LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (7-4, 4-2) vs.
UT PERMIAN BASIN (11-4, 4-2)
Saturday, January 4 – 3 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center – Lubbock, Texas
lonestarconferencenetwork.com
Oldies 97.7 FM
 
WIN STREAK
After a bit of a rough start to the season and a loss to open Lone Star Conference play, the Lubbock Christian men's basketball team has turned things around in a big way, rattling off four straight wins. Furthermore, their only loss in the last seven games came in triple overtime to Dallas Baptist, who was ranked No. 19 nationally at the time and have moved up to No. 15 since. During the four-game win streak, the Chaparrals have averaged 81.0 points per game while limiting opponents to just 67.0. LCU is also shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 42.0 percent from behind the arc in the four wins. Rashaan Proctor has been the leading scorer during the streak with 16.5 points per game, but the scoring has been spread around with four other LCU players also averaging double-figures across the four games.
 
LOOKING AT THE LONE STAR
Thursday's win over Western New Mexico this season was the first divisional victory of the 2019-20 season, bringing their in-division record to 1-1 after a road loss to Angelo State in November. Around the rest of the league, only Texas A&M-Kingsville remains unbeaten in conference games at 6-0. Two LSC teams are currently ranked in the top 10 nationally in West Texas A&M (No. 5) and St. Edward's (No 7). The Buffs suffered a road loss to the Hilltoppers, while SEU fell to Texas A&M-Commerce. WT and ASU are undefeated in LCU's division.  
 
SHARP-SHOOTING CHAPS
After a strong shooting night that featured 17 made three-pointers (on 31 attempts), Lubbock Christian has moved up to No. 2 in the Lone Star Conference in three-point shooting with a 39.6 season percentage. LCU has attempted 260 three-pointers on the year, making 103 of them. Freshman Ty Caswell is the team leader from behind the arc with 26 made three-pointers on 51 attempts (51 percent). Parker Hicks is not far behind with 24 made threes. Three different Chap players have made six three-pointers in a single game this season, including Hicks (11/29 vs. USW), Silas Crisler (11/30 vs. OPSU) and, most recently, Cameron Copley (1/2 vs. WNMU).
 
DEFENSE MECHANISMS
Holding opponents to an average of 67.2 points per game, Lubbock Christian has the second-best defense in the Lone Star Conference so far this year, behind only No. 7 St. Edward's (66.5 opponent points per game). LCU also holds opponents to a 42.6 shooting percentage, which is the fourth-best mark in the conference, and force teams into 17.8 turnovers per game. Copley, Muhammad and Daniels all have double-digit steals, while Parker Hicks leads the team with eight blocks.
 
NO PLACE LIKE…
Saturday's matchup with UT Permian Basin will be the seventh of 14 scheduled games at home for LCU during the 2019-20 season. They have a 5-1 record on their home court so far this season, having lost to DBU last on December 5. The loss to the Patriots was their first at home since November 29, 2018. The Rip Griffin Center, where LCU plays its home games, was named after B.R. "Rip" Griffin, a former secretary of the LCU Board of Trustees, whose generous donation of $500,000, made possible the $4,200,000, 51,500 square foot facility. Officially dedicated on October 9, 2000, the arena seats 1,950 people for sporting events. The Chaps went 13-1 on their home court last season, and they have not posted a losing record at home since the 2006-07 season.
 
NEW-LOOK CHAPS
After losing their two leading scorers from a season ago, Lubbock Christian brought in a number of new faces to help the offense reload. So far this season, 52.5 percent (40 points per game) of the Chaps' scoring is coming from players who were not on the team a season ago. Lloyd Daniels leads the group of newcomers with a team-high 13.5 points per game and is shooting .547, which is the fifth-best mark in the LSC. Freshman Ty Caswell is also averaging double figures at 10.5 points per game, while Texas Tech transfer Parker Hicks is scoring 10.0 per game and leading the team with 6.1 rebounds per game. Aamer Muhammad and Joshua Davey have also contributed off the bench.
 
HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
Chap guard Cameron Copley currently ranks No. 2 in the Lone Star Conference this season with an average of 5.8 assists per game. The Canadian native set a new season high and was one assist away from matching his career high with nine in the win over Cameron on December 19. He trails only SEU's August Haas, who is averaging 7.4 assists per game. If he holds up his current pace for the remainder of the season, it will be the highest assist average by an LCU player since Rashaad Sample averaged 6.3 assists per game in the 2011-12 season. The all-time LCU assist record is 7.0 per game (232 in a season) and was set by Tony Jones in the 1982-83 season.
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS

• UTPB's Pat Dembley ranks second in the conference and No. 2 nationally with 22.1 points per game. He shoots an LSC-leading 46.6 percent from the field, including 41.1 percent from behind the arc
• The Falcons shoot just over 50 percent as a team with the second-highest field-goal percentage in the conference. They average 88.9 points per game
• Josh Newman is the head coach of the Falcons in his second season at the helm of the program. He led them to a 15-14 record and seventh place LSC finish last season with a roster that featured no returning players
• The Falcons have made a league-leading 250 free throws, which also ranks No. 6 nationally. They have the second most attempts in the conference at 329 as well, but they have also played more games than any team in the conference
• UTPB is 2-2 in conference play and 0-1 in divisional play. Their two wins came against Cameron and Texas A&M International, with the two losses against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State

 
THE SERIES WITH UTPB
Lubbock Christian and UT Permian Basin first met in 2002, with LCU winning 92-49. The Chaps went on to win another seven straight meetings with the Falcons before UTPB finally got a victory in 2014. LCU won another three straight matchups in 2015 and 2016, and they were winners in the most recent meeting in 2018 as well. The Chaps lead the all-time series 12-4.