LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (15-7, 6-4 Heartland)
vs. TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (5-15, 2-7)
Saturday, Feb. 9 – 3 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: LCU leads 6-5
 
REVENGE GAME
Lubbock Christian University will be looking to avenge a loss from earlier this season on Saturday when they take on Texas A&M-International. The Dustdevils earned one of only two Heartland Conference wins over the Chaps earlier this season, using a stifling defense that held the Chaps to a season-low 47 points. LCU has done well historically against TAMIU when facing them at home, winning the last four matchups played inside the Rip Griffin Center. The Dustdevils' last win at LCU came on Ja. 4, 2014.
 
IN GOOD HANDS
In Thursday's game against St. Mary's, the Chaps matched their season low for turnovers with just nine. LCU previously turned the ball over less than 10 times on two occasions – against Randall on 1/4/19 and against Colorado St.-Pueblo on 11/24/18. The last time the Chaps turned the ball over fewer than nine times was on 2/17/18 against Oklahoma Christian when they turned it over just six times. This season, when committing less than 15 turnovers, LCU is 11-2.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE, NO TROUBLE
Forward Brennen Fowler recorded his 10th double-double of the season on Thursday against St. Mary's (24 points, 14 rebounds), but it was also the 34th 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.
 
FEELIN' TWENTY-TOO
Senior guard Isaac Asrat has been on a tear since the start of 2019, putting up more than 20 points in six of the eight  games played in the new year, including the last three straight. It has more than doubled his 20-point game total, giving him nine on the season, which also ties him for the most on the team (Brennen Fowler also has nine). Asrat's only two games without at least 20 points since the calendar turned were 1/4 (six points vs. Randall) and 1/26 (11 vs. Oklahoma Christian).
 
THE FINAL 20
LCU is consistently better than its opponent after halftime, outscoring opposition in the second half in 15 of their 22 games this season. Overall, LCU has put up 902 points in second halves while scoring just 749 in first halves. Defensively, they have allowed just 860 points in second halves of games, giving them an average scoring margin of 1.9 in the second half.
 
SHARP SHOOTING
The Chaparrals have shot better than 50 percent from the field in 10 games this season, winning every one of those contests. They have the best shooting percentage in the Heartland Conference at .478. 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 fifth time this season when shooting worse than 50 percent, finishing the game against St. Mary's with a .451 percentage.
 
AWARD CENTRAL
Senior Guard Isaac Asrat was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Week for games played Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, the conference announced on Monday. Asrat dropped back-to-back 20-plus point games during a 2-0 week for the Chaps who moved above .500 in conference play. Asrat shot 12-of-27 from the floor during the week including 8-of-16 from beyond the arc. It was his first time to claim the award this season and the fifth time for an LCU player to win it, after forward Brennen Fowler claimed it four times earlier in the season.
 
SUPER SENIORS
In all but four of this season's games, the Chaps have  been led in the scoring column by two players – Brennen Fowler and Isaac Asrat – who are also the only two seniors on the team. Fowler has led the team nine times this season (most on the team), while Asrat has been the team leader eight times, and the two were co-leaders in one other game. In the four games that either Fowler or Asrat did not lead, the scoring leaders were Rashaan Proctor (twice), Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath and Silas Crisler.
 
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 103 games in conference play, making Thursday's contest against Texas A&M International their 104th in Heartland play. LCU is 68-36 in those six seasons giving them a .636 winning percentage overall.
 
FIVE FACTS ABOUT TAMIU
- TAMIU ranks first in the Heartland Conference in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 67.7 points per game
- Dustdevils are last in the conference in scoring offense, scoring just 59.6 points per game
- TAMIU has lost five stright games coming into Saturday's matchup
- Dustdevil Brent Finn ranks eighth in the Heartland Conference with 14.8 points per game
- Worst free-throw shooting team in the conference at 61.5 percent from the charity stripe
 
THE SERIES WITH THE DUSTDEVILS
Lubbock Christian first played Texas A&M International in 2014, when the Dust Devils got their only road win of the series by a score of 83-82 in Lubbock. The Chaps are 6-5 all-time against, while TAMIU's four wins have come by an average of just 4.25 points and they have taken two one-point victories. The Dustdevils were victorious in the previous meeting between the two teams this season, as the Chaps scored a season-low 47 points and lost by 21.
 
LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET
LAREDO, Texas (January 10, 2019) – Lubbock Christian University posted its lowest single-game scoring total since February 28, 2009 Thursday night, losing 68-47 to Texas A&M International in a Heartland Conference contest.
 
The Chaparrals only scored four points in the final 12 minutes of the first half, allowing the Dustdevils to take a lead they would not relinquish again.
 
TAMIU's win marked the third straight time they beat LCU in Laredo, with, wins in each of the last three seasons. The last time the Chaps were victorious in on the road against the Dustdevils was February 13, 2014.
 
Lubbock Christian started the game well, getting the game's opening bucket on a layup from Brennen Fowler. The senior was called for a foul on the next possession, however, and had another foul called on him just 26 seconds later, forcing an early trip to the bench for the Heartland Conference's second-leading scorer.
 
Fowler played a season-low 17 minutes against the Dustdevils and scored in single digits for just the second time all season with 7 points.
 
 LCU stayed on top for a little while even with Fowler on the bench widening their lead to as much as six points on a three-pointer from Silas Crisler with 11:59 left in the first half. Crisler had a career-high 13 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers and going 5-for-7 from the free throw line.
 
The Chap scoring drought hit after Crisler's three-pointer, as Lubbock Christian went the next 8:39 without scoring a single point. Texas A&M International scored 10 points in that time, taking the lead for the first time on a three-pointer with 5:46 left in the half.
 
Kentton Williams finally ended the drought, hitting a layup in the paint with just over three minutes before the break, but TAMIU scored another seven minutes before the teams went to the locker room.
 
The Dustdevils pushed the lead out to double-digits on the first possession of the second half. Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath cut the deficit back down to eight points a minute later. Fowler helped keep it close with a dunk and a free throw to keep the gap at eight points with 14:19 left in the game, but that would be the last time the Chaps were only down by single digits.
 
Texas A&M International responded with back-to-back three-pointers and a fastbreak layup to push the lead out to 16 points and hit continued to hit shots the rest of the way, quelling any chance of a Chap comeback.
 
Lubbock Christian moved to 10-5 overall and 1-2 in Heartland Conference play with the loss. The Dust Devils are now 4-10 and earned their first win in conference play to move to 1-2 as well.