HEARTLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT - QUARTERFINALS
No.2 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (25-1, 14-0, No.1 Seed)
at TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (3-25, 1-13, No.8 Seed)
Thursday, March 1, 2018 - 7:30 p.m.                            
Union Multipurpose Activities Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
Radio: KJTV 100.7 The Score
All-Time Series: LCU Leads 11-1
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TOURNEY TIME IN T-TOWN
It is the third season for No.2 Lubbock Christian University to enjoy postseason eligibility since transitioning as members of NCAA Division II, and this season they make their third trip to the Heartland Conference Tournament. It is LCU's second season appearing as a No.1-seed. They open tournament play Thursday facing No.8-seeded Texas A&M International, marking the first postseason meeting between the two programs.  LCU is 2-0 all-time in quarterfinals play at the tournament.
 
THE "IF's"
IF LCU WINS : If the Lady Chaps defeat TAMIU, they will improve to 26-1 on the season and will face the winner of the contest between Oklahoma Christian and Newman on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
 
IF LCU LOSES: If the Lady Chaps fall to the Dustdevils, their record will drop to 25-2, they will be eliminated from the tournament and will await an at-large bid for the NCAA South Central Region.  The Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday at 9 p.m. on www.NCAA.com.
 
LOOK AT THEIR LAST GAME
For the third time since competing in the Heartland Conference, the Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals completed their conference schedule with an unblemished record. Saturday at Recreation & Convocation Center, No.2 Lubbock Christian University received a season-high 29 points from Tess Bruffey and defeated St. Edward's University 65-52 to complete a 14-0 conference schedule.
 
The game was never in danger for Lubbock Christian, but a spirited Hilltoppers squad celebrating "Senior Day" played the Lady Chaps tight throughout the contest.  LCU opened the game with a 4-0 run and converted successfully on their first three field goal attempts, but then followed with five straight misses. Isabel Hernandez had nine points for SEU in the first quarter and helped the Hilltoppers to a 14-11 lead with 1:19 left in the opening quarter.  LCU, who has trailed once at the end of the first quarter this season, responded with a three-pointer from Bruffey and a layup from Allie Schulte to lead 16-14 at the end of the quarter.
 
Bruffey, who led LCU with eight points in the first quarter, opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to cap an 8-0 run and provide LCU a 19-14 lead.  The LCU senior converted an and-one three-point play later in the quarter to give LCU a 22-16 lead, but Lexi Cunningham sparked a 5-0 SEU run with a three-pointer and LCU's lead was cut to 22-21. LCU never let go of the lead and Bruffey finished with 14 points in the half to give LCU a 34-28 lead.
 
Bruffey had LCU's first eight points of the third quarter and LCU kept their distance. The Hilltoppers went the final 2:56 of the third quarter without a field goal and LCU extended the lead to 52-39 to close the quarter. The span without a field goal for SEU lasted 5:04 and LCU built the lead to 54-39 with a field goal by Bobbi Chitsey, who led LCU in the fourth quarter with seven points.  The Hilltoppers hung around but due in part to 13 offensive rebounds in the second half leading to nine more field goal attempts by SEU in the fourth quarter (12 more for the half). LCU was 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the field in the fourth quarter and SEU was 5-of-20 (25%).
 
SEU had 17 offensive boards in the game and outrebounded LCU 37-31 in the game. The offensive boards led to SEU outscoring LCU 12-6 in second chance scoring. They received 15 points from Hernandez and 12 points from Cunningham.  LCU was strong offensively in the paint, where they outscored SEU 40-20. The Lady Chaps were 23-of-38 (60.5%) inside the arc and shot 51.9% (27/52) overall from the field. Bruffey was 11-of-18 from the field in her 29-point performance. LCU also received 10 points from Bobbi Chitsey.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE TALK
The Heartland Conference held their Social to announce postseason basketball honors and open events of the Heartland Conference Tournament and the Lady Chaparrals were well represented in their announcement of all-conference and season awards.  Head coach Steve Gomez claimed Women's Basketball Coach of the Year and four of his players received accolades, headlined by First Team selection Tess Bruffey claiming Player of the Year and Defender of the Year. Sophomores Maddi Chitsey and Caitlyn Cunyus were named to the Second Team and senior Delaney Gaddis received Honorable Mention honors.
 
Tess Bruffey became just the third player in conference history to win back-to-back Player of the Year awards and the first since Incarnate Word's Nia Torru accomplished the feat in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Bruffey also became the first place in conference history to with both the Player of the Year and Defender of the Year award in the same season. The Lubbock, Texas native was all across the stat sheet once again averaging 15.3 points, (3rd), 8.5 rebounds (2nd) and 4.0 blocks (1st) per game. Her 105 blocks this season is the most in Division II, and is more than all but four team total blocks in the South Central Region. Bruffey also anchored the nation's top defense, as the Lady Chaps has held opponents to 51.8 points per game this season.  Defensively, the four-time All-Conference selection ranks second in blocks per game (4.0) and third nationally in blocks (105).  She is LCU's career leader and the Heartland Conference's career leader in blocks with 377, which marks her as the NCAA Division II's career active leader and the eighth highest total in NCAA Division II history (16 away from seventh).
 
Leading the Lady Chaps to a third unbeaten season in Heartland Conference play, head coach Steve Gomez claims his second Coach of the Year honor, and it comes in a three-year span. Gomez's all-time coach mark (15th season and all at LCU) sits at 359-117 (75.4%). This is the eighth season in which the Lady Chaps have eclipsed 25 wins. This season's squad will mark the eighth under Gomez to suffer less than 10 losses (sixth in last seven seasons) and his squads are 184-30 (86%) over the last seven seasons. The 2016 WBCA NCAA Div. II National Coach of the Year also claimed Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2005-2006.
 
Chitsey ranks second on the squad averaging 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She also averaged 11.1 points per game in conference play. The sophomore from Wall, Texas has posted double figures offensively in 13 games this season and has led LCU offensively in six contests, including 28 points against St. Mary's on Jan. 6. Chitsey ranks fourth in the conference in blocks with 28, at a rate of 1.1 per contest (also fourth in the conference). This is Chitsey's first Heartland honors. 
 
Cunyus is one of three Lady Chaps that averaged double figures in conference play with a mark of 10.6 per game.  She averages 9.8 points per game overall, to go along with a team leading 3.2 assists per game.  LCU averages assists on 65% of the field goals this season, and her 3.2 assists ranks fifth in the conference. The sophomore from Canyon, Texas ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. She leads LCU with 44 three-pointers on the season and is two free-throw attempts shy of becoming eligible to factor into one of the best single-season free-throw shooting marks in program history. She is 91.7% (44-of-48) from the line this season. The All-Conference honor is Cunyus' first of her career.
 
Gaddis is one of three seniors on LCU's roster and she is valuable towards LCU's zone defense. The Glenwood Springs, Colo. native averages 6.0 points per game (8.6 points per game average the last seven games), along with 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a team leading 31 steals. The conference honor is her first.
 
TITLE TALK
LCU claimed the Heartland Conference regular season title this season. The title is LCU's fifth conference title in program history and the third in the Heartland Conference. LCU has claimed first place for a fourth time since joining the Heartland Conference (LCU was unable to claim the regular season title in 2014-15 due to transitioning to NCAA Division II membership status).     
 
TULSA TIME
LCU is 5-1 all-time in Heartland Conference Tournament play. Tess Bruffey is the only Lady Chap to receive All-Tournament honors in each of their prior two appearances. Bruffey averaged 13.7 points a contest in Tulsa last season and averages and her career averages at the tournament include 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game averages (six games). Bobbi Chitsey led LCU last season in Tulsa averaging 13.2 points per game to receive All-Tournament honors. LCU has faced St. Edward's in the tournament championship game each appearance, falling last season in the title game.
 
REGIONAL REVIEW
The NCAA released their third South Central Regional Rankings of the season Wednesday and the Lady Chaps are still atop the list. The No.1 seed in the final rankings released Mar.4 will serve as host (unless refused) of the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament, and only the top eight teams qualify for the tournament.
 
1          Lubbock Christian
2          West Texas A&M
3          Colorado State-Pueblo
4          Angelo State  
5          MSU Denver   
6          Black Hills State
7          Arkansas-Fort Smith
8          Fort Lewis      
9          Tarleton State
10        Colorado School of Mines
 
NOBODY'S HOME
Heartland Conference Tournament games are in Tulsa, Okla., which is away from the Rip Griffin Center, where LCU went 13-0 this season. LCU became the 12th team in NCAA Division II women's basketball history to win 47 consecutive home games with their win over Newman Feb. 15 (it actively leads NCAA Div. II).  If LCU extends the streak to 49 (currently at 47), they will become the 10th team to notch 49 straight home wins in NCAA Div. 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 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.
 
MARGINS
LCU leads the Heartland Conference and they rank seventh nationally in scoring margin (average a win margin of 19.8 points per game), and they lead the conference in rebounding margin (36th nationally), with an average of 6.0 more rebounds per game over their opposition.
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST
In LCU's 25 wins, they have faced deficits in 14 of them and their largest deficits in all 14 occasions have come in the first quarter. Despite the stat, LCU has not trailed at the end of the first quarter in any of their 25 wins.
 
THAT'S FOUL
LCU continues to rank seventh nationally in fouls per game with a low of 14.1 fouls per contest (they have the third fewest personal fouls overall). The fouls have led to LCU having a 14.7 - 9.4 scoring advantage over their opponents from the free-throw line (14.9 - 8.1 advantage in conference games). Tess Bruffey leads LCU averaging 3.7 points per game from the free-throw line.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Updated national rankings came out Tuesday afternoon, and the Lady Chaparrals remained at No.2 in both the D2SIDA and WBCA NCAA Div. II Women's Basketball Top-25 Poll for a sixth consecutive week. The only team they are behind is No.1 Ashland, who is the only team to defeat LCU this season. The No.2 ranking matches their best ranking this season in each poll.
 
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES
LCU leads the Heartland Conference and ranks seventh nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 47.0% from the field. They have shot at least 50% 11 times this season. Their allowance of 51.8 points per game leads in the nation.
 
SENIOR SALUTE
This postseason will serve as the final postseason games for LCU's Tess Bruffey, Caitlyn Buttram and Delaney Gaddis. Bruffey and Buttram have spent all four of their seasons as part of the Lady Chaps and Gaddis is in her second season. For Bruffey and Buttram, the two have been part of a 52-2 (96.3%) record in home games and a Heartland Conference record of 59-7 (89.4%) since they joined the Lady Chaps.
 
BLOCKING IT OUT
Tess Bruffey, who ranked second nationally last season in blocks per game (3.9), ranks third in the nation with 105 blocks on the season. Her 105 blocks (third highest single-season mark in program history) come at a rate of 4.0 per game (second nationally). The Lady Chaps, as a team, rank fourth in the nation with 167 blocks. In her career, Bruffey has a program and conference record 377 blocks, marking her as the NCAA Div. II's active career leader (second among all levels) and its the eighth highest rate all-time in NCAA Div. II history (16 away from moving into seventh). She also ranks on the NCAA Div. II's active career leader charts in points (1,626, 14th), field goals (592, 13th) and double-doubles (23, 24th).  
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TAMIU
• The Dustdevils are 3-25 on the season and went 1-13 in conference play this season. Their lone win in conference was a 49-47 road win at St. Edward's on Feb. 21.
• TAMIU has qualified for the Heartland Conference each season it has been hosted in Tulsa, but they are 0-2 all-time in Tulsa. Each quarterfinals loss has been to St. Edward's.
• Passionate Amukamara leads the squad and is second in the conference with 56 steals.
• TAMIU's Tantashea Giger leads the team in free-throws attempts, with 165 attempts on the season (37th nationally), which is a mark of 5.9 attempts per game.
• Giger also racks up field goal attempts, ranking 30th nationally in field goal attempts with 429 (15.3 per game).
 
THE SERIES AGAINST TAMIU
LCU leads the all-times series 11-1 against TAMIU. The Lady Chaps won the first five and the prior six series meetings. LCU swept the regular season series, winning 73-53 on Jan. 4 in Lubbock and 69-46 in Laredo on Feb. 3. LCU is 9-1 against TAMIU since joining the Heartland Conference.
 
PRIOR MEETING VS. TAMIU
Feb. 3, 2018 (Laredo, Texas): LCU 69 - TAMIU 46
The Lady Chaparrals held Texas A&M International to a 29.1% shooting mark and recorded a 69-46 victory behind a 15-point performance from Olivia Robertson.
 
LCU, who opened Thursday's win at St. Mary's on a 7-0 run, started Saturday's contest on a 9-0 run. The task was completed on 3-of-3 shooting in a span of 1:28. Tantashea Giger ended the run with a layup (2:08 into the game), but LCU followed with a 8-0 run to go up 17-2. Maddi Chitsey and Kailin Davis led the first quarter surge for LCU, each with five points. All of Davis' points came from the free-throw line, as LCU, who led 19-6 at the conclusion of the first quarter, had 10 of their 19 points in the quarter from the free-throw line. TAMIU was whistled for eight fouls in the quarter, leading to 15 free-throw attempts for LCU.
 
A Dustdevil squad that shot 18.2% (2-of-11) in the first quarter woke up in the second quarter.  TAMIU made eight of their 16 field goals in the game during the second quarter. They opened the quarter on a 6-0 run and making four of their first five attempts. Vanessa Oyola connected on a trio of three-pointers in the second quarter and helped cut LCU's lead to 23-17 with 6:42 remaining in the half. Julia Hanni was able to score a bucket at the horn for TAMIU to cut LCU's lead at 35-25 to enter the halftime.
 
Chitsey and Davis co-led LCU with five points each. LCU had a 17-2 advantage in free-throw attempts in the half and converted on 12 to provide LCU a 10-point advantage in points from the line. Six different Lady Chaps had at least two free-throw attempts in the half.
 
LCU gradually started to pull away late in the third quarter with a 13-4 scoring run. Allie Schulte led LCU offensively in the quarter with five points, including a field goal at the horn to give LCU a 52-35 lead heading into the final quarter. The Lady Chaps were 5-of-7 from inside the arc in the quarter.
 
TAMIU, shooting 26.1% (6/23) in the second half (1-of-9 from three-point range), closed the game connecting on two of their 11 field goal attempts in the fourth quarter. Olivia Robertson had seven of her game high 15 points in the fourth quarter, as LCU led as much as 26 points in the final quarter.
 
LCU, shooting 45.7% (21/46) from the field, held TAMIU to 29.1% (16/55) shooting from the field. The Lady Chaps outscored TAMIU 21-10 from the free-throw line on 21-of-29 shooting from the stripe. LCU also outscored TAMIU 20-6 in points off turnovers.
 
Robertson was 4-of-6 from the field and went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line for her 15 points, which matched a season high. It marked the fourth time in her LCU career (first this season) she led LCU in scoring. Chitsey was 5-of-6 from the field in her 13-point effort. Tess Bruffey led LCU with 10 rebounds. TAMIU was led by Oyola, who registered 12 points (all from downtown).