HEARTLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT - SEMIFINALS
No.5-Seed ST. EDWARD'S (16-13, 7-7 Heartland)
vs. No.1-Seed / No.25 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (24-5, 13-1 Heartland)
Saturday, March 9 – 12 PM
UMAC (Tulsa, Okla.)
Radio: None
All-Time Series: LCU leads 13-6

HAVEN'T WE MET BEFORE
No. 25 Lubbock Christian University can make it to the Heartland Conference Tournament Championship Game for a fourth straight year if they defeat No.5-seed St. Edward's University, who they face Saturday in Tulsa, Okla. The two teams just faced each other in Lubbock seven days ago (Mar. 2), with LCU defeating the Hilltoppers in the regular season finale.
 
THE "IF's"
IF LCU WINS: If the Lady Chaps defeat SEU, they will improve to 25-5 on the season and will advance to the semifinals to face either Newman or St. Mary's Sunday at noon. It would mark LCU's fourth straight championship game appearance, where the Lady Chaps are 2-1.
 
IF LCU LOSES: If the Lady Chaps fall to the Hilltoppers, their re­cord will drop to 24-6, they will be eliminated from the tournament and will await an at-large bid for the NCAA South Central Region Tournament. The NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Selection Show will air Sunday, March 10th at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com.

THURSDAY TRIBUNE
LCU opened the Heartland Conference Tournament setting a tournament scoring margin record Thursday with a 91-43 victory over Texas A&M International in the quarterfinals held inside Union Multipurpose Activity Center (UMAC).

LCU's 48-point margin of victory topped their prior Heartland Conference Tournament high of 46 points on Feb. 3, 2016 against Texas - Permian Basin (79-33), which had also been the Heartland Conference Tournament record. LCU's 91 points was their highest offensive output in their history in the tournament.

The Lady Chaps responded with run after run to push their all-time tournament record to 9-1. After TAMIU went on a 5-0 run to take a 5-2 lead, LCU answered with a 10-0 run, which was part of a 16-2 run backed by Allie Schulte (nine points) and Maddi Chitsey (seven points) combining for 16 points in the first quarter to give LCU a 24-13 lead at the quarter's close. TAMIU went a scoreless span of 7:31, which leaked 6:21 into the second quarter, while LCU was on an 18-0 run. Chitsey produced 10 points in the second quarter (17 points in the first half) and joined Schulte and Caitlyn Cunyus by connecting on a three-pointer, which was part of a 9-0 run to open the second half (capped a 16-0 LCU run). LCU's final "big run" came at the close of the third quarter. They closed the quarter on a 5-0 run and opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to combine for a 13-0 run. Emma Middleton was LCU's workhorse in the final quarter, registering all 13 of her points in the quarter to notch a career high.

Middleton was not the lone Lady Chap producing a career high offensively. Freshman Laynee Burr contributed a career-high nine points, with seven scored in the second half. The Lady Chaps found success from outside. Entering the game with an all-time program shooting mark of 26.5% from three-point range at the tournament (all at UMAC), LCU was 8-of-16 from long range, draining three-point field goals at a 50% rate. Seven different Lady Chaps contributed at least one three-pointer, with Schulte leading LCU with two long-range strikes. They were 54.4% (31/57) overall from the field.

Along with holding TAMIU to a 28.8% (17/59) shooting mark from the field, which included a 9.1% (1-11) struggle in the second quarter, LCU's defense caused 23 turnovers. LCU matched a program tournament-high in steals with 12 (nine different players had at least one steal). LCU has notched 12 steals in three of the four quarterfinal games they have played in tournament history.

The lone bright spot for the Dustdevils, who conclude their season 0-27 and extending their losing streak to 29 games, was Troi Lucas scoring 16 points and Christine Ortega bringing down 10 boards. TAMIU was outscored 21-2 from the free-throw line, as TAMIU was whistled for 20 personal fouls (compared to seven against LCU).

Maddi Chitsey led LCU with 20 points in the contest. She was 7-of-8 from the field and tallied her 20 points in 17 minutes of played. Schulte finished with 14 points. Every Lady Chaps member played at least 11 minutes and none of the Lady Chaps played more than 18 minutes.
 
SUMMARIZING THE TITLE TALK
On Feb. 16, LCU claimed their second consecutive Heartland Conference regular season title (sixth conference title overall in program history and fourth in the Heartland Conference). It also marked the fifth time LCU has finished with at least a share of first place in the Heartland Conference. LCU had a first-place finish during the 2013-2014, when they were not permitted to claim the title label as part of their transition from NAIA.
 
LCU ALL-CONFERENCE CONVERSATION
The All-Heartland Conference Women's Basketball Team honors were announced prior to the opening day of play at the Heartland Conference Tournament at the Pre-Tournament Awards Social. Here is a glance at LCU's award winners:

Steve Gomez – Coach of the Year
Olivia Robertson – First Team
Maddi Chitsey – First Team
Bobbi Chitsey – Honorable Mention
 
TULSA TIME
LCU is 9-1 all-time in Heartland Conference Tournament play. Olivia Robertson (2018) and Bobbi Chitsey (2017) are current Lady Chaps members who have claimed All-Tournament honors in the prior tournaments. Bobbi Chitsey has played in all nine prior LCU games in Tulsa and averages 7.8 points per game. LCU has appeared in the championship game of the tournament in each of the three prior appearances, going 2-1 in those contests. They are 1-1 all-time in the tournament against St. Edward's, as the Hilltoppers are the only team to ever defeat LCU in the tournament.
 
REGIONAL REVIEW
The NCAA released their third South Central Regional Rankings of the season Wednesday and the Lady Chaps are ranked second in the regional standings. The No.1 seed in the final rankings released Mar.10 will serve as host (unless refused) of the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament, and only the top eight teams qualify for the tournament.
 
1          West Texas A&M                   
2          Lubbock Christian                  
3          Colorado State           
4          Angelo State  
5          Tarleton State                        
6          Westminster (Utah)               
7          Eastern New Mexico
8          Texas A&M-Commerce         
9          Newman         
10        St. Mary's
 
NOBODY'S HOME
Heartland Conference Tournament games are in Tulsa, Okla., which is away from the Rip Griffin Center, where LCU went 14-0 this season. With their last home game, which resulted in a 72-44 win over St. Edward's Saturday, LCU extended their active home win streak to 64 games, which ranks tied for third all-time in NCAA Division II women's basketball (it actively leads NCAA Div. II). The record is 87 consecutive home victories by Nebraska-Kearney, who completed the task from Jan. 31, 1995 - Nov. 24, 2001. LCU's last home loss came on Jan. 1, 2015 against Oklahoma City University. LCU has also won 55 consecutive home conference games, with their last conference home loss occurring Jan. 10, 2013 (against Oklahoma City). They completed a 49-0 all-time mark in Heartland Conference home games.

NCAA DIVISION II'S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS
87 - Neb.-Kearney Jan. 31, 1995-Nov. 24, 2001
85 - West Tex. A&M Jan. 9, 1987-Dec. 6, 1991
64 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 -->
64 - Glenville St. Jan. 16, 1999-Dec. 1, 2004
64 - Delta St. Jan. 27, 2007-Nov. 12, 2011

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Lubbock Christian held opponents to 47.7 points per game in conference play and they are holding opponents to 52.2 per game overall this season, which ranks fifth nationally. The defensive efforts have led to LCU averaging a margin of victory of 20.8 points per game, which ranks ninth nationally. The Lady Chaps produced a 27.7 scoring margin advantage per game in conference play.

NO FOUL PLAY
The Lady Chaps rank 12th in the nation in fouls per game, with a conference-leading average of 14.1 fouls per game. Fouls have led LCU to outscoring their opponents 12.7 – 9.7 in points a game from the free-throw line. Thursday, LCU allowed two free-throw attempts to TAMIU, which was the lowest amount during the 16-year coaching tenure of Steve Gomez at LCU. The Lady Chaps have shot over 80% from the free-throw line in 10 games this season and they have a mark of 73.2% on the season (second in the Heartland Conference). Olivia Robertson leads the team (of qualified attempts), shooting 87.4% (97/111) from the line to rank second in the conference (22^nd nationally). 

FROM THE FIELD
Lubbock Christian continues to rank in the top-10 nationally in shooting, ranking fifth nationally with a 48.4% field goal shooting percentage. LCU has shot at least 41.9% in all but three games this season and have hit the .500 plateau on 10 occasions, including seven of their last 13 games. They are shooting 48.5% this season in neutral site contests.

SISTER CHRISTIAN
On Nov.10, the Lady Chaps game against CSU-Pueblo marked the first time in LCU program history in which a pair of sisters tallied double figures, as LCU received double-digit point production from Olivia Robertson, Juliana Robertson, Bobbi Chitsey and Maddi Chitsey. LCU has three sisters on the squad, and Dec. 8 marked the first game this season in which all three sets of sisters played in the same game. Dec. 10 at Texas A&M International, marked the first time all six sisters contributed at least a point in the same contest. On Jan. 17 against Rogers State, all six scored at least one point, marking the first time the occurrence happened at home. Both Chitsey sisters also claimed All-Conference honors this season.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
LCU has four players with at least an average of 2.0 assists per game. Allie Schulte leads the team with 89 assists (3.1 per game), with Caitlyn Cunyus (64, 2.7), Olivia Robertson (64, 2.2) and Bobbi Chitsey (61, 2.2) also playing a role in the ball distribution. LCU averages 16.6 assists (leads the Heartland Conference and ranks 19^th nationally) on 26.0 field goals per game. LCU has 480 assists (leads the conference), ranking 15^th nationally in the category.

MAD HOUSE
Inside player Maddi Chitsey has had the hot-hand for LCU, posting at least 10 points in 11 of the last 12 games (averaging 14.8 points per game over the last 12 games). In their last three-game road swing, Maddi produced a 17.0-point and 6.7-rebounding average. She returned home for the regular season finale and posted 17 points. Chitsey is also averaging 6.0 rebounds per game over the prior 10 games and is a combined 7-of-11 (63.6%) over the past six games from three-point range.

NEUTRALIZING THINGS
The Lady Chaps are 3-1 this season in neutral court play.  They went 1-1 at the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas and then defeated Simon Fraser at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Bellingham, Wash. (Dec. 18, 2018) before arriving to Tulsa. Four Lady Chaps average at least 10 points a game in neutral site play, with Maddi Chitsey (13.5) and Allie Schulte (12.0) leading the way.

BOARD GAMES
The Lady Chaps rank seventh in the Heartland Conference in rebounds per game (34.7, which ranks 256^th of 301 Division II programs), but they lead the Heartland Conference in rebounding margin with a mark of 7.2 (29^th nationally). Olivia Robertson leads LCU with 180 rebounds (6.2 per game). LCU has only been out-rebounded twice over the prior 26 games.

DOWNTOWN
The Lady Chaps rank 31^st nationally with 238 three-pointers on the season and is fourth with a shooting mark of 40.0% from long range. Allie Schulte leads the team, hitting three-pointers at a pace of 50.5% on the season (49/97), with 49 three-pointers ranking fifth in the conference. Schulte (11-of-22, .500), Olivia Robertson (5-of-9, .556) and Bobbi Chitsey (4-of-6, .667) lead LCU from beyond the arc this season in neutral site games.
 
SENIOR SALUTE
Seniors Olivia Robertson and Bobbi Chitsey are playing in their final postseason as members of the Lady Chaps. Each member are the last remaining active members off LCU's 2015-16 NCAA Division II National Championship squad. Robertson enters Saturday with 116 games played and 964 career points, with 491 career rebounds. Chitsey has appeared in 113 career games and has 830 career points, with 338 boards. The pair of seniors, who are All-Conference selections this season, have a four-year record of 109-17 (86.5%), which includes a closing out a 57-5 conference record and a 57-0 home record (never losing a home game).
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SEU
- The Hilltoppers are 16-13 overall on the season and they went 7-7 in Heartland Conference play. They opened their Tulsa play with a 65-53 win over No.4-Seed Rogers State Friday.
- SEU completed the 2017-18 season with a 11-17 mark in conference play. Their season came to a close with an opening round loss to UAFS at the Heartland Conference Tournament. They were preseason picked No.6 in this season's conference preseason poll.
- Former Frenship High School product Abby Hopper is in her senior season with the Hilltoppers. She is averaging 6.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
- The Hilltoppers rank second in the conference in turnovers forced, forcing 17.8 per game. They forced LCU in 16 turnovers at home Saturday.
- LCU's conference-leading three-point shooting squad faces a Hilltoppers squad that had led the conference in three-point shooting defense until Friday (now behind LCU). Their opponents are shooting 28.9% from long range (LCU is holding opponents to a 28.6% mark on the season). Prior to Saturday in Lubbock, they had only allowed an opponent to shoot more than six three-pointers in a game twice this season, and that was in their opening two games of the season in which they allowed seven three-pointers. Saturday, LCU connected on 10 three-pointers against SEU and Friday, Rogers State connected on seven three-pointers.

SERIES HISTORY WITH SEU
LCU has won 12 of the last 14 meetings and leads the all-time series lead at 13-6. The Lady Chaps swept the regular season series this season, with the previous meeting resulting in a 72-44 LCU victory in Lubbock (Mar. 2). The two teams have played in the championship game of the conference tournament in 2016 and 2017 (teams have split at the conference tournament).

PREVIOUS MEETING VS. SEU
March 2, 2019 (Lubbock, Texas): LCU 72 - SEU 44
LCU closed out their Heartland Conference era going 49-0 at home in Heartland Conference play with a 72-44 victory over St. Edward's University Saturday afternoon inside Rip Griffin Center. The Lady Chaps conclude the regular season with a 23-5 record and they extend their NCAA Division II active-leading home win streak to 64 games, which is tied for the third-longest in NCAA Division II history.

The Lady Chaps had a slow start to the game, hitting just on of their first five field goal attempts, but then went on a massive run. They closed the first half 12-of-18 (67%) from the field. LCU had an 11-0 run carry over from the first to second quarter, which was part of a 29-4 scoring run for LCU. Lubbock Christian ended the first half making their last eight two-point field goal attempts and led 38-13 at the break. They held SEU to 16% shooting from the field (4/25) in the first half, while LCU was 56.5% (13/23) from the field in the half. Maddi Chitsey, who led LCU with 17 points, had 15 points in the first half off 5-of-7 shooting (2-of-2 from three-point range).

LCU was able to cruise in the second half. Despite shooting 33.3% (6/18) in the third quarter, LCU still managed to outscore SEU in the quarter 17-12 and built their lead to 55-25 heading into the final quarter.

Every Lady Chap played at least three minutes in the second half and no player played over 12 minutes of the half. Ten different Lady Chaps produced at least two points in the half. Each of the 13 Lady Chaps members scored at least two points in the game, 12 different Lady Chaps had at least one rebound (LCU out-rebounded SEU 40-24) and nine different LCU members had at least one assist (eight had at least two assists as LCU assisted on 22 of their 26 field goals).

Chitsey was LCU's lone player in double figures in points. Olivia Robertson led all players with eight rebounds and tied a game-high in assists with four.

SEU, led by Lexi Cunningham's 15 points, had not allowed more than six three-pointers in a game since allowing seven in each of their first two games of the season. Saturday, LCU lit up the perimeter with 10 three-pointers. Chitsey (2-of-2), Allie Schulte (2-of-4) and Caitlyn Cunyus (2-of-5) were each responsible for two three-pointers and made up three of LCU's seven players with at least one three-pointer in the game.