of the night from long range, but excelled inside the arc. The second quarter was a perfect example, as they were 0-of-5 from long distance in the quarter, but 7-of-9 (77.8%) inside the perimeter. On the defensive end, they held RSU to a 1-of-9 (11.1%) shooting performance in the quarter. The Hillcats were 0-of-8 inside the arc during the quarter.
Bobbi Chitsey scored six of LCU's 14 points in the quarter and she led LCU to a 32-16 halftime lead.
RSU did not register their second two-point field goal of the game until Ke'Aunna Johnson's layup with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter. It ended a sequence of 22 consecutive missed shots inside the perimeter for RSU. Johnson's layup ended a 6-0 LCU run in the third quarter and cut LCU's lead to 44-26. Cunyus racked up seven points in the quarter to help LCU lead 49-30 through three quarters. A 12-2 run in the fourth quarter, capped by a
Emma Middleton three-pointer, helped LCU lead 65-34 with 3:12 remaining. Six different Lady Chaps had at least one field goal in the fourth quarter for LCU, who led as much as 34 points (70-36) in the game.
Tess Bruffey recorded her seventh double-double in the game, notching 11 rebounds and 10 points. She was not the lone player with a double-double performance, as Lauren Schuldt recorded one for RSU (11 rebounds and 10 points). Schuldt, RSU's leading scoring, achieved hers in an aggravating fashion. She missed her first 12 shot attempts and finished the night 1-of-14 from the field.
Cunyus and Bruffey were joined in double figures by
Bobbi Chitsey (13 points) and Robertson (11 points). LCU was a season-best 91.7% (11-of-12) from the free-throw line and they had a 17-8 advantage in turnovers. Their eight turnovers committed was a season low and the fewest committed since Mar. 11, 2016 against Angelo State.
LCU was 41.5% (27/65) from the field in the game. They were 5-of-23 (21.7%) from long range and 52.4% (22/42) inside the arc. RSU finished the game 22% (11/50) from the field. They were 5-of-9 (55.6%) from downtown, but shot 14.6% (6-of-41) inside the perimeter.
MARGINALIZE
LCU moved up to 11th nationally with a conference leading scoring margin of 20.4 points per game in outscoring their opponents. In the prior six games played prior Jan. 4, LCU had single-digit wins in three of the contests. In their three games since, LCU outscored their opponents by an average of 28.6 points.
MARGINS PART II
Another margin LCU leads the Heartland Conference in is rebounding margin (26th nationally), with an average of 7.3 more rebounds per game over their opposition. They have a 16.7 per game rebounding advantage over their opponents in the last three games. Their season high came Jan. 6 (their last home game), with a +19 rebound advantage over St. Mary's.
DOWN, BUT NOT OUT
Trailing 7-2 2:23 into their contest Jan. 10 at Rogers State, LCU was staring at a five-point deficit. It was LCU's biggest deficit they have overcome this season. In their 15 wins this season, LCU has faced and overcome deficits in eight of them, and all deficits (in their wins) have occurred in the first quarter. LCU has not trailed at the conclusion of the first quarter in any of their 15 wins.
NATIONALLY KNOWN
New national rankings came out Tuesday afternoon, and the Lady Chaparrals remained at No.3 in the D2SIDA poll and moved to No.3 in the WBCA poll. They are the top team in the polls of teams that have suffered a loss. The No.3 ranking marks their best ranking this season in each poll.
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES
LCU leads the Heartland Conference and ranks 12th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 47.0% from the field. They also lead the nation in field goal defense, holding the opposition to 31.7% shooting on the season. Their allowance of 52.1 points per game ranks third in the nation.
PERIMETER PLAY
Despite ranking seventh in the Heartland in three-point field goal attempts, LCU leads the conference in three-point field goals made per game (7.3), as they have the 11th best three-point shooting percentage in the nation at 38.3%. On the other end, LCU leads the Heartland Conference holding opponents to a 29.1% shooting percentage from long range.
BLOCKING IT OUT
Tess Bruffey, who ranked second nationally last season in blocks per game (3.9), leads the nation with 72 blocks on the season. Her 72 blocks come at a rate of 4.5 per game (second nationally) and she has more blocks than all but 28 NCAA Div. II teams (301 teams in Div. II). The Lady Chaps, as a team, leads the nation with 111 blocks. In her career, Bruffey has a program and conference record 344 blocks, marking her as the NCAA Div. II's active career leader (third among all levels). She also ranks on the NCAA Div. II's active career leader charts in points (1,468, 13th), field goals (538, 11th) and double-doubles (21, 16th).
WHAT IS ON THE LINE?
LCU became the 16th team in NCAA Division II women's basketball history to win 42 consecutive home games with their win over Texas A&M International on Jan.4 (it actively leads NCAA Div. II). If LCU extends the streak to 44 (currently at 43), they will match Ashland for 15th place on the all-time list for consecutive home wins in NCAA Division II history. The record is 87 consecutive home victories by Nebraska-Kearney, who completed the task from Jan. 31, 1995 - Nov. 24, 2001. LCU's last home loss came on Jan. 1, 2015 against Oklahoma City University. LCU has also won 45 consecutive home conference games, with their last conference home loss occurring Jan. 10, 2013 (against Oklahoma City). They are 39-0 all-time in Heartland Conference home games. LCU has had two close calls during their 43-game home win streak, with two of the contests resulting in overtime wins. The last was their home finale last season, which resulted in an 84-80 win over St. Edward's.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SEU
• The Hilltoppers are 9-8 overall and 3-2 in conference play this season. They have won three of their last four games to get over .500, and like LCU, they enter the game following a win over Rogers State (67-61 on Jan. 13 in Austin, Texas).
• The Heartland Conference Preseason Poll selected SEU to finish third despite winning the regular season and tournament title last season. They are currently 3-2 this season in conference play (tied for fourth) and went 13-3 in conference play last season.
• The Hilltoppers lead the Heartland Conference in turnovers forced with an average of 18.6 forced per game.
• SEU sits right behind LCU in the conference in scoring defense, as they have held opponents to a pace of 58.4 points per game this season (37th nationally).
• This is not SEU's first trip to Lubbock this season and they also have some local ties. On Nov. 5, SEU played Texas Tech in an exhibition game and fell 73-40. On the roster for the 'toppers is former Frenship High School product Abby Hopper.
THE SERIES AGAINST SEU
LCU has won eight of the last 10 meetings and leads the all-time series lead at 9-6. The two teams split the regular season series (home team won each meeting) last season before SEU clinched a NCAA Division II South Central Region berth with a 52-44 win over LCU at the Heartland Conference Tournament in Tulsa. The two teams have played in the championship game of the conference tournament the past two seasons. LCU is 5-0 all-time against SEU in Lubbock.
PRIOR MEETING VS. SEU
Mar. 5, 2017 (Tulsa, Okla.): SEU 52 - LCU 44
Lubbock Christian University's streak of consecutive eligible seasons with a national tournament berth in women's basketball came to an end at 11, as the No.3-seeded Lady Chaparrals suffered a season-ending 52-44 loss to No.1-seed St. Edward's in the championship game of the Heartland Conference Tournament inside John Q. Hammons Arena (UMAC).
LCU, who closed their NAIA era with 10 straight NAIA National Tournament appearances, was seeking their second straight NCAA Div. II South Central Regional berth and their second straight Heartland Conference Tournament title. St. Edward's, who LCU defeated in last season's conference tournament title match, denied the Lady Chaps from the automatic bid Sunday was stellar defense in which LCU was unable to get in any scoring rhythm.
The Lady Chaparrals totaled season lows in points (44), three-point field goals (1) and three-point shooting percentage (4.5%). The three-point field goal marked the first time since Jan. 24, 2015 (at St. Edward's) in which the Lady Chaps were held to one three-pointer, while their point total and three-point shooting mark were the poorest since scoring 44 points and being held without a three-pointer on Nov. 5, 2011 at home against Metropolitan State.
As poor as LCU shot from the field, they were never out of the game and even had the lead on occasions. Neither team had more than an eight-point lead in the game.
SEU had a 10-2 run in the opening quarter to start the game with a 10-2 league. LCU responded with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 10-8, but LCU went the final 2:40 of the quarter without a point and trailed 12-8.
The Lady Chaps were a miserable 1-of-22 from three-point range, while SEU was 7-of-17 with timely treys nailed along the way. Abby Hopper's only three-pointer came in response of LCU tying the game at 12-12 in the second quarter and it sparked a 6-0 run for an 18-12 advantage with 6:25 remaining in the half.
Delaney Gaddis, one of LCU's few bright spots on the day with a 3-of-4 shooting performance inside the arc, had tied the game at 20-20 late in the half, but Bailey Hill tossed up a successful three-point attempt at the buzzer to give SEU a 23-20 halftime lead.
Hill would hit another three-pointer for the opening three-pointer of the second half and provided another six-point deficit LCU had to overcome. In a span of 2:05, Hill hit three-three-pointers, with the third trey representing SEU's only points while LCU went on a 10-3 run with
Bobbi Chitsey converting on a layup for a 30-29 LCU lead.
LCU's only three-pointer of the game was made by Chitsey and it was tallied with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter and it sent the contest into the fourth quarter tied 33-33. It marked the only time this season LCU had a score tied at the conclusion of the third quarter.
Lubbock Christian led 38-37 with 8:19 remaining after a layup by
Bailey Haist, but then LCU went the next six minutes without a field goal and SEU went on a 9-0 run. The Lady Chaps shot 28.6% (4/14) in the fourth quarter and could not overcome the deficit.
LCU was 32.1% from the field (18/56), which was their worst shooting performance since a 30.6% shooting woe on Nov. 17, 2014 at Colorado School of Mines. They were 50% (17/34) from inside the arc.
Chitsey finished with her fifth consecutive game in double figures with 14 points to lead LCU.
Tess Bruffey, who struggled with a 5-of-19 shooting performance, finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.
The two teams combined for seven second-chance points (SEU with three). SEU (20-8) was 32.7% (16/49) from the field, shooting just 28.1% (9/32) inside the arc. They made seven of their 16 field goals from long range, going 7-of-17 (41.2%) from long distance. Khiana Clark was SEU's leading scorer with a game high 20 points.
