SAN ANTONIO, Texas (February 1, 2018) – No.2 Lubbock Christian University outscored St. Mary's University 24-4 in points off turnovers and Tess Bruffey chipped in 18 points to lead the Lady Chaparrals to a 64-39 Heartland Conference road win Thursday evening at Bill Greehey Arena.
 
LCU cruised from the start, opening the game on a 7-0 run, with Bruffey opening the game 4-of-4 from the field and leading LCU with nine points in the opening quarter. StMU did not receive their first field goal until 2:29 into the opening quarter. One of Bruffey's four first quarter field goals came with 4:39 left in the quarter to put LCU up 15-6, before StMU responded with a 6-0 run to cut the LCU to 15-12. Twenty seconds later, Bobbi Chitsey nailed a three-pointer and helped LCU go on an 8-0 run.  Six of the eight points closed out the opening quarter for a 21-12 lead heading into the second quarter.  The Rattlers responded with another 6-0 run, cutting the LCU lead to 26-20 with 5:26 left in the second quarter, but they would hit a wall. LCU went on a 9-0 run highlighted with another Chitsey three-pointer.  Chitsey had five points in the quarter and ended the half co-leading the Lady Chaps (with Bruffey) with 10 points to help LCU to a 35-22 halftime lead. LCU had a 16-4 advantage in points off turnovers in the first half.
 
The Lady Chaps opened the second half 0-of-7 from the field and did not received their first field goal of the half until Delaney Gaddis' layup 5:21 into the third quarter. StMU had opened the half on a 6-0 run, but once LCU ended the Rattlers run, they never looked back. LCU, hitting four straight shots after opening the half 0-of-7 from the field, outscored the Rattlers 29-11 over the final 16:04 of the game. Included in the offensive sure for LCU was a 13-5 run capped by a jumper from Chitsey to put LCU up 48-33 with 1:50 left in the third quarter. Bruffey registered five points in the third quarter to give LCU a 48-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter. StMU was 2-of-13 (15.4%) from the field in the fourth quarter. LCU was 6-of-9 inside the arc in the fourth quarter and 7-of-12 (58.3%) overall in the final frame. LCU closed the game on a 14-2 run.
 
Bruffey led all scorers with 18 points. She also added a team leading four rebounds and contributed a season high six assists. Chitsey (12 points) and Olivia Robertson (10 points) joined Bruffey in double figures. Soteria Banks (11 points) and Hannah Wilson (10 points) led the St. Mary's offense.
 
LCU turned the ball over a season low seven times during the contest. It was their fewest amount of turnovers in a game since committing six against Texas A&M International on Feb. 2, 2017. LCU's 24 points off turnovers was a season high.
 
Holding StMU to 39 points marked the third time this season LCU (6-0 on the road) has held their opponent on the road to under 40 points. StMU was also held to a 34.8% shooting mark (16/46), which marked the fifth time LCU has held the opponent on the road to less than 35% shooting from the field.
 
The Lady Chaps also registered a 12-5 scoring advantage in points from the line. They have now outscored their opponents 100-49 in points from the free-throw line in six road games. StMU was held to five points from the free-throw line in each game of this season series.
 
LCU moved to 20-1 on the season and are 9-0 in conference play. StMU fell to 10-12 overall 4-5 in the conference.
 
TURNING POINT
StMU missed a golden opportunity with LCU opening the second half 0-of-7 from the field. While LCU went until the 4:39 mark without a field goal (in the third quarter), StMU was able to go on a 6-0 run on 3-of-5 shooting in the span, but the two misses and two turnovers committed provided LCU with four stops, which helped them overcome the dry spell. StMU went 3-of-7 (42.8%) the remainder of the quarter and converted on five of their final 20 shot attempts in the game (25%).
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Bruffey was able to lead LCU despite coming up with four rebounds, as LCU produced a season low 30 rebounds. They were outrebounded 31-30 (5-0 when being outrebounded), marking their lowest rebound total since notching 27 at Southwest Baptist on Dec. 1, 2016. Although a low rebound total, LCU did have rebounds from 11 different individuals.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
LCU's magic number towards at least a share of the Heartland Conference regular season title is at "2." They are back in action Saturday in Laredo, Texas, closing a four-game road trip facing Texas A&M International.