LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (12-5, 3-2 Heartland)
vs. No. 3/4 ST. EDWARD'S (17-1, 6-0 Heartland)
Thursday, Jan. 24 - 7:30 p.m.
Recreation and Convocation Center (Austin, Texas)
Radio: 100.7FM
All-Time Series: LCU leads 15-8
 
TO THE TOP
Lubbock Christian University will travel to conference-leading St. Edward's this Thursday, taking on the 17-1 Hilltoppers at 7:30 p.m. in Austin, Texas. SEU is currently ranked in the top five of both NCAA D-II men's basketball polls at No. 3 (NABC) and No. 4 (D2SIDA), with its only loss of the season coming on Nov. 24 at home against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Hilltoppers have not dropped a Heartland Conference game yet this season.
 
80-80 VISION
The Chaparrals have scored exactly 80 points in each of their last two games, marking the first time they have scored at least eight in consecutive contests all season. LCU last scored at least 80 in back-to-back games on Feb. 15 and 17, 2018 in a win over Newman (84-67) and a loss to Oklahoma Christian (86-81). For the season, LCU is averaging 75.7 points per game.
 
UNDERDOG
This will be just the second time this season that LCU has taken on an opponent ranked in the top five nationally of either of the two Division II men's basketball polls. On Nov. 15, the Chaps faced West Texas A&M when it had a No. 4 ranking and lost, 82-70. The Chaps do have a win over WT later in the season when the Buffs were ranked No. 7 nationally, giving them a win over a top 10 opponent.
 
SHARP SHOOTING
The Chaparrals shot better than 50 percent from the field for the ninth time this season in their most recent game against Rogers State, finishing with a solid .520 percentage. LCU is undefeated in those nine 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.
 
FOWLER'S FOUR
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 57.3 percent, second in both scoring and rebounding with 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and third in blocks with 1.4 a game.
 
FROM THE FIELD
LCU has limited opponents to a shooting average of 42.3% on the season, which ranks fifth in the Heartland Conference but is 74^th out of 304 Division II men's basketball programs. The Chaps have only been out-shot from the field three times this season, including the most recent game against Rogers State, but they are 2-1 in those contests.
 
REBOUNDING RECORD
In Lubbock Christian's game on Dec. 29 against Jarvis Christian, senior Brennen Fowler pulled 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.
 
SHARING IS CARING  
Redshirt freshman Cameron Copley is tied for fourth in the Heartland Conference in assists per game with 3.7. Six times this season the Candanian native has had at least five in a single game, and his career and season high came on Dec. 29 against Jarvis Christian College when he had eight.
 
CHARITY STRIPE
Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath is second in the Heartland and No. 39 nationally in free throw shooting percentage. He has shot 45 total free throws on the year and has hit exactly 40 of them for an .889 percentage. The conference leader is Markques Houston of St. Mary's, who is shooting 93.1 percent from the line this year.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT ST. EDWARD'S

• The Hilltoppers are currently riding an 11-game win streak dating back to a Dec. 15 win against Schreiner University
• SEU has played two exhibitions against Division I opponents this season, taking down UTSA 77-76 and falling to Rice 78-73
• St. Edward's leads the Heartland Conference on offense with an average of 88.8 points per game
• Junior SEU guard Ashton Spears was named the Heartland MBB Player of the Week for games played Jan. 14-20 after averaging 26 ppg in a pair of wins
• Spears leads the conference in scoring average with 19.6 points per game this season

 
THE SERIES WITH THE HILLTOPPERS
Lubbock Christian and St. Edward's have faced off 23 total times with the first meeting coming in 1985. SEU was the winner of the most recent matchup last February, but LCU has mostly dominated the series since 1995, winning 13 of the last 15 contests.
 
LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO
AUSTIN, Texas (February 24, 2018) – The road has not been kind to Lubbock Christian University who dropped their final regular season contest Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas against St. Edward's University. The Chaparrals were upended by the Hilltoppers in an 84-76 result where LCU senior Marcos Schuster finished with a team-high 23 points for the second consecutive contest.
 
LCU jumped out quick to an early four-point lead over the Hilltoppers after a triple by Schuster put the Chaps up early 15-11. Over the next three minutes, St. Edward's pulled even at 19-19 with 10:13 left in the half. Schuster responded with back-to-back buckets that sparked an 11-4 scoring run that featured a trio of Chap three-pointers. LCU was held to six points over the final five minutes of the opening half. Though the Chaparrals finished the period shooting 53.3% (16-for-30) from the field, St. Edward's managed to even up the score at 36-36 heading into the halftime break.
 
Schuster burst onto the scene with some hot-handed shooting in the period knocking down a pair of three-pointers while going 5-for-8 from the field for 12 points. Fowler followed right behind with 10 points of his own on 5-of7 shooting. Shockingly, the Chaps were unable to convert from the free throw line in the half marking the first period without a made free throw since an 0-for-1 second half clip against Washburn University last season (Nov. 26, 2016). Rashaan Proctor recorded a season-high for himself in the first half alone with six rebounds to lead the Lubbock Christian squad to a 22-13 advantage on the boards over St. Edward's. Of LCU's 36 points in the opening 20 minutes, 34 came from their starting five.
 
Corey Shervill opened up the second period with consecutive baskets to help the Hilltoppers to a 7-1 run over LCU. Fowler tacked on a pair of mid-range jumpers for the Chaps before Schuster once again hit a trey to give Lubbock Christian their only lead of the second half at 44-43. The edge was short-lived for the Chaparrals as SEU responded with seven unanswered points over the next two minutes. A layup by Schuster pulled Lubbock Christian within two-points of the Hilltoppers, but that would be as close as they would come for the remainder of the contest. St. Edward's closed out the match with an 84-76 win over the LCU squad.
 
Schuster added in 11 more points over the final period helping Lubbock Christian to another stellar shooting performance for a team average of 57.7% (15-of-26) from the field. Lubbock Christian's defense had issues containing the SEU attack that registered a 64% field goal average in the second half. Landon Goesling went off for the Hliltoppers with 18 points of his own over the final 20 minutes.
 
Schuster's 23-point explosion for the game came on a trio of three-pointers and 60% field goal shooting (9-for-15). Brennen Fowler joined Schuster in double-scoring figures finishing the contest with 17 points. Isaac Asrat notched 12 points of his own while shooting 5-for-8 from the floor. Proctor reached new heights for himself falling just shy of a double-double performance with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.