LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (13-12, 9-5) at OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (9-15, 5-8)
Saturday, February 17 – 3 PM
The Eagles' Nest (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
All-Time Series: OC leads 37-26

 
HIT THE ROAD
Saturday afternoon will wrap up a busy week for the Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals who are coming off of a Thursday night victory over Newman University. LCU will take on an Oklahoma Christian program Saturday at 3 p.m. inside The Eagles' Nest arena on the OC campus in a Heartland Conference tilt. The Chaps are looking to complete the regular season sweep of Oklahoma Christian after defeating them at home earlier this season (Jan. 20).

A LOOK AT THEIR LAST GAME
LUBBOCK, Texas (February 10, 2018) – Senior night ended with a bang while also serving as a shake-up in Heartland Conference standing for Lubbock Christian University who defeated Newman 84-67 inside Rip Griffin Center Thursday evening. Junior Brennen Fowler scooped up his eighth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Fowler's performance led four Chaps in double-scoring figures.
 
Following four lead changes within the opening six minutes of play, Lubbock Christian was able to right the ship and jump to a 17-11 lead over Newman. LCU was able to keep the Jets at bay for the over another five-minute stretch while extending their advantage to a nine-point margin after Kentton Williams split a pair of free throws with 2:19 remaining in the half. Fowler wrapped up the opening period with a layup giving the Chaparrals a 37-27 lead at halftime. 
 
Fowler's 14 first-half points came on 6-of-12 shooting to lead the Lubbock Christian squad at the break. LCU was able to pick their spots and march to a 46.4% field goal shooting average in the half. While neither squad was able to get their rhythm from three-point range, the Chaps were able to impose their defense and hold the Jets to a 34.5% (10-of-29) outing from the field throughout the opening 20 minutes. Lubbock Christian's ability to capitalize on Newman's nine turnovers set the Chaps ahead in the half as they outscored the Jets 11-0 in points off of turnovers.
 
LCU never relinquished their lead after returning to the court from the intermission. Jay Workman provided some peace-of-mind with a layup that gave the Chaps a 15-point cushion at 49-34 at the 15:43 mark. Newman then put together 10 unanswered points to pull within five. Fowler retaliated with a three-point jumper allowing the Chaparrals to explode on a 19-2 scoring run. Marcos Schuster stamped the game with his final bucket of the evening with 2:43 remaining pushing the Lubbock Christian squad to their largest lead of the night, 78-56. Although the Jets were able to score seven of the game's final 10 points, LCU held on and rolled to an 84-67 victory.
 
Williams led the charge in the final period with nine points for LCU on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and a trio of free throws. The Chaparrals were able to hold the Jets to another 10 made baskets in the half but committed 17 half fouls. Newman was able to convert 16 of their 22 free throw attempts in the second period. Lubbock Christian upstaged their opening half antics with an even more prolific second half on the offensive end capturing a 60% shooting performance (15-for-25).
 
Schuster (17 points), Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath (13 points) and Williams (10 points) all joined Fowler as the only Chaparral players scoring in double-figures. After nine free throws in the opening period, LCU finished the game shooting 22-for-29 (75.9%) from the charity stripe. Lubbock Christian's bench provided 23 points while the Chap squad converted 38 points from within the painted area.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Lubbock Christian finished the evening against Newman shooting 52.8% (28-of-53) from the floor. Their shooting performance over the Jets marks their 11^th contest this season shooting 50% or higher.
 
BACK AND FORTH
For the second time this season, LCU will be completing a week with one home and one away contest. Earlier this season, the Chaparrals traveled to Dallas, Texas for their Heartland conference season opener (Nov. 30, 2017) before returning to Rip Griffin Center for a bout against Arkansas Fort Smith (Dec. 2, 2017). LCU went 0-2 that week against DBU and UAFS who each happened to be ranked within the nation's top-25.
 
ON THE HUNT
Lubbock Christian has continued their climb up the conference standings with three consecutive victories. The Chaparrals currently occupy the Heartland's third place spot behind Arkansas Fort Smith and Dallas Baptist. With two games remaining, LCU will have to rely on themselves as well as some assistance from St. Mary's and Oklahoma Christian to catch the first place Arkansas Fort Smith. Dallas Baptist sits in second place with a 9-4 conference mark, but has played one less game than the Chaps.
 
TURNING THE TIDES
Games on the road have managed to give the Chaparrals some trouble this season. Although head coach Todd Duncan and his LCU squad finished the regular season with a 10-3 record at home, they still hold a 3-9 mark when playing on the road. That being said, two of their three road victories have come against Heartland opponents.
 
BOX SCORES ASIDE
Although the Chaps have dropped nine of their 12 games away from home this season, there has still been some positivity to be pulled from those contests. On the road, Lubbock Christian has held opponents to 44.1% shooting while netting a 45.9% average from the field. The Chaparrals have also outshot their opposition from three-point range with a 37% mark.
 
THE BREAKDOWN
Over the season, Lubbock Christian has attacked the basket from all over the floor. The Chaps have combined to average 75 points per game while holding opponents to 71. They have registered a 38.8% average from downtown led by their marksman Isaac Asrat. Asrat leads the conference and stands 14^th in the nation with his 46.5% three-point shooting mark.
 
To get to their scoring average, LCU is knocking down 26.9% of their points from beyond the arc. 52.7% of their points are coming from within the arc. More specifically, the Chaps are averaging 34.1 points per game from inside the paint calculating to 45.4% of their offensive efforts.
 
OC FACTS
- Oklahoma Christian holds a 6-6 record at home for the season with four of those wins coming against Heartland opponents.
- OC's offense will provide a solid matchup for the Chaps as the Eagles leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game (12.1).
- The Oklahoma Christian squad has had trouble containing their opponents in the second half of play. Their foes have managed to convert 40.5 second-half points over the course of the season.
- Elijah Strickland leads the OC roster with 18.1 points per contest.
- Roderick Smith (13.8), Jordan Box (17.5) and Elijah Strickland (17.7) are the only Oklahoma Christian players averaging double-scoring figures since beginning their Heartland Conference schedule.

RIVALRY AGAINST OC
Oklahoma Christian owns the edge in the overall series with a 37-26 advantage over the Chaparrals. Dating back to the 2011-2012 season, LCU has come out on top in eight of the last nine meetings. Since joining the Heartland Conference, Lubbock Christian has only lost on one occasion, a 75-55 result in Oklahoma City (Jan. 10, 2015).

PRIOR MEETING WITH OC
LUBBOCK, Texas (January 20, 2018) – Lubbock Christian University tied a bow on their week with an 89-74 Heartland Conference victory over Oklahoma Christian Saturday afternoon inside Rip Griffin Center. Brennen Fowler led all scorers with 22 points and nine boards and sophomore Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath's 17 points off a 7-of-8 shooting performance helped the Chaparrals to a 54.7% field goal average over the Eagles.
 
LCU came out swinging on their way to an early 15-8 lead following a layup from Marcos Schuster at the 13:33 mark of the opening half. Oklahoma Christian quickly responded with an 11-0 scoring run that gave them a 19-15 lead. After the quick lull by the Chaparral offense, Lubbock Christian found their feet and strung together eight unanswered points to regain their advantage at 22-19. The Chaps were able to keep the OC squad contained for the remainder of the half, while outscoring the Eagles 13-8 over the final five minutes and taking a 43-36 lead at halftime.
 
Gilbreath came off the bench to lead the Chaparrals at the break with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. LCU forced Oklahoma Christian into nine turnovers in the period while committing a season-low two first-half turnovers of their own. Of their 43 points, 22 came from inside the paint, where the Chaps battered the Eagles 22-12. Lubbock Christian combined for a 47.2% (17-of-36) field goal average throughout the first period.
 
OC's Roderick Smith cut the LCU lead to three with back-to-back buckets to open up the second half. But that would be as close as the Oklahoma Christian offense would come, as Jay Workman put away any hope for the Eagles with a three-point missile at the 18:41 mark. Workman's dagger sparked a 16-4 scoring run for the Lubbock Christian offense. The Chaps pushed their advantage to 17-points on three occasions in the second half, the final of which came on a fast break layup from Workman to put LCU up 89-72 with 1:55 remaining. Oklahoma Christian would score twice more on a pair of free throws, but the Chaparrals were able to out-muscle the Eagles on their way to an 89-74 victory.
 
Fowler zoned in and tacked on 15 points, five rebounds and five blocks in the second half alone. The Smyer, Texas native also knocked down both of his three-point attempts in the period to help the Chap squad to a remarkable 64.3% second-half field goal percentage. Fowler's two three-pointers were a career high. Workman and Gilbreath each dealt four assists in the second period and five assists for the day to help the Lubbock Christian squad to a season-high 21 assists in the contest. Gilbreath also led the Chaparral's efforts from beyond the arc netting three of LCU's eight triples. Additionally, the Chaps ripped 10 steals to mark a season-high in the category.
 
The win over Oklahoma Christian sparks a two-game win streak for LCU. Workman (14 points), Schuster (12 points) and Isaac Asrat (11 points) joined Fowler and Gilbreath in double-figures. The Chap's 54.7% field goal average against the Eagles marks their eighth contest this season shooting above 50%.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Over their past four victories, the Lubbock Christian squad has downed their opponents by an average margin of 20.8 points. All four of those victories have come at Rip Griffin Center for the Chaps.