LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (11-5, 2-2 Heartland)
vs. ROGERS STATE (13-4, 2-1 Heartland)
Thursday, Jan. 17 - 7:30 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
Radio: 100.7FM
All-Time Series: Rogers State leads 16-9
 
HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN
Lubbock Christian University will return home this week to the Rip Griffin Center, playing just one game against Rogers State at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Chaps are 6-1 in home games this season, with the only loss coming to Heartland-leading Dallas Baptist, and they are 54-10 in the friendly confines since the start of the 2014-15 season.

TUNING IN 
Lubbock Christian University will have their men's and women's basketball teams included in this season's NCAA Division II Hoops Showcase of games, with their home games Thursday, Jan. 17, against Rogers State, featured on ESPN3. To adjust for the ESPN3 stream, tip-off times have changed to 5:30 p.m. (women) and 7:30 p.m. (men) inside Rip Griffin Center.

The doubleheaders carried by ESPN3 marks the third season in which LCU has had a doubleheader of basketball carried by a national media carrier (all were part of the NCAA Division II Hoops Showcase), and it marks the second time Rip Griffin Center has hosted games part of the Hoops Showcase. The last time LCU was part of the Hoops Showcase was during the 2016-17 season, as they welcomed the American Sports Network for games against Texas A&M International on Feb. 2. The games on Jan. 17 will mark the third time a national media carrier has covered an LCU men's basketball game and the sixth time the women's basketball team has been covered.

Dave Armstrong, a familiar name to Big 12 basketball broadcasts, will serve as the play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN3, with former Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) head basketball coach Rich Zvosec serving as analyst for LCU's contest with Rogers State. ESPN3 is making their second visit to LCU and their first for basketball. The Worldwide Leader in Sports visited LCU in May to cover the LCU and Arkansas-Fort Smith Heartland Conference baseball series. The LCU women's basketball team last appeared on ESPN3 during the Heartland Conference Tournament Championship Game in March of 2016 in Tulsa, Okla.
 
REBOUNDING RECORD
In Lubbock Christian's game on Dec. 29 against Jarvis Christian, senior Brennen Fowlerpulled down 18 rebounds, setting not only a Rip Griffin Center single-game record, but pushing into first place on the Chaparrals' all-time rebounding list. He passed Rick Russworm, who grabbed 753 rebounds in a career that spanned from 1971-1975. He is now up to 798 in his career, which ranks sixth among active Division II men's basketball players.
 
GAME FOR THE AGES
Fowler also set several single-game records for the Rip Griffin Center as well as one for the LCU program earlier this season when he dropped 47 points in a win against Randall. The senior's 18 made field goal, .818 field goal percentage and 47 points were all records for the arena, which has been open since 2000, and the 47 points were the most ever scored anywhere in LCU men's basketball program history.
 
HOT HANDS
The Chaparrals shot better than 50 percent from the field for the eighth time this season in their most recent game against St. Mary's, finishing with a solid 50.9 percentage. LCU is undefeated in those eight games, but has a losing record of 3-5 if it shoots below the 50 percent marks. The Chaps' best shooting game this season was on Dec. 19 when they shot 55.4 percent in a 23-point win against UT Permian Basin.
 
FIFTEEN OR LESS
When Lubbock Christian turns the ball over 15 times or less in a game, they are undefeated on the season, with eight wins. The Chaps can still win if they pass the 15 turnover mark, but of the eight times that has happened this season, they are 3-5. LCU currently ranks fifth in the Heartland Conference in turnover margin, averaging 15.4 turnovers per game, while forcing just 15.1.
 
FOUR FOR FOWLER
Lubbock Christian senior forward Brennen Fowler ranks in the top three of the Heartland Conference in four different statistical categories this season, including scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks. The Smyer native is first in FG percentage at 57.7 percent, second in both scoring and rebounding with 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and third in blocks with 1.5 a game.
 
SHARING IS CARING 
The Chaparrals have had six different players lead them in assists in a game this season, including Jay Workman, Cameron Copley, Brandon Burrell, Brennen Fowler, Isaac Asrat and Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath. LCU currently ranks fourth in the Heartland Conference in assists per game with 14.63 per game, which is two more than they averaged in the 2017-18 season. Copley is the team leader in assists/game with 3.8. Both Workman and Fowler average more than two assists a game as well, as 2.8 and 2.3, respectively.
 
SLOW STARTERS
LCU has often started slowly in games this season, scoring less than 30 points in the first half five times this season. The Chaps have made up for it, however, by outscoring their first half totals in the second half nine times through the first 16 games.
 
LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME
The Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team took a late first-half lead and pushed past St. Mary's 80-68 on Saturday afternoon, marking just their second road win of the 2018-19 season.
 
The Chaparrals' win was the fourth straight against the Rattlers and their sixth in the last seven meetings between the two teams. St. Mary's' last win came on New Year's Eve, 2016 in San Antonio.
 
LCU started slow in the contest, as St. Mary's scored the first seven points of the game. Isaac Asrat finally got the Chaps on the board almost two minutes with an and-one jumper in the paint.
 
Asrat had a strong game after not playing in Thursday's contest against Texas A&M International, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds. The 24 points marked the 12^th time this season the senior scored in double figures and was five short of matching his season high, which was set on Dec. 1 against UAFS.
 
The Chaps closed the gap to just one point with 12:40 left in the opening half, as Silas Crisler stole the ball and Rashaan Proctor benefited with a fastbreak jumper in the paint. The Rattlers remained on top, however, until the 8:59 mark, when Proctor hit a layup to give LCU a lead for the first time in the game.
 
Steals came often in the game for Lubbock Christian, as they racked up eight overall, just one less than their season high. Crisler and Kobe Thompson led the way with a pair of steals each.
 
St. Mary's see-sawed back in front on the following possession, but LCU responded with a 10-point run that gave the Chaps the lead for good. LCU continued to push as the half wound down, leading by as many as 13 points when Silas Crisler hit a three-pointer with 1:07 to go. Heading into the locker room, LCU still led by double-digits.
 
The Rattlers hit the first bucket of the second half to cut their deficit to nine points, but that was the last time LCU would lead by less than 10. Brennen Fowler scored the next points, hitting twice from the charity stripe and sparking another 10-0 Lubbock Christian run. The next St. Mary's basket came with 16:55 left to play, and by that point the Chaparral's were leading by 17.
 
Fowler had 12 points and grabbed seven boards, reaching the double-digit scoring mark again after a season-low seven points on Thursday against Texas A&M International. Jay Workman was the only other Chap to finish in double-figures with 10 points. It is the fifth time this season the Kermit native has scored at least 10 points.
 
Lubbock Christian continued to hit shots the rest of the way, not letting the Rattlers get any closer than 11 points (2:18 left to play), but the Chaps had another short run of six points to hold onto the lead and finish out the win.
 
Skyler Brooks led St. Mary's ins scoring with 16 points as the Rattlers fell to 9-6 on the season and 1-2 in Heartland Conference play.
 
FIVE FACT ABOUT ROGERS STATE

• Located in Claremore, Oklahoma, which has a population of just over 18,000 and is roughly 30 minutes outside of Tulsa
• The Hillcats rank second in the Heartland Conference in turnover margin, commiting just 11.3 per game while forcing opponents into 14.1
• Rogers St. spreads the ball around offensively, with seven players averaging at least six points per game
• On Saturday, Dallas Baptist ended the Hillcats' seven-game winning streak
• Rogers State opponents have the highest free throw percentage of any team in the Heartland conference at 76.8 percent

 
THE SERIES WITH THE HILLCATS
Lubbock Christian and Rogers State first faced off in 2008, and the Hillcats were victorious in the first eight meetings, but the Chaps were winners in the last two matchups. LCU's longest win streak against RSU was four games, but LCU was the winner in the last two meetings. Rogers State leads the all-time series 16-9.
 
LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMS
TULSA, Okla. (March 2, 2018) – Tournament play opened up in explosive fashion for No.4-seed Lubbock Christian University, who defeated No.5-seeded Rogers State 78-63 in the Quarterfinals of the Heartland Conference Tournament inside Union Multipurpose Activity Center Friday afternoon. Isaac Asrat led the Chaparrals with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Four LCU players registered double-scoring figures on the day, helping the Chaps to their third tournament victory since becoming Heartland Conference members. The Chaps had to outshine a Gage Loy's 32-point performance, with 28 poured into the second half.
 
Rogers State stepped out to an early 6-4 lead over the Chaps following a mid-range jumper from Saint Hilaire at the 16:30 mark. The advantage was short lived for Hillcats, as senior Marcos Schustermarched his way down the court for a layup 16-seconds later to tie the contest. Schuster's bucket sparked an 11-2 scoring run for LCU, allowing them to a five-point edge over the next five minutes of play. Schuster then split a pair of free throws immediately after the eight-minute media timeout, extending the Chaps lead to 20-11. Over the final seven minutes of the opening half, LCU tightened up their defense allowing just three more field goals from the Hillcats. Kentton Williams drained a go-ahead free throw at the end of the half, giving the Chaparrals a 31-17 lead heading into the locker room.
 
The Chaps found their way to a 41.4% shooting average in the opening period after netting 12-of-29 from the field. Of their 12 buckets, 11 came from inside the paint. Workman led the Lubbock Christian squad in the first half with eight points on 4-for-6 from the floor. Workman and Asrat stayed on the floor for all 20 minutes in the first period. LCU seemed to rattle the Rogers State unit with their defensive play, forcing the Hillcats into a 28.6% shooting performance with eight buckets on 28 attempts. RSU had no luck from the perimeter missing all 12 of their three-point attempts in the period.
 
Gage Loy wasted no time for Rogers State knocking down a trey 14 seconds into the final half. Baron Smith Jr. also joined in on RSU's attack combining with Loy to score the Hillcats first 17 points of the period. Fortunately for the Chaparrals, Schuster, Fowler and Asrat showed their poise combining for 15 points of their own at the start of the half. At the 13:02 mark, Workman's defense pressed RSU's Loy forcing him to cough up the ball. Workman then launched a pass up the court to Kentton Williams who was open for a fast break layup that put the Chaps up 48-34. Though Loy continued his second-half rampage for the Hillcats, the Chaps were able to weather the storm and even took a 17-point lead on three separate occasions throughout the final 10 minutes of regulation. Lubbock Christian's final 13 points came from the free throw line, allowing the Chaparrals to cruise on to a 79-63 victory.
 
After a solid shooting performance in the first half, Lubbock Christian stepped it up even more with a 62.5% field goal average in the second period. Asrat unloaded for 16 second-half points leading the Chaps to a 27-of-53 (50.9%) performance from the field for the day. After opening up with six free throws in the first half, LCU went 15-for-20 from the stripe in the second period to finish the contest with a combined 72.4% (21-for-29) clip. Schuster (15 points), Workman (13 points) and Fowler (10 points) also closed out the first-round of tournament play in double-scoring figures.