LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (13-7, 4-4 Heartland)
vs. UAFS (9-12, 3-6 Heartland)
Saturday, Feb. 2 – 3 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: Tied 5-5
 
SECOND HALF SZN
With Saturday's game against Arkansas-Fort Smith, the Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team officially begins the second half of conference play. LCU has now played every team once, going exactly .500 (4-4) the first time through the conference. The Chaps played five road games and just three at home during the first round of Heartland play, and will now play five home games in the final eight games of this season. UAFS was one of the teams LCU played on the road earlier this season, defeating them 82-69.
 
FRIENDLY CONFINES
After a tough week on the road last week that included a pair of losses at St. Edward's and Oklahoma Christian, Lubbock Christian University has returned to the Rip Griffin Center for a four-game homestand covering this weekend and next. The Chaps are 8-1 when playing at home this year and have been a dominant 57-10 in the Rip Griffin Center over the past five seasons.
 
FACING THE HEARTLAND
The Chaparrals are in their sixth season of Heartland Conference play after first joining for the 2013-14 campaign. They have now played a total of 100 games in conference play, making Thursday's contest against UAFS their 101st in Heartland play. LCU is 64-36 in those six seasons giving them a .636 winning percentage overall.
 
20-20 VISION
Lubbock Christian has outscored its opponents in the final 20 minutes of play in 15 of their 20 (75 percent) of its games this season, consistently finishing games than their opponents. This was especially true Thursday against Newman, when the Chaps turned around a 39 percent first half shooting percentage (including 1-8 on three-pointers) to 51.7 percent in the second half, (7-12 on three-pointers).
 
SUPER SENIORS
LCU's Brennen Fowler and Isaac Asrat finished first and second in scoring against Newman on Thursday night with 26 and 25 points, respectively. The two seniors have led the Chaps' offensive attack throughout the season, with one of them leading the team in scoring in 16 out of this season's 20 games.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE, NO TROUBLE
Forward Brennen Fowler recorded his ninth double-double of the season on Thursday against Newman (26 points, 13 rebounds), but it was also the 33^rd of his prestigious career. His 34 career-double-doubles rank fifth above active Division II players and is tied for the 24 most among active players across all divisions. Fowler has a chance to reach fourth place in Division II, with the next player having recorded 37 in his career.
 
CAUTIOUS COPLEY
Guard Cameron Copley ranks four in the Heartland Conference in Assist/Turnover ratio this season at 1.8. He is the team leader (and sixth in the conferences) in assists with  (3.6 per game), and the Canadian native takes care of the ball, turning it over less than two times per contest.
 
SHARP SHOOTING
The Chaparrals have shot better than 50 percent from the field in nine games this season, winning every one of those contests. They have the best shooting percentage in the Heartland Conference at .485. If LCU hits less than half of its shots, however, it has a losing record of just 3-6. 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. On Thursday, LCU won for only the fourth time this season when shooting worse than 50 percent, finishing the game against Newman with a .456 percentage.
 
FIFTEEN OR FEWER
LCU has turned the ball over 15 times or less in each of their last four games. To start the season, the Chaps were 9-0 when turning the ball over less than 15 times in a game, but they have lost the two games even when limiting their turnovers to move to 10-2 on the season. LCU opponents average 14.7 turnovers per game.
 
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 56.7 percent, second in both scoring and rebounding with 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and third in blocks with 1.4 a game.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT UAFS

• UAFS Guard Chris Crawford is third in the conference (one spot behind Fowler) in scoring with 17.5 points per game
• The Lions have the best three-point field goal percentage defense in the Heartland, holding opponents to 30.5 percent from behind the arc
• UAFS ranks in the bottom third of the conference (seventh) with a team shooting percentage of .442
• Crawford is fourth in the Heartland with 1.8 steals per game
• UAFS's Matt Morgan is averaging 6.2 rebounds a game, which ranks ninth in the Heartland

 
THE SERIES WITH THE LIONS
Lubbock Christian and Arkansas Fort Smith only began playing each other when the Chaps joined the Heartland Conference for the 2013-14 season, and the series has been a back-and-forth batte since then. Each team has won five times and LCU was the winner in the last matchup, but UAFS has been the winner of three of the last four meetings, sweeping the season series in the 2017-18 season. LCU will look to return the favor this year with a win on Saturday.
 
LAST TIME THESE TWO TEAMS MET
FORT SMITH, Arkansas (January 27, 2018) – A three-game win streak came to a close Saturday afternoon, as Lubbock Christian University fell in overtime at No.17 Arkansas  - Fort Smith 82-74 inside Stubblefield Center. Isaac Asrat tallied 18 points and seven rebounds to lead four Chaparral players in double figures during the Heartland Conference contest.
 
Arkansas - Fort Smith used outside shooting to take an early 10-5 lead, but LCU marched back and cut the Lions lead to two-points on back-to-back buckets. Adam Rivera provided a layup a 90 seconds later to cap a 5-0 run to regain a seven-point lead for UAFS (18-11). Kentton Williams answered by drilling consecutive buckets for the Chaps, and Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath followed with a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 18-18. Kyree Elder reclaimed the lead for the Lions with a three-pointer at the 11:50 mark. The Chaparrals then exploded on a 14-4 run to take their first lead of the afternoon, with 6:06 left in the half, at 34-28. Asrat sealed up the first period for LCU netting a pair of free throws to give the Chaps a 40-34 advantage at the break.
 
Marcos Schuster was the spark for Lubbock Christian in the opening period, scoring 12-points on a trio of three-pointers and 4-of-6 shooting. His offensive performance helped push the Chaparrals to a 48.1% (13-of-27) field goal average. LCU's defense pressured UAFS into committing nine turnovers in the half. The Lions were also limited to 12-of-29 shooting (41.4%) from the floor.
 
Lubbock Christian came out strong in the second half, scoring eight of the first 12 points on their way to a 48-38 lead. Arkansas Fort Smith began to slowly chip away, and a pair of free throws by Darrion Strong-Moore brought the Lions within two-points, 57-55, at the 5:15 mark. LCU traded points with UAFS until Ladarius Coleman drilled a trey to claim Arkansas - Fort Smith's first lead of the half at 62-61 with 1:59 to play. Asrat quickly recovered for the Chaps sinking a pair of free throws and returning the lead to LCU. Brennen Fowler attempted to provide some late game heroics for Lubbock Christian with a clutch layup on an assist from Rashaan Proctor. Fowler's bucket gave LCU a 65-63 cushion with 24 seconds remaining. Fort Smith's Chris Crawford was fouled just five seconds later where he was able to knock down both free throws and tie things up at 65-65 to close out the second half.

In overtime, Arkansas - Fort Smith opened the extra period on a 10-3 scoring run to take a 75-68 lead. They opened the extra frame 5-of-5 from the field. 
 
Despite Lubbock Christian holding UAFS to a 33.3% shooting performance in the second half, the Lions ultimately overcame a 10-point deficit on their way to the win. The Chaps were unable to match their first half outing and registered a 30.4% field goal average in the second half. Additionally, LCU was outscored 17-9 in the overtime stretch.
 
Fowler and Asrat each collected 10 points over the second half and overtime period. Fowler finished the day just behind Asrat with 17 points, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Schuster (15 points) and Jay Workman (11 points) rounded out the Chap scorers in double-digits while also adding seven rebounds apiece. LCU finished the afternoon shooting 38.6% from the floor, 23-for 34 (67.6%) from the free throw line.
 
The loss drops the Chaparrals to 9-11 overall this season, 5-4 against Heartland Conference opponents and 0-6 against nationally ranked programs.