LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (2-0, 2-0 LSC)
at UT TYLER (1-2, 0-2 LSC)
Saturday, January 2 – 5:30 PM
Louise Herrington Patriot Center (Tyler, Texas)
All-Time Series: LCU leads 1-0
 
BREAK TIME'S OVER
Lubbock Christian University and the rest of the teams around the Lone Star Conference took a one-week break for the holidays, but will be back in action this weekend with the Chaps on the road for a pair of games against UT Tyler. The standings for the league look a bit odd, with teams having played different amounts of games due to COVID-19 protocols. UT Permian Basin has played the most with five, while West Texas A&M and St. Mary's have both played just once. The Chaps started their season a week late due to virus protocols, but they were able to put together a pair of nice road wins over Oklahoma Christian in their first weekend of play.
 
 
AWARD CENTRAL
Senior forward Parker Hicks was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week for games played Dec. 14-20, when LCU took down Oklahoma Christian in a pair of games. The Decatur native had an impressive start to the season, averaging 20.5 points per game on the weekend along with 8.5 rebounds per contest. In the LCU season-opener on Friday, Hicks had 24 total points, including 17 in the first half, along with a team-leading 13 rebounds for a double-double as Lubbock Christian won 82-70. The 13 rebounds were a career-high and he was just four points short of matching his best LCU point total. It was the first career weekly conference award for Hicks.
 
SHARING IS CARING
After two games, the Chaps rank No. 4 nationally in assists per game with 19.5, having tallied 21 in the season opener and 18 in their second game. Nearly half of LCU's assists (17) have come from point guard Cameron Copley, who is currently No. 1 in all of NCAA Division II with 8.5 assists per game. The number ranks second in the LSC, but only because fellow conference member DBU leads the nation with 26.5 in their two wins over Angelo State. The Chaps have also committed just 23 turnovers this year, giving them Assist/Turnover ratio of 1.70, which is second-best in the LSC.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Two of LCU's best performances in their opening weekend came from players competing in their first collegiate games ever. Rowan Mackenzie had the first breakout performance in the season-opener after sitting out during his freshman season. The Australia native had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds but also added in seven assists, just three shy of a triple-double. Saturday's game was freshman Gonzalo Corbalan's time to shine. The Argentina native posted his own double-double, leading the team with 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in the win. Ben Janssan also made his Lubbock Christian debut on the weekend, coming off the bench and playing an average of 9.5 minutes per contest. Janssan scored his first points as a Chap in the season-opener.
 
CHARITY STRIPE
Statistics around the league differ quite a bit at the moment, with some teams having played as many as five games and some having played just one. The number of games played varies even more nationally, but LCU is currently first in the conference and No. 11 nationally in free-throw percentage, having hit 80.6 percent of their foul shots. The second-place team in the LSC is West Texas A&M, who has only played one game and shot 75.9 percent in that contest. UT Permian Basin, who has played five games and shot a league-leading 150 FTs, is in third at 75.3 percent. Corbalan (7-7), Ty Caswell (8-8) and Copley (2-2) are all perfect from the charity stripe so far this year.  
 
ROAD WARRIORS
Lubbock Christian started the season 2-0 on the road, which is something they had not previously done since moving to the NCAA Division II level (2013-14 season). Last year, the Chaps posted a 7-5 record in road games, averaging 72.9 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting. They allowed 75.2 points per game though, with opponents shooting 47.2 percent. Four of LCU's 2019-20 road wins came by less than five points. Lloyd Daniels (16.6), Parker Hicks (12.8) and Ty Caswell (11.3)  all averaged double-figures in road games last season.
 
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS

• UT Tyler has played three games so far this season, suffering a pair of losses to UT Permian Basin in conference play before beating Dallas Christian College 106-67 in their most recent game on Dec. 18.
• The Patriots are in their third and final year of transition to NCAA Division II status and in their second year competing in the Lone Star Conference. Last season, they went 8-19 overall and 5-17 in LSC play in their first season under Louis Wilson.
• UTT is averaging 84.7 points per game so far this season, which is the fourth-best mark in the LSC. They have allowed 75.0 points per game, which gives them the sixth-best defense in the league as well.
• Micah Fuller is UT Tyler's leading scorer with an average of 17.3 points per game. Fuller, an Alabama native, scored a season-high 25 points in UTT's 12/12 loss to UT Permian Basin.
• The Patriots have struggle mightily with their three-point shooting so far this season with an LSC-worst 24.4 percentage. They have attempted 82 shots from behind the arc and made just 20.

 
THE SERIES WITH UT TYLER
 
It can't be called much of a series, as the two teams have only met once on the hardwood prior to Saturday's matchup. The Patriots led for most of the matchup and looked to be cruising to a win before the Chaps executed a furious 13-point comeback in the game's final two minutes to steal a win in the Louise Herrington Patriot Center.