NICE TO MEET YOU
No.8 Lubbock Christian University closes out their eastern swing in Lone Star Conference play Saturday in Tyler, Texas facing UT-Tyler at 2 p.m. LCU heads into the contest after a rally which came up short Thursday in Commerce, Texas. In a game featuring a pair of Top-10 teams in NCAA Division II, LCU fought back from an 18-point deficit and were trailing by one point in the fourth quarter, before falling 59-54 to No.3 Texas A&M-Commerce. LCU is currently third in the conference (10-3) 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 10-3 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 7.0 rebounds per conference game. Allie Schulte (13.3) and Ashton Duncan (10.1) are each averaging in double figures in conference contests. LCU has the advantage in three-point field goals (103-73), steals (93-85) and blocks (69-34) in LSC games. The Lady Chaps have a scoring margin per-game of 13.2 and are holding opponents to a 32.8% 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 six games played. 
 
LONG DISTANCE NEWS
Ashton Duncan leads LCU with 46 three-pointers this season. Duncan ranks second in the LSC shooting 39.3% from long range (ranks 64^th nationally) and ranks third 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 1.13, which ranks 29^th nationally. LCU's individual leader is Caitlyn Cunyus, who ranks fifth in the LSC with a 1.51 ratio (ranks 95^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 last 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 4-3 in road play this season. Maddi Chitsey leads LCU averaging 14.6 points on the road and joins Allie Schulte (12.3), Ashton Duncan (10.9) and Emma Middleton (10.7) as players averaging double figures in points on the road. LCU is shooting 43.6% on the road this season and they are holding opponents to a 33.6% shooting mark.
 
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 fourth toughest schedule of games played in NCAA Division II play. LCU's opponents have combined for a .627 win percentage. They have the toughest strength of schedule of games played of ranked programs. The Lady Chaps have faced three nationally ranked programs and LCU is 1-2 against those foes this season (LCU went 6-1 last season against nationally ranked foes).
 
BLOCK PARTIES ARE BACK
LCU ranks ninth nationally in blocks (102) and 11th in blocks per game (5.4). Maddi Chitsey leads the team with 42 blocks (third in the conference and 19th nationally), at a pace of 2.2 per game (third in the conference and 21^st 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 78.3%. 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 fourth in the LSC with a 78.0% shooting mark from the line (Caitlyn Cunyus, 38/43 - 88.4% 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 32.3% shooting mark on the season. Of their 19 contests, LCU has held the opponent to under a 30% shooting mark seven 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 28.5 per contest, which ranks 44^th nationally. Their team leaders in defensive rebounds per game is Maddi Chitsey, who ranks eight in the LSC with 5.1 per contest.
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT UTT
1 > The Patriots are in their first season at the NCAA Division II level and in the Lone Star Conference (they are not eligible for postseason play). They previously competed at the NCAA Division III level in the American Southwest Conference.
2 > UTT is preseason picked 16th in the LSC Preseason Poll. They are 3-15 overall this season with a 1-13 conference record.
3 > Thursday, UTT and Angelo State changed leads 14 times in a game UTT had the lead with a minute remaining, but was unable to hit a three-pointer at the horn and fell 69-66 to the Belles.
4 > Kelsey Crouse, who had 10 points against ASU, matched a season high last Saturday with an 18-point performance at Western New Mexico. She is the only Patriot averaging double figures with an 11.2-point average on the season.
5 > Earlier this season (Jan. 11), UTT (46) and Texas A&M International (25) combined for 71 free-throw attempts. UTT won the game 86-79, which was their latest win of the season.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST UTT
Saturday's game marks the first meeting ever between the two programs.