EAST MEETS WEST
No.8 Lubbock Christian University makes their eastern swing in Lone Star Conference play this week, facing No.3 Texas A&M – Commerce Thursday (5:30 p.m.) in Commerce, Texas and UT-Tyler Saturday (2 p.m.) in Tyler, Texas. Thursday's game features a pair of Top-10 teams in NCAA Division II, as LCU faces a Lions squad that is one of three remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division II play. TAMUC is the only unbeaten team in the LSC and they are atop the LSC standings with a 13-0 conference record. LCU is currently third in the conference (10-2) standings. The top four teams (regardless of division standing) in the conference standings will receive an automatic berth to the final site (Frisco, Texas) of the LSC Championships. Twelve teams qualify for the tournament (three division leaders and the remaining nine best teams based on conference record).
 
SCHULTE DOES IT AGAIN, BUT DIFFERENT
The Lone Star Conference awarded Lubbock Christian University's Allie Schulte with their Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week honor for games played between Jan. 20 – 26.
 
Schulte helped LCU return to form this past week with wins over St. Mary's and St. Edward's behind an average of 17.0 points and 6.5 rebounds. Schulte ended up 2-of-3 from beyond the arc against St. Mary's and finished the game with 15 points; seven of which came in the fourth quarter as part of a personal 7-0 run. She continued Saturday with 19 points against St. Edward's. Schulte nailed a momentum changing three-pointer to end St. Edward's 13-0 run, and she ended up with seven points in the third quarter to help LCU pull away with the victory. On the week, Schulte averaged a +19 (plus/minus), while also averaging 9.5 points in the second half of the two games (averaged 7.0 points in the third quarter). Schulte also had six steals and averaged 6.5 rebounds on the week. Saturday, she matched a career-high nine rebounds all on the defensive end. Overall on the week, she was 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from the field.
 
The honor marks the fifth weekly honor by a Lady Chaps member this season, and the first offensive honor received by Schulte. She is the first player in the LSC to receive an offensive and defensive weekly honor this season.
 
LONE STAR DEBUT
The Lady Chaps are playing in their first season in the Lone Star Conference and are 9-2 so far this season in conference play. A trio of Lady Chaps are averaging double figures in LSC play, led by Maddi Chitsey, who is averaging 13.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per conference game. Allie Schulte (12.8) and Ashton Duncan (10.4) are each averaging in double figures in conference contests. LCU has the advantage in three-point field goals (95-66), steals (89-76) and blocks (62-29) in LSC games. The Lady Chaps have a scoring margin per-game of 15.7 and are holding opponents to a 33.1% shooting mark in those contests.
 
THE MIDDLETON AGES
Lady Chaps junior Emma Middleton had three career three-pointers prior to Jan. 11, but since then is 6-of-8 from three-point range and is now 8-of-13 from long range this season. She has three-pointers in four of the prior five games played. 
 
YOUR "TURN"
Guard Madelyn Turner has had a recent hot hand for the Lady Chaps. Turner was off to a solid start to the season, posting 16 points against the University of Texas in their preseason opener, but an injury early in the regular season sidelined her for a game and limited her minutes. She averaged 4.4 points a contest until pouring in 13 points at West Texas A&M on Jan. 18. Since then, she has averaged 11.0 points a game (three-game span). Turner has connected from long range the prior four consecutive games and is 8-of-14 (57.1%) over the stretch.
 
LONG DISTANCE NEWS
Ashton Duncan leads LCU with 44 three-pointers this season. Duncan leads the LSC shooting 39.6% from long range (ranks 63^rd nationally) and ranks second in the LSC with 2.4 three-pointers per game. She has made at least three three-pointers in nine games this season.
 
TOO MUCH MATH INVOLVED
Despite having one individual player in the top-five in the LSC in assist/turnover ratio, LCU still leads the LSC with a team assist/turnover ratio of 1.17, which ranks 23^rd nationally. LCU's individual leader is Caitlyn Cunyus, who ranks fifth in the LSC with a 1.46 ratio (ranks 106^th nationally).
 
WHEN AT HOME
LCU went 15-0 last season inside Rip Griffin Center. With LCU's 72-49 win over St. Edward's Saturday, LCU was able to extend their active home win streak to 74 games, which ranks third all-time in NCAA Division II women's basketball (it actively leads all of NCAA). 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, who also has a 7-0 mark in NCAA postseason play in Lubbock in the mix, has also won 62 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
74 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 -->
 
NCAA'S ACTIVE-LEADING HOME WIN STREAKS 
73 – LCU (Division II)
51 – Baylor (Division I)
47 – Drury (Division II)
32 – Iowa (Division I)
 
BUT ON THE ROAD…
LCU is 4-2 in road play this season. Maddi Chitsey leads LCU averaging 14.7 points at home and joins Ashton Duncan (11.7), Emma Middleton (11.3) and Allie Schulte (11.2) as players averaging double figures in points on the road. LCU is shooting 44.2% on the road this season and they are holding opponents to a 34.2% shooting mark. The Lady Chaps are averaging a low of 13.5 turnovers per road game this season.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Based on the preseason rankings for the 2019-20 season (D2SIDA, WBCA along with Lone Star Conference), the Lady Chaparrals carry the highest expectations in program history to start a season. D2SIDA placed the defending national champions No.1 and the WBCA ranked LCU No.2 despite the Lady Chaps receiving 14 of the 23 first place votes. Each ranking marked their highest preseason ranking in program history. The LSC preseason ranked LCU No.1 in their preseason rankings. LCU held their debut rankings for seven-in-season rankings, until dropping to No.9 (WBCA) and No.21 (D2SIDA) on Jan. 21. They have since worked their way to No.8 in the WBCA poll and No.16 in the D2SIDA poll.
 
HOW TOUGH IS IT?
LCU's strength of schedule, of games played, ranks as the 11^th toughest schedule of games played in NCAA Division II play. LCU's opponents have combined for a .605 win percentage. They have the second-toughest strength of schedule of games played of ranked programs behind Drury, whose opponents have a .626 win percentage. This week, LCU opens with A&M – Commerce, who holds a No.3 national ranking. Outside of facing a pair of top-10 teams in the exhibition season, the last time LCU faced a top-10 program was when they defeated No.4 Southwestern Oklahoma State in last season's title-game (Jan. 23, 2020). LCU is 1-1 against nationally ranked foes this season (LCU went 6-1 last season against nationally ranked foes).
 
BLOCK PARTIES ARE BACK
LCU ranks 10th nationally in blocks (95) and 11th in blocks per game (5.3). Maddi Chitsey leads the team with 41 blocks (third in the conference and 19th nationally), at a pace of 2.3 per game (third in the conference and 20th nationally). LCU has ranked in the top-10 nationally in blocks each season since the 2015-16 season, which was their first season eligible to have statistics included among NCAA leaders. They ranked 10th in total blocks last season (155), second in 2017-18 (202, ranking fourth with a pace of 6.1 per game), fourth in 2016-17 (170, leading the nation with 5.7 per game) and led NCAA Division II in 2015-16 with 235 blocks (6.7 per game).
 
CHARITY WORK
The Lady Chaps lead the LSC in free-throw percentage (ranking 12^th nationally) at 78.1%. In each season LCU has been eligible to have team statistics included among NCAA Division II leaders (2015-15), the Lady Chaps have finished in the top-three in their conference in free-throw shooting. They led the Heartland Conference in 2017-18 with a 76.2% mark from the line, ranking 33rd nationally. Their highest national ranking is 32nd (75.0%) from the 2015-16 season. Maddi Chitsey leads LCU and is sixth in the LSC with a 76.6% shooting mark from the line (Caitlyn Cunyus, 36/40 - 90.0% and Madelyn Turner, 26/29 - 89.7% do not qualify with enough attempts).
 
BE DEFENSIVE
The Lady Chaps lead the LSC and rank fifth nationally, holding opponents to a 32.4% shooting mark on the season. Of their 17 contests, LCU has held the opponent to under a 30% shooting mark six times and the highest shooting percentage they have allowed in a game was 40.0% by Cameron (Dec. 19), which has been the only time an opponent shot over 38% in a game this season against LCU.
 
D-NOTES
The Lady Chaps lead the LSC in defensive rebounds a game with a mark of 28.4 per contest, which ranks 47^th nationally. Their team leaders in defensive rebounds per game is Maddi Chitsey and Caitlyn Cunyus, who each ranked tied for ninth in the LSC with 4.8 per contest.
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT TAMUC
1 > The Lions completed last season with a 20-11 record and finished tied for third place in the Lone Star Conference (14-6). They had their season end with a regional quarterfinal loss to Colorado Mesa at the NCAA South Central Region Tournament in Grand Junction, Colo.
2 > TAMUC is preseason picked fourth in the LSC Preseason Poll. They are 19-0 overall this season with a 13-0 conference record. They seek to improve on an 8-0 home mark this season.
3 > Of A&M-Commerce's 19 victories, only two have been single-digit win margins. The Lions rank sixth nationally in scoring margin with a 23.8-point average margin of defeat.
4 > TAMUC's scoring defense ranks seventh nationally, as they average a 52.7-point scoring average per game. They are 13^th nationally in turnovers forced (22.8 per game) and 11^th in turnover margin (8.16).
5 > Alexis Bryant averages 8.1 rebounds per game, with a pace of 3.4 on the offensive end, which is third in the conference.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST TAMUC
Each squad is 2-2 in the all-time series. LCU has won the prior two meetings, winning 67-42 last season (Nov. 12, 2018) in Lubbock and 74-39 in Commerce, Texas (Nov. 13, 2017). Prior to those pair of games, the two teams had not met since a 68-63 Lions win on Nov. 15, 2005 in Commerce. The first-ever meeting was on Jan. 29, 1982 when TAMUC was known as East Texas State, who defeated Lubbock Christian 73-66 in a neutral site contest in Stephenville, Texas.
 
ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. TAMUC
Here is a look at LCU's top three active leaders career vs. SEU:
 
Maddi Chitsey 2GP 8.0 pts/g, 54.5%-FG
Allie Schulte 2GP 11.5 pts/g, 3/7 3pt-FG
Caitlyn Cunyus 1GP 10.0 pts/g, 2/4 3pt-FG
 
PREVIOUS RECAP VS. TAMUC
Nov. 12, 2018 (Lubbock, Texas) - LCU:67 - TAMUC:42
Lubbock Christian University held Texas A&M - Commerce to 14 field goals and benefited off a 25-6 scoring advantage in points-off-turnovers to claim a 67-42 victory inside Rip Griffin Center.

The Lions, who posted 61 points in an exhibition game at Baylor, converted on more three-point field goals than two-point field goals. It marks the first time LCU has held an opponent to more three-point field goals than two-point field goals since Texas-Permian Basin registered six of their 11 field goals from three-point range on Mar. 3, 2016. TAMUC was held to two two-point field goals the entire second half, and went a gap of 15:51 without a two-point field goal. They did not have a two-point field goal in the first and third quarter of play.

LCU had a 34-10 scoring advantage in the paint, with a +24 in the category marking their highest mark since a +32 (50-18) on Mar. 1, 2018 against Texas A&M International. TAMUC, 14-of-62 (22.6%) from the field, was 5-of-30 (16.7%) shooting inside the paint and 6-of-41 (14.6%) inside the perimeter. Meanwhile, LCU was 48.9% from the field, going 17-of-30 (56.7%) in the paint (15-of-20, 75% underneath the basket).

The Lady Chaps never trailed in the game. Leading 5-4 (4:20 into the game), LCU surged with a 15-3 run, which included a 6-0 and a 9-0 run for a 20-7 lead at the close of the opening quarter. Maddi Chitsey led LCU with seven points in the opening frame, as LCU had a 61.5% (8/13) shooting performance in the quarter (TAMUC was 15.4%, 2-of-13 in the quarter).

The 15-3 run ended 1:08 into the second quarter by TAMUC's first two-point field goal of the game (Chania Wright had the field goal, as TAMUC went the opening 11:08 of the game without a two-point field goal). The Lions were able to get a 7-2 run going to cut LCU's lead to 25-16 (4:22 left in the half), but it would be the final time the Lions deficit would be in single digits. LCU closed the half on a 7-2 run to counter and provide them a 32-18 halftime lead. Maddi (10) and Bobbi Chitsey (7) combined for 17 points in the opening half, as LCU was 10-of-16 (62.5%) inside the arc in the half (the Chitsey sisters were a combined 4-of-5 inside the arc in the half).

The third quarter included an 11-0 scoring run for LCU, with Allie Schulte scoring seven of the points in consecutive fashion. Schulte tallied nine points in the quarter off 4-of-4 shooting for a 49-29 lead heading into the final quarter.

TAMUC tried to rally late, going on a 7-3 run, but LCU diffused the plan by closing the final 4:54 on an 11-3 run. The Lions closed the game going 1-of-11 from the field and missing their final seven shot attempts. LCU explored their bench and received points from seven different players, including freshman Laynee Burr, who co-led the team (with Bobbi Chitsey) in scoring with four points in the quarter.

For a second time this season (our of three games) the Lady Chaps played all 12 of their active players. Freshman Channing Cunyus, with her first collegiate field goal, was one of 10 players that played into the offense. Three Lady Chaps found double-figures, with Schulte leading the way and also co-leading the squad (with Olivia Robertson) in assists with six. Maddi Chitsey (12) and Bobbi Chitsey (11 points) also found double-figures. Schulte also produced a season-high +26 plus/minus.

LCU produced 10 steals and forced TAMUC into 20 turnovers, leading to a 25-6 scoring advantage in points-off-turnovers. The +19 in the category is their highest since a +20 last season against St. Mary's (Feb. 1, 2018).


TAMUC (1-2) was led in scoring by Wright, who had 11 points. They out-rebounded LCU 41-30. The last time an LCU opponent had over 10 more rebounds than LCU was on Nov. 25, 2017 against Midwestern State (MSU Texas) and LCU also won that contest (LCU was out-rebounded 48-37 in that contest).