HEARTLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
ARKANSAS - FT. SMITH (20-9, 10-4, No.2 Seed)
vs. No.2 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (27-1, 14-0, No.1 Seed)
Sunday, March 4, 2018 - 3 p.m.
Union Multipurpose Activities Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
Radio: KJTV 100.7 The Score
All-Time Series: LCU Leads 9-1
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GOING FOR TWO
No.2 Lubbock Christian University, qualifying for the Heartland Conference Championship Game for a third consecutive season, goes for their second Heartland Conference Tournament title Sunday, facing No.2-seed Arkansas - Fort Smith. The Lady Chaps are seeking their third win of the season against UAFS and the two teams have never faced in the Heartland Conference Tournament. The prior two seasons, LCU faced St. Edward's in the conference tournament championship game, winning in 2016 and falling last season.
THE "IF's"
IF LCU WINS : If the Lady Chaps defeat UAFS, they will improve to 28-1 on the season and will claim their second Heartland Conference Tournament title. Overall, it would mark LCU's third conference tournament title, as they claimed the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2013. LCU would also claim the automatic qualifier berth to the 2018 NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament, which they are expected to host.
IF LCU LOSES: If the Lady Chaps fall to the Lady Lions, their record will drop to 27-2, they will be eliminated from the tournament and will await an at-large bid for the NCAA South Central Region Tournament. The Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday at 9 p.m. on www.NCAA.com.
LOOK AT THEIR LAST GAME
For a third consecutive season, the Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals have clinched a spot in the Heartland Conference Tournament championship game… The No.2 and top-seeded Lady Chaparrals held Oklahoma Christian without a field goal for a span of 10:26 in the opening half en route to an 80-61 victory in the semifinals of the tournament Saturday at UMAC. The Lady Chaparrals will seek their second Heartland Conference Tournament title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament Sunday at 3 p.m. facing No.2-seed Arkansas-Fort Smith.
In a game LCU never trailed, the Lady Chaps relied on their Heartland Conference Player of the Year to get them going, as she scored nine points in the first quarter and helped LCU to a 24-16 lead. Fourteen combined personal fouls in the opening quarter interrupted the pace of place, but the whistles went silent in the second quarter (five fouls in the second quarter). LCU's defense did not allow a field goal in the final 54 seconds of the first quarter until 28 seconds remained in the second quarter. OC missed 16 consecutive field goal attempts in the 10:26 span. Clift ended the drought with their final shot of the half. OC was 1-of-16 in the second quarter and scored six points.
LCU's offense didn't take full advantage of OC's offensive struggles, as LCU produced one field goal over the final 5:03 of the second quarter.
Maddi Chitsey posted seven points in the quarter and LCU led 38-22 at the half.
The Lady Chaps missed their first four shots in the second half and OC opened the half on an 6-0 run to cut the LCU lead to 38-28. Chitsey ended the run with a three-pointer for LCU and it sparked a 10-0 LCU run. LCU kept their distance the rest of the way, never letting their lead slip under a 15-point margin.
After shooting 18.8% (6/32) in the first half, OC shot 50% (16/32) in the second half, but LCU matched the production with the same 16-of-32 shooting mark from the field in the half. OC struggled from long range though, shooting 9.5% (2-of-21) from long distance.
Bruffey led LCU with 17 points, eight rebounds and five blocks (also had three assists and two steals). She was joined offensively by
Olivia Robertson (14 points) and
Maddi Chitsey (13 points).
Bobbi Chitsey matched a career high with eight rebounds and season high with three assists.
OC, shooting 34.4% (22/64) from the field, was led by Clift and her 25 points. She was 9-of-21 from the field. Audrey Hayes also added 10 points for the Lady Eagles, who complete their season with a 10-18 mark.
ALL-CONFERENCE TALK
The Heartland Conference held their Social to announce postseason basketball honors and opening events of the Heartland Conference Tournament Wednesday, 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 player 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 15.2 points, (3rd), 8.3 rebounds (2nd) and 3.9 blocks (1st) per game. Her 110 blocks this season is the third 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 have held opponents to 51.8 points per game this season. Defensively, the four-time All-Conference selection ranks fourth in blocks per game (3.9). She is LCU's career leader and the Heartland Conference's career leader in blocks with 382, which marks her as the NCAA Division II's career active leader and the eighth highest total in NCAA Division II history (11 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 361-117 (75.5%). 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 186-30 (86.1%) 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 11.4 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 15 games this season and has led LCU offensively in seven contests, including 28 points against St. Mary's on Jan. 6. Chitsey ranks fourth in the conference in blocks with 31, 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 9.3 points per game overall, to go along with a team leading 3.0 assists per game. LCU averages assists on 64.4% of the field goals this season, and her 3.0 assists ranks fifth in the conference. The sophomore from Canyon, Texas ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. She is second on the squad with 45 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 (8.1 points per game average the last nine games), along with 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a team leading 35 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 7-1 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 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game averages (eight games).
Bobbi Chitsey led LCU last season in Tulsa averaging 13.2 points per game to receive All-Tournament honors. Bruffey leads the team this season with 14 points per game at the tournament, with
Maddi Chitsey (13.5) and
Olivia Robertson (10) also averaging double figures per game this tournament. 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 20.3 points per game), and they lead the conference in rebounding margin (31st nationally), with an average of 6.2 more rebounds per game over their opposition.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
In LCU's 27 wins, they have faced deficits in 15 of them and their largest deficits in all 15 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 27 wins.
THAT'S FOUL
LCU ranks 11th nationally in fouls per game with a low of 14.3 fouls per contest (they have the seventh fewest personal fouls overall). The fouls have led to LCU having a 14.6 - 9.7 scoring advantage over their opponents from the free-throw line (14.9 - 8.1 advantage in conference games).
Tess Bruffey leads LCU averaging 3.6 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 fourth nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 47.3% from the field. They have shot at least 50% 12 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 110 blocks on the season. Her 110 blocks (second highest single-season mark in program history) come at a rate of 3.9 per game (fourth nationally). The Lady Chaps, as a team, rank fourth in the nation with 175 blocks. In her career, Bruffey has a program and conference record 382 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 (1,654, 14th), field goals (602, 13th) and double-doubles (23, 25th).
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT UAFS
• The Lady Lions are in their second season with Elena Lovato at the helm and are coming off a 17-13 season last year, going 10-6 in conference play. They are 20-9 this season, completing conference play with a 10-4 mark. UAFS advanced to Sunday's game following wins over No.7-seed St. Edward's and No.3-seed St. Mary's.
• The Lady Lions last won the Heartland Conference Tournament in 2015, with wins over St. Edward's and Texas - Permian Basin, when the tournament had a four-team field. That was the last season UAFS qualified for the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament (Canyon, Texas).
• UAFS ranks 27th nationally in field goal shooting, going 44.7% from the field and ranking second behind LCU in the conference. Tayla Taylor is 14th nationally with a conference best 59.4% shooting on the season.
• The Lady Lions lead the Heartland Conference in steals with 307 (30th nationally).
• UAFS leads the conference in turnovers forced, averaging 19.1 turnovers forced per game this season.
THE SERIES AGAINST UAFS
LCU has won the last two meetings and has a 9-1 all-time advantage over UAFS. All meetings have been since joining the Heartland Conference. This is their first neutral site meeting.
PRIOR MEETING VS. UAFS
Jan. 27, 2018 (Fort Smith, Ark.): LCU 62 - UAFS 54
Tess Bruffey was 7-of-9 shooting inside the arc to spearheaded a Lubbock Christian University squad that was 64.7% (22/34) inside the perimeter, and her 21-point performance led the No.2 Lady Chaparrals to a 62-54 Heartland Conference road victory over Arkansas – Fort Smith Saturday afternoon inside Stubblefield Center.
For a second consecutive road game, LCU was 50% from the field in the game. They were 24-of-48 as a squad, with 22 of the 24 field goals tallied inside the arc. Bruffey and
Caitlyn Cunyus (4-of-6) combined to go 11-of-15 (73.3%) inside the arc.
The Lady Chaps hot hand started off the contest. LCU hit their first three shot attempts and completed the quarter 8-of-11 from the field (7-of-9 inside the arc). The stat line is misleading in regards to the type of quarter is was, as there were five lead changes in the quarter. UAFS twice led by three points, including a 14-11 lead with 3:27 remaining, but LCU responded with an 8-0 run. LCU led 19-16 at the close of the quarter, led by nine points in the quarter from Bruffey.
Cunyus nailed a three-pointer in the opening minute of the second quarter and Bruffey converted on a feed from
Allie Schulte to give LCU a 24-18 lead, but it did not hold up. Ellie Lehne tallied five straight points and sparked a 7-0 Lady Lions run to help UAFS regain the lead at 25-24. There would be four lead changes in the second quarter, and a field goal by Cunyus with 1:21 left in the half helped LCU end the half on a 6-0 run for a 36-29 lead. Bruffey was 5-of-7 from the field in the first half (4-of-5 inside the arc) and led LCU in the half with 13 points.
LCU, 16-of-26 (61.5%) from the field and 14-of-20 (70%) inside the arc in the first half, would not have the same success shooting from the field in the second half. They were 8-of-22 (36.4%) from the field in the second half. For the opening 3:40 of the third quarter, LCU was 0-of-3 from the field with three turnovers tossed into the mix. The disarray allowed UAFS to go on a 7-0 run, with a three-pointer by Tamara Gulley tying the game up 36-36. The score was tied on two occasions in the quarter before Cunyus had two of her six points in the half to ignite an 8-0 run for a 44-36 advantage. LCU led 47-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Chaps built the lead to 51-42 with 7:26 remaining in the game, but UAFS was not done with making a final charge. Micayla Haynes hit a three pointer to cap a 5-0 run in a span of 1:25 to cut LCU's lead to 51-47.
Delaney Gaddis, with her third career double-figure outing (11 points to match a season high), converted on one of her two old-fashioned three-point plays in the contest to help LCU go on a 9-0 run and build a 60-47 lead as 1:09 remained.
Bruffey's 21 points led all scorers and she was one of three Lady Chaps in double figures. Cunyus, who had 20 points in the prior contest against UAFS, finished with 16 points to join Bruffey and Gaddis in double figures. Bruffey led LCU with eight rebounds and moved past Carol Hise (732, 1990-1994) into fourth place on LCU's career rebounds list (739). UAFS led LCU in points off turnovers (13-9) and in second chance points (9-2). They were led by Tayla Taylor, who registered 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double performance. The Lady Lions were 22-of-64 (34.4%) from the field. LCU outscored UAFS 12-6 in points from the free-throw line.
