KINGSVILLE, Texas (December 31, 2021) – A cold-shooting Lubbock Christian University ran into a hot-shooting Texas A&M-Kingsville to open Lone Star Conference play Friday inside Steinke P.E. Center, as the No.1 Lady Chaps were held to their lowest scoring performance in nearly 12 years, falling 59-42 to the Javelinas, who shot 53.7% from the field. The loss snapped LCU's 22-game conference win streak and they drop a conference opener for the first time since opening the 2016-17 conference season with a loss at St. Mary's (ironically also on New Year's Eve).
 
LCU's 42 points was their lowest offensive output since scoring 40 points at Oklahoma City University on Jan. 2, 2010. Friday, LCU was 15-of-51 from the field for an end result of 29.4% for their worst shooting percentage since shooting 28.9% (13/45) at Eastern New Mexico on Dec. 30, 2017. Included in the mix in LCU's first-ever trip to Kingsville was a 14.3% (4/28) shooting woe from the perimeter (worst mark since 1-of-8 on Mar. 18, 2019 at Colorado Mesa). Even Ashton Duncan, who is currently second all-time in LCU career three-point shooting was unable to dial in on 11 attempts. The Lady Chaps were unable to get bailed out on the free-throw line as well, as they were 8-of-14 (57.1%) from the line, with the 57.1% standing as their lowest mark from the line since shooting 55% (11/20) on Feb. 21, 2019 at Newman.
 
Aligning the stars to have LCU falling with their largest loss margin (17) since falling by 27 (90-63) at Southwestern Okla. State on Dec. 10, 2016, was a solid shooting performance by the Javelinas. TAMUK shot at least 50% in each of the four quarters and finished the game 53.7% from the field (22/41), which is the best shooting performance by an LCU opponent since Tarleton State shot 58.9% against LCU on Nov. 16, 2013. They were 7-of-15 (46.7%) from long range, with Jayde Tschritter going 4-of-6 from three-point range in her team-leading 16-point performance.
 
LCU's opening two field goals were three-pointers, but the three-pointers by Allie Schulte and Channing Cunyus were helping LCU play catch-up instead of providing offensive leads, as the Javelinas made two of their first three field goal attempts and six of their opening nine attempts. TAMUK's ninth field goal attempt was a made three-pointer by Tschritter for a 15-8 Javelinas lead with 2:30 left in the opening quarter. Laynee Burr tailored an old fashioned three-point play to close the scoring in the quarter and cut LCU's deficit to 15-11.
 
The Lady Chaps first field goal of the second quarter was a Grace Foster three-pointer, which had LCU trailing 17-15, but LCU would miss their next five shot attempts (in the final 32 minutes of the game, LCU never made consecutive field goal attempts). TAMUK used a 10-2 run for a 27-17 lead with 4:06 left in the half. LCU trailed 31-23 at the break.
 
Kryslyn Jones had eight points for the Javelinas in the third quarter, and all were key, as they followed a three-pointer from LCU's Audrey Robertson. The three-pointer by Robertson had cut their deficit to 33-28 midway through the quarter (the two teams combined four points over the first 5:34 of the second half) before TAMUK responded with a 12-2 run to close the quarter for a 45-30 lead.
 
The run turned into a 20-3 run, as LCU trailed 53-31 2:21 into the fourth quarter. LCU attempted to rally, responding with a 9-0 run to trail 53-40 with 2:11 remaining. The Lady Chaps were unable to rally any further, as they were unsuccessful on their last 11 attempted three-pointers (LCU was 1-of-22 from the time 7:31 remained in the second quarter until the game's end).
 
Despite the statistics that have proved to be an oddity in the recent history of Lady Chaps basketball, LCU did receive a career high seven steals from Schulte. The mark matches the highest steals mark by an LCU player since LCU transitioned to NCAA Division II and the most since Nicole Hampton had seven on April 3, 2016 in the NCAA Division II Championship Game against Alaska Anchorage. The seven steals by Schulte matches the second-highest in the LSC this season.
 
Burr led LCU with 9 points. She was 3-of-3 from the field in the first half and finished 4-of-6 from the floor, while also adding three assists and producing two steals.  
 
Tschritter led TAMUK with 16 points and was joined in double figures by Jones, who finished with 10 points. TAMUK, improving to 5-0 at home, improved to 7-4 on the season. LCU fell to 11-2 overall.
 
The meeting was the second-ever meeting between the two programs (series now tied 1-1) and the second-ever meeting between LCU's Steve Gomez and TAMUK's Michael Madrid, who served the as an assistant coach under Gomez at LCU from 2005-2010. Their head-to-head meetings mark the only regular season meetings Gomez has ever had against one of his former assistant coaches.
 
TURNING POINT
After Audrey Robertson's three-pointer in the third quarter, which cut the LCU deficit to 33-28, LCU went the next 7:13 without a field goal. LCU missed four field goal attempts in the span, which was part of a span in which they were 2-of-10. Meanwhile, TAMUK went on a 20-3 run in which the Javelinas made 8-of-9 attempts, including five consecutive field goals for a 52-31 lead with 8:17 left in the contest.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The 2021 calendar year has been a good one for the Lady Chaps (pushing COVID-19 matters aside…again). In 2021, LCU claimed their second LSC Championship title and third NCAA Division II national title. Friday's loss was only the second loss on the 2021 calendar year for LCU. They conclude 2021 with a 32-2 record (94.1%). LCU had a 19-3 (86.7%) record for all games played in 2020 19-3 (86.4%), and they went 22-1 (95.7%) in 2020, 29-5 (85.3%) in 2019, 26-5 (83.9%) in 2017, 29-10 (74.4%) in 2016 and 24-4 (85.7%) in 2015. LCU drops to 5-3 all-time on New Year's Eve. Their previous New Year's Eve game was on Dec. 31, 2018, as LCU topped Eastern New Mexico 64-48 at home. LCU is 4-3 all-time in New Year's Eve games played under head coach Steve Gomez and 2-2 all-time in conference games played on New Year's Eve.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
LCU opens the 2022 calendar year Sunday at 1 p.m. in Laredo, Texas facing Texas A&M International.