RANDALL UNIVERSITY (5-10, 0-0 ACCA)
at LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (9-4, 1-1 Heartland)
Friday, January 4 – 7 P.M.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
Watch: Online only
All-Time Series: LCU leads 4-0
 
LAST OF THE NON-CONS
Friday night's matchup with Randall University will be the 11^th and final non-conference game of the regular season for the Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals, as they head back into Heartland Conference play on Jan. 10 against Texas A&M-International in Laredo, Texas. The Chaparrals have won four of their last five games, including the previous two on this current homestand, and are 8-3 in non-conference play this season. Overall, LCU is 9-4 this season, marking its best record through the first 13 games of the season since 2015-16 when the Chaps also started off 9-4.
 
LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME
Lubbock Christian University's Brennen Fowler set a Rip Griffin Center single-game record with 18 rebounds, to complete a double-double (20 points, 18 rebounds), and Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath recorded a career-high 24 points to help lead the Chaparrals to a 74-63 win over Jarvis Christian College Saturday afternoon.
 
Lubbock Christian thrived on a 17-2 run, which covered the end of the first half and the opening of the second half. An old fashioned three-point play by JT Brown provided JCC their largest lead at 28-23 with 7:16 left in the first half. LCU responded by outscoring JCC 11-3 over the remainder of the half and took a 34-31 halftime lead.
 
Gilbreath (12 points) and Fowler (11 points) combined for 23 points in the first half, and they kept the Chaps offense rolling to open the second half. LCU, scoring the final two points of the first half, opened the second half on an 8-0 run (part of a 10-0 run and the 17-2 run) capped by three-pointers from Fowler and Gilbreath for a 42-31 LCU lead.
 
The Bulldogs cut into the LCU lead, getting their deficit to 43-36 before LCU responded with a 6-0 run for a 49-36 lead 7:33 into the second half. Lubbock Christian later went on a 10-2 run and built the game's largest lead (69-55) with an Isaac Asrat three-pointer with 2:04 remaining. LCU would go scoreless the rest of the way and the Bulldogs ended the game on a 6-0 run.
 
Gilbreath finished the game 7-of-12 from the field and was 3-of-6 from long range, topping his prior career-high mark of 22 points. LCU was 10-of-19 (52.6%) from three-point range, with Asrat going 5-of-7 en route to his 18-point performance (12 points in the second half).
 
Fowler's 18 rebounds topped the prior Rip Griffin Center record of 15 rebounds by Bernardo Rocha (Jan. 12, 2008 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma State). His career-high mark was also two-better than his prior career-high total (16).
 
The Chaps were 25-of-49 from the field (51.0%). They shot 54.2% (13/24) from the field in the second half, holding JCC to 31.0% (9/29) in the half. JCC was 34.5% (20/58) from the field overall. LCU's 51% from the field marked the fifth time they have topped 50% shooting in the last seven games.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Chaparrals have lost just once on their home floor this season and are 41-8 at the Rip Griffin Center since the start of the 2015-16 season. The LCU offense has found its rhythm more frequently at home this season, averaging 77 points per game in the Rip Griffin Center compared to just 73.42 points a game away from Lubbock. Isaac Asrat has led the offensive effort in the six home games, shooting 52% from the field and averaging 16 points a game in the friendly confines.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE, NO TROUBLE
Lubbock Christian senior Brennen Fowler ranks 10^th in all of Division II this season with six double-doubles, including one in the Chaps' most recent matchup with Jarvis Christian College as he set the Rip Griffin Center record with 16 rebounds. Fowler is also fifth among active Division II men's basketball players in double-doubles with 31 in his career.
 
HEATING UP
After leading the team in scoring average last season (16.8 points per game), Isaac Asrat had a slow start to the 2018-19 year, averaging four points in the opening two contests. The slow start did not hold for long, however, as Asrat has scored at least 10 points in all 11 games since, averaging a team-leading 17.5 points per game in that time.
 
CAREER-HIGH
The Chaps most recent win against Jarvis Christian was largely thanks to a scoring outburst from Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath, who put up 24 points against the Bulldogs. The Amarillo native previously had a career-high of 22, which came last year against Angelo State. Gilbreath is now third on the team in scoring average with 10 points a game this season.
 
STINGY DEFENSE
Among Heartland Conference teams, Lubbock Christian ranks third in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 68.7 points per game. That mark also ranks No. 54 in all of Division II men's basketball. Texas A&M-International currently leads the Heartland, giving up an average of just 66.6 points per game.
 
ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES
Brennen Fowler leads the Chaparrals in minutes played with an average of 31.4 per game and with good reason – he is the LCU leader in most statistical categories. The Smyer native is No. 1 on the team in points (17.4 per game), rebounds (9.7 per game), and blocks (19). His performances this season have twice earned him Heartland Conference Player of the Week honors.
 
FACING THE HEARTLAND
The Chaps have already had a brief taste of the conference play they will dive into next week, suffering a home loss Dallas Baptist before taking down Arkansas-Fort Smith on the road. Last season LCU went 9-7 in Heartland play.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT RANDALL

• The Saints are members of the National Christian College Athletic Association, where they have won three straight men's basketball National Championships
• The university is located in Moore, Oklahoma, just 15 minutes south of Oklahoma City
• Randall is currently 5-10 on the season and have suffered losses in each of their last three games, two of which were against NCAA Division II opponents
• The Saints currently average 82.7 points per game on 44.2% shooting from the field and 35% shooting from behind the arc
•  Senior guard Antonio Wilson leads the offense, shooting 50.6% from the field and averaging 15.9 points per game

 
THE SERIES WITH RANDALL
The first meeting between Randall and Lubbock Christian was not so long ago, as they played the inaugural game of the series on Nov. 22, 2014. The Chaps won that game 92-78 behind a game-high 23 points from A.J. Luckey and have taken down the Saints in the three matchups since then. Lubbock Christian has averaged exactly 90 points per game in the four wins and has scored 92 against Randall twice, including last season when Isaac Asrat dropped a career-high 31 points in a 92-68 win.