EASTERN NEW MEXICO (7-2, 2-0 Lone Star)
LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (9-4, 0-0 Heartland)
Monday, December 31 – 3:00 PM CT
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: KJTV 100.7 FM "The Score"
All-Time Series: ENMU leads 24-13
 
BEFORE WE HIT 2019
Lubbock Christian University, who has had one home game since Nov. 17, returns home to close out the 2018 calendar year hosting Eastern New Mexico for their final non-conference contest of the season. The Lady Chaparrals bring a two-game win streak into the contest after a pair of wins (Dec. 17-18) at the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic in Bellingham, Wash. Monday's home game is LCU's only home game over a seven-game stretch. They will open conference play with a two-game road trip beginning Jan. 10 at Texas A&M International.   
 
A LOOK BACK AT THEIR LAST GAME
Sisters Bobbi Chitsey (26 points) and Maddi Chitsey (17 points) combined for 43 points, and Bobbi's 21 points in the second half helped LCU overcome a halftime deficit and the Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals closed out the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic with a 70-64 win over Simon Fraser Dec. 18 inside Carver Gym on the Western Washington campus. Olivia Robertson added a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) and claimed Tournament MVP honors. Bobbi Chitsey also received All-Tournament Team accolades.

The contest had nine lead changes and the score was tied on six occasions. SFU led for
18:25 and LCU led for 17:47. The Clan led for most of the first half of play. LCU had a 5-2 lead after a three-pointer from Allie Schulte, but SFU responded with a 10-0 run for a 12-5 lead. Jessica Jones knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the quarter and SFU led 17-15 at the quarter's close. Maddi Chitsey registered nine points in the second quarter for LCU, but SFU had 10 points off nine LCU turnovers and outscored LCU 21-18 in the quarter to take a 38-33 halftime lead.

Bobbi Chitsey was 8-of-9 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range, and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line in her career-high 26-point performance. Maddi had 17 points and Robertson added 12 points, including her third double-double of the season. The trio shot a combined 22-of-25 from the free-throw line. LCU was 48.8% (21/43) from the field, shooting 58.6% (17/29) inside the arc. They struggled from outside, shooting 28.6% from long range.

SFU (5-4), the only Canada based NCAA program, received 15 points from Jessica Jones, who hit five three-pointers. Taylor Drynan added 14 points for the Clan and she had three three-pointers to combine with Jones to produce eight of Simon Fraser's 11 three-pointers (11/25, 44.2%).

LCU moved to 1-1 all-time against SFU, who they were seeing for the first time since a meeting in Plainview, Texas during the 1998-99 season.

HOMELAND SECURITY
LCU completed their home schedule going 16-0 last season season. They are the seventh team in NCAA Division II women's basketball history to win 56 consecutive home games with their win over Our Lady of the Lake on Dec. 1 (it actively leads NCAA Div. II). If LCU extends the streak to 58, they would become the sixth team in NCAA Division II history to hit the plateau. 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 49 consecutive home conference games, with their last conference home loss occurring Jan. 10, 2013 (against Oklahoma City). They are 43-0 all-time in Heartland Conference home games.
 
NO FOUL PLAY
The Lady Chaps rank 26th in the nation in fouls per game, with an average of 15.2 fouls per game. Fouls have led LCU to averaging 13.9 points a game from the free-throw line (opponents are averaging 10.8 points per game from the line). The Lady Chaps have shot over 80% from the free-throw line in seven games this season and rank 31^st nationally with a conference-leading mark of 75.4% on the season. Olivia Robertson leads the team (of qualified attempts), shooting 86.9% (53/61) from the line to lead the conference. Robertson is 25-of-27 (92.6%) over the past four combined games and has made 17 consecutive free-throw attempts heading into Monday's play. Kailin Davis does not qualify among conference and national leaders, but is 16-of-19 (84.2%) from the line this season.
 
FROM THE FIELD
The Lady Chaps, despite shooting their second lowest shooting mark of the season on Dec. 17 (vs. Western Washington), continues to rank in the top-20 nationally in shooting, ranking 18^th nationally with a 46.4% field goal shooting percentage. LCU has shot at least 41.9% in all but two games this season and have hit the .500 plateau on three occasions. They are shooting 47.4% this season in home contests.
 
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 Dec. 8 marked the first game this season in which all three sets of sisters played in the same game.
 
LENDING A HELPING HAND
LCU has four players with at least an average of 2.0 assists per game.  Allie Schulte leads the team with 47 assists (3.6 per game), with Olivia Robertson (30, 2.3), Bobbi Chitsey (2.1) and Caitlyn Cunyus (2.5) also providing into the ball distribution. LCU averages 15.0 assists (second in the Heartland Conference) on 24.1 field goals per game.  LCU has 195 assists (second in conference), ranking 19th nationally in the category.
 
HOME COURT
LCU is 6-0 inside Rip Griffin Center this season. The Lady Chaps have been led in scoring at home by Olivia Robertson (13.8 points per game), who is one of three Lady Chaps averaging double figures at home this season (Allie Schulte 13.5, Maddi Chitsey 10.3). Robertson also averages 7.3 rebounds at home this season. LCU has a 59-33 advantage in three-pointers this season at home, and they have five players shooting 50% or better from three-point range (of players with at least two three-pointers made). Madelyn Turner is 5-of-5 from long range at home this season.
 
WHAT ABOUT BOBBI
Bobbi Chitsey's 8-of-9 shooting performance on Dec. 18 against Simon Fraser was the sixth-best shooting performance (field goal percentage) by a Lady Chap since the 2009-10 season. The last time a Lady Chap had as hot of a hand as Chitsey was on Feb. 19, 2015, as Bailey Haist was 9-of-10 from the field against St. Edward's.
 
CLOSING THE CALENDAR
Monday marks LCU's final game of the 2018 calendar year.  LCU is enters Monday's game with a 28-5 (84.8%) record in games played during the 2018 calendar year. LCU is 4-2 all-time on New Year's Eve. Their last New Year's Eve game came on Dec. 31, 2016, as LCU fell 55-47 at St. Mary's. Their last New Year's Eve game in Lubbock resulted in a 96-51 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Dec. 31, 2015. LCU is 3-2 all-time in New Year's Eve games played under head coach Steve Gomez and 2-1 all-time in non-conference games played on New Year's Eve. LCU had a 26-5 record (83.9%) for all games played in 2017, and went 29-10 (74.4%) in 2016 and 24-4 (85.7%) in 2015.
 
BOARD GAMES
The Lady Chaps rank eighth in the Heartland Conference in rebounds per game (32.9), but lead the Heartland Conference in rebounding margin with a mark of 4.3. Olivia Robertson leads LCU with 83 rebounds (6.4 per game). LCU has only been out-rebounded once over the prior 10 games.
 
DOWNTOWN
The Lady Chaps rank 14th nationally with 99 three-pointers on the season and is seventh with a shooting mark of 40.2% from long range. Allie Schulte is second nationally, hitting three-pointers at a pace of 51.0% on the season (25/49), with 25 three-pointers ranking 78^th nationally.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT ENMU
- Eastern New Mexico is 7-2 after a 97-96 overtime loss on Dec. 17 at Oklahoma Christian in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Greyhounds loss ended a five-game win streak and they are 0-2 in road games this season.
- The 'Hounds went 16-12 last season, with an 12-8 record in the Lone Star Conference.
- ENMU is preseason picked to finish fifth in the LSC this season. They are currently 2-0 in conference play following MSU Texas (Midwestern State) and Cameron.    
- Eastern N.M. leads the LSC and ranks ninth nationally in assists per game (18.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.3). Dasia Johnson ranks third in the LSC with 4.3 assists per game and ranks 34^th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.17).  
- The Greyhounds rank 16^th nationally in steals per game, with an average of 12.1 per game. They have five players with at least 10 steals this season, led by Treyanna Clay, who has 19.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST ENMU
The 'Hounds own a 24-13 all-time advantage against the Lady Chaps, but LCU has won the prior five meetings and 10 of the last 12. LCU is 6-2 all-time against ENMU under head coach Steve Gomez. The previous meeting in Lubbock resulted in an 89-55 LCU win on Nov. 20, 2015.  Last season, LCU won 64-55 in Portales, New Mexico (Dec. 30, 2017). ENMU is 8-3 against LCU in all-time meetings scheduled in December.
 
PREVIOUS MEETING VS. ENMU
December 30, 2017 (Portales, N.M.): LCU 64 – ENMU 55
Despite five points from the field in the second half and their worst shooting performance in over six years, No. 4 Lubbock Christian University was able to get 19 points from Tess Bruffey and a season high 15 points from Olivia Robertson en route to a 64-55 nonconference road victory over Eastern New Mexico Saturday afternoon inside Greyhound Arena. 
 
LCU scored more points from the free-throw line (34) than from the field (30) in the contest.  The last time that happened was Nov. 5, 2011 against Metropolitan State at Rip Griffin Center. Saturday, LCU was held to a 13 field goals and a mark of 28.9% (13/45) shooting from the field, which are their lowest marks since nine field goals and a 20.9% shooting mark in that same Metro State contest in their 2011-2012 season opener. The difference was LCU lost to Metro State and won Saturday's contest. Despite the shooting lull, LCU out-shot ENMU, holding the Greyhounds to a 28.4% (19/67) shooting mark. LCU was able to right the ship with 34 points from the free-throw line off a 34-of-42 shooting mark from the charity stripe (81.0%). The 34 points from the line was the most by LCU since they made 35 free-throws on Jan. 19, 2012 against Rogers State. LCU was also able to keep their turnovers down, as they finished with 10 turnovers (second fewest in a game this season).
 
The Greyhounds were nearly able to overcome their shooting woes because of 18 offensive rebounds, which led to a 20-5 advantage in second-chance-scoring. The 20 second-chance-points is the highest allowed this season by LCU and the most since Arkansas – Fort Smith tallied 21 on Feb. 11, 2017. The offensive boards also led to ENMU attempting 22 more shot attempts. It is the second time an LCU opponent has had at least 20 more shot attempts than LCU, as Midwestern State had 27 more shot attempts, due to 26 offensive rebounds, on Nov. 25.
 
The poor shooting was not around in the opening quarter for LCU. LCU shot 45.5% (5-of-11) in the opening quarter. The two teams exchanged the lead six times in the opening quarter before LCU went on a 15-4 run during a 10-minute stretch three minutes into the game, which carried into the second quarter. ENMU went on an 0-for-16 shooting slump during the stretch.
 
After the 15-4 run, LCU closed out the game's remainder going 5-of-30 (16.7 %) from the field. Leading as much as 15 points (35-20) in the opening half, LCU led 35-22 before the shooting woes were magnified in the third quarter. LCU was 1-of-7 from the field in the third quarter. Their only field goal was a three-pointer by Bruffey. It was their fewest amount of field goals in a quarter since held to one field goal in the fourth quarter against Colorado State – Pueblo (1-of-12) on Nov. 10. ENMU was able to cut LCU's lead to three points on two occasions in the second half, but LCU's 22 points from the free-throw line in the second half, off 22-of-28 shooting, allowed them to keep their distance. ENMU had a stretch in which they were 1-of-11 from the field in the fourth quarter, as LCU's defense did their part to counter their lackluster shooting effort.
 
Bruffey missed a double-double by a rebound, as she finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Nine of her 19 points came from the line. Robertson was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in her double-figure point performance. Mikaehla Connor led ENMU with 15 points and Daeshi McCants finished with 10 rebounds.