No.15/18 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (7-2, 0-0)
at SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE (5-1, 0-0)
Monday, December 3 – 5:30 PM                                             
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: Online Only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 3-2
 
IN BETWEEN
Lubbock Christian University's only two December home games were scheduled the first and last day of the month, and in between are four consecutive games away from Rip Griffin Center. The four-game stretch begins Monday wth a 5:30 p.m. tip-off at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla. The first three games of the stretch are true road games. LCU, 7-2 this season, is 0-1 in road games after a 67-56 loss at Tarleton State on Nov. 21.  
 
SATURDAY SUMMARY
LCU's Olivia Robertson scored 11 points in the opening quarter and finished with 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to complete a double-double and a 77-65 win over No.15 (NAIA) Our Lady of the Lake University Saturday afternoon. The win inside Rip Griffin Center marked LCU's 56th consecutive home win and they become the seventh program in NCAA to reach 56 straight home wins. The streak actively leads NCAA Division II.

OLLU, which counted this game as an exhibition game, was 23-of-42 (54.8%) inside the arc (42.9% overall off 27-of-63 shooting) and outscored LCU 42-24 in the paint. The 18-point disadvantage in paint scoring was LCU's worst since Southwestern Oklahoma State outscored LCU 48-28 in the paint on Dec. 7, 2017. Destinee King led OLLU with 15 points. They also received 12 points from Kasey Saldana and 11 points from Dezaree White.

Robertson was one of three Lady Chaps in double figures offensively. Allie Schulte finished with 18 points and Kailin Davis matched a season high with 15 points. Facing the NAIA's third-best free-throw shooting squad, LCU had a 14-7 scoring advantage from the line, as LCU shot a season-best 82.4% (14-of-17) from the charity stripe. LCU had a 37-29 rebound advantage, with 12 offensive boards, leading to an 18-9 scoring advantage in second-chance scoring.

LCU made 11 three-pointers (Schulte was 4-of-7), marking their fifth game this season with at least 10 three-pointers. They attempted 30 three-point attempts, matching a season high and they have come in consecutive home games (LCU has 27 made three-pointers in two consecutive home games).
 
ON THE ROAD
The Lady Chaps have played three games away from home, with a pair of neutral site games and one true road game. Olivia Robertson leads LCU away from home with an average of 16.7 points per game. Allie Schulte also averages double figures in points away from home (12.3). Schulte (9-of-14, 64.3%) and Robertson (5-of-7, 71.4%) are a combined 14-of-21 (66.7%) from three-point range away from home.  LCU has been plagued by turnovers on the road, averaging 20.0 turnovers per game.
 
NO FOUL PLAY
The Lady Chaps rank 21st in the nation in fouls per game, with an average of 15.0 fouls per game. Fouls have led LCU to averaging 13.0 points a game from the free-throw line (opponents are averaging 10.3 points per game from the line).
 
NOT THE NORM
The Lady Chaps were out-shot 42.9% to 42.6% Saturday, marking the second consecutive game the opposition has had a better shooting percentage. The last time LCU was out-shot in consecutive games was the final game of the 2016-17 season (Mar. 5, 2017 vs. St. Edward's) and the opening game of the 2017-18 season (Nov. 10, 2017 vs. CSU-Pueblo). If the streak is extended Monday to three-consecutive games, it would mark the first time LCU has been out-shot in three consecutive games since the final game of the 2009-10 season, combined with the first two games of the 2010-11 season.
 
SISTER CHRISTIAN
On Nov.10, CSU-Pueblo marked the first time in LCU program history in which a pair of sisters tallied double figures, as LCU received double-digit point production from Olivia Robertson, Juliana Robertson, Bobbi Chitsey and Maddi Chitsey. LCU has three sisters on the squad, and Saturday marked the first game this season in which all three sets of sisters played in the same game.
 
LENDING A HELPING HAND
LCU has three players with at least an average of 2.0 assists per game.  Allie Schulte leads the team with 35 assists (3.9 per game), with Olivia Robertson (21, 2.3) and Bobbi Chitsey (2.0) also providing into the ball distribution. LCU averages 15.4 assists (leads the Heartland Conference) on 24.2 field goals per game.  LCU has a conference leading 139 assists, ranking 28th nationally in the category.
 
BOARD GAMES
The Lady Chaps rank eighth in the Heartland Conference in rebounds per game (32.1), but rank second Heartland Conference in rebounding margin with a mark of 4.8. Olivia Robertson leads LCU with 55 rebounds (6.1 per game).
 
DOWNTOWN
LCU had their fifth game with at least 10 three-pointers Saturday and have 21 over their prior two games. The Lady Chaps rank fifth nationally with 79 three-pointers on the season and is third with a shooting mark of 42.9% from long range.
 
RANKING THINGS
With a pair of losses during the Thanksgiving Week, LCU fell in the D2SIDA and WBCA national rankings. The Lady Chaps dropped from No.3 to No. 15 in D2SIDA and No.10 to No.18 in the WBCA poll.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT SWOSU
- Southwestern Oklahoma State is 5-1 after a 96-70 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State Saturday. The win extended their win streak to five consecutive games.
- The Lady Bulldogs went 26-5 last season, with an 11-3 mark in Great American Conference  (GAC) play. They qualified for the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament, where they fell in their opening game to Fort Hays State.
- SWOSU is preseason picked to win the GAC this season. They are currently 2-0 in conference play.    
- The Lady Bulldogs have won 21 consecutive home games, which is the seventh longest active home win streak in NCAA Division II. LCU leads the category with 56.
- SWOSU ranks third nationally in turnovers per game with a low of 10.3 per game. They committed seven turnovers Saturday against SEOSU and outscored SEOSU 28-5 in points off turnovers. They average outscoring opponents 25.0 - 7.5 per game in points-off-turnovers.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST SWOSU
LCU is 3-2 all-time against SWOSU, with last season's meeting marking the first between the two programs in Lubbock. The first two all-time meetings were each neutral site contests, with SWOSU winning in Wichita Falls, Texas on Dec. 5, 1992 (87-53) and LCU winning in Plainview, Texas on Nov. 25, 2000 (79-63). LCU is 1-1 in meetings in Weatherford, Okla. after falling 90-63 in the prior meeting there due to SWOSU knocking down a record 15 three-pointers (most ever allowed by LCU) on Dec. 10, 2016.
 
RECAPPING THE PRIOR MEETING VS SWOSU
Lubbock, Texas (Dec. 7, 2017) – LCU 95, SWOSU 65
The story was nearly a carbon copy… The only difference was the teams. In the previous meeting between Lubbock Christian University and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, which was on Dec. 10, 2016 in Weatherford, Okla., SWOSU hit 15 three-pointers (the most ever allowed by LCU) and defeated LCU 90-63. This time (Dec. 7, 2017) inside Rip Griffin Center, LCU returned the favor, hitting 15 three-pointers and receiving 25 points, six three-pointers and seven blocks from Tess Bruffey to lead No.5/6 LCU to a 95-65 win over No.14/19 SWOSU.
 
There were several minor storylines that played out, which drew similarities to their 2016 meeting. In the opening quarter of the 2016 clash, SWOSU's Hailey Tucker hit five three-pointers (on six attempts) and registered 17 points in the quarter to give SWOSU a 26-9 lead at the end of the quarter.  In Thursday's edition, it was Bruffey taking the first quarter spotlight with 15 points in the quarter and hitting her career high mark in three-pointers with four in the quarter. LCU was able to generate an 8-0 run in the quarter, while SWOSU opened the game 1-of-10 and 3-of-18 from the field, to provide the Lady Chaparrals a 27-13 lead at the end of the quarter. LCU made six three-pointers during a 7-of-12 shooting stretch in the quarter.
 
The Lady Bulldogs tried to wither the storm of the LCU offense and attempted to respond with a nice scoring stretch that included a 7-of-8 shooting stretch (the stretch was part of a 9-of-12 and eventual 15-of-22 shooting mark from the field). The Bulldogs could do no better than a 12-5 run behind the hot shooting.  It was able to cut the LCU lead to 36-28 (3:47 remaining in the second quarter), but LCU answered late in the first half with a 7-0 run spearheaded by a Bruffey three-pointer. Tucker was able to bounce back from opening the game missing her first four attempts with seven points in the second quarter for SWOSU, who shot 72.7% (8/11) in the quarter. LCU led 43-32 at the half behind an 18-point half from Bruffey, who was 6-of-7 from the field (5-of-6 from three-point range) in the half.
 
SWOSU had an early stretch of 6-of-8 shooting in the second half, and Tyra Aska hit one of three field goals in the quarter with 5:31 remaining in the quarter to cut LCU's lead to 58-45.  The Lady Bulldogs, who cut the margin to 10 points on two prior occasions in the half, ran out of gas trying to trade blows with LCU.  As SWOSU was hitting their offensive stride, LCU was a touch better with an 8-of-9 shooting stretch in the third quarter. LCU was 11-of-19 (57.9%) from the field in the quarter, with a 12-0 run following Aska's bucket with 5:31 left in the quarter resulting in a 70-45 lead. Bobby Chitsey led LCU in the quarter with seven points and LCU took a 72-51 lead into the final quarter.
 
LCU was 57.9% (11/19) from the field in the third quarter and followed going 54.5% (6-of-11) from the field in the fourth quarter. SWOSU hit a bump going 0-of-8 from the field during a 4:09 span without a field goal. LCU was able to go on a 14-4 to put the game out of reach during SWOSU's dry spell.
 
The Lady Chaps were 50.8% (30/59) shooting in the game and went 15-of-30 (50%) from long range. Eight different Lady Chaps popped the "three," and their season high mark of 15 was the most since they posted their program record 18 on Feb. 18, 2017 against Oklahoma Panhandle State. The Lady Chaps matched a season high with 13 blocked shots. Six different Lady Chaps played into the count, including two by Maddi Chitsey and seven from Bruffey. Joining Bruffey, who matched a season high with 25 points, in double figures was Maddi Chitsey (17 points), Bobbi Chitsey (13 points) and Caitlyn Cunyus (10 points). LCU assisted on 23 of 30 field goals, with Delaney Gaddis producing a season high seven assists. The game marked the second time in their LCU careers in which both Chitsey sisters posted at least 10 points in a game and the first at home. Both instances have come against a nationally ranked opponent.
 
Tucker led SWOSU with 17 points, and they also received 13 points from Tyra Aska and 12 points from Penina Faumui.