WESTERN NEW MEXICO (1-1) at No.1 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (9-0) February 11, 2021 • 5:30 p.m. Lubbock, Texas • Rip Griffin Center (1,950) TICKETS: Click Here (Online Advanced Purchase Only for Non-Chap Pass Season Pass Holders) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH ONLINE: LSC Digital Network (Online or via OTT apps including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku devices by searching "LSC Digital Network.") Talent: Chris Due (Play-By-Play), LCU Social Media:
	WESTERN NEW MEXICO MUSTANGS (1-1) Location: Silver City, N.M. Conference: Lone Star Head Coach: Josh Pace (Syracuse, 2005) Roster | Stats | Preview
	LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN LADY CHAPS (9-0, 9-0, 3-0) Location: Lubbock, Texas Conference: Lone Star Head Coach: Steve Gomez (LCU, 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes

DID YOU MISS US?
No.1 Lubbock Christian University finally returns to action Thursday after having their last four scheduled games postponed. LCU, which has been practicing during the entirety of their layoff, has not played since defeating Midwestern State in Lubbock January 27. They return to action hosting Western New Mexico for a pair of games, as the two teams will play Thursday and Friday inside Rip Griffin Center. WNMU is a Lone Star Conference member, but none of their games are counting as conference contests as they were unable to commit to a full schedule of competition due to COVID protocols in New Mexico. The Mustangs have not played since Jan. 24.   

WAY BACK WHEN
LCU was coming off an 84-54 home win over Midwestern State (Jan. 27) when they learned that their trip to Wichita Falls, Texas (Jan. 30) to complete the West Division home-and-home weekly series would be postponed. LCU's Ashton Duncan and Allie Schulte each co-led LCU in the contest against MSU with 20 points. Schulte surpassed 1,000 career points in the game, becoming LCU's only active 1,000-point scorer and marking the third straight season LCU has had a player reach the mark. LCU outscored MSU by 20 points in the second half, scoring 29 points in the fourth quarter of the win.   

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
Just something to ponder… On Jan. 14, LCU faced Angelo State in what was LCU's fifth game of the season and ASU's season opener (LCU played their season opener on Dec. 11). Entering Thursday, Angelo State has played 10 games, while LCU has played nine game. LCU's nine games matches Arkansas – Fort Smith, Texas Woman's and Texas A&M International as the fewest games played by LSC programs (outside of WNMU). TWU and LCU have played the same number of games despite TWU not playing their second game of the season until Jan. 22.

STEALING THE SHOW
LCU enters the week ranked 19^th in steals per game (11.7). The Lady Chaps have had at least 10 steals in seven of their last eight games. Allie Schulte leads the team in steals (29) and averages 3.2 per game to lead the LSC (33^rd nationally).
 
LONG DISTANCE CALLS
Despite only playing nine games, LCU ranks third in the LSC in three-point field goals (94), averaging a conference-best 10.4 average per game (seventh in the nation). They average 10.3 three-pointers per game at home. The Lady Chaps success rate of 42.2% shooting from outside is third nationally. Ashton Duncan leads LCU with 32 three-pointers (33^rd nationally and leads the LSC), ranking fourth nationally with a conference-best rate of 3.56 per game. Schulte ranks fourth nationally and leads the conference with a three-point shooting percentage of 59.4%, and Duncan ranks second in the conference at 47.8%. Eleven (11) different Lady Chaps have at least one three-pointer on the season.

ALLIE CAT
The sharp shooting of Allie Schulte is registering nationally. Schulte leads the LSC and ranks second nationally in field goal percentage with a mark of 68.0%. From long range, she ranks fourth nationally with a conference-best rate of 59.4%. In nine games this season, she has two-or-less missed shots in seven of the games. She has not shot less than 60% in a game this season.

THROWING STONES
A look at upcoming milestones on the horizon for Lady Chap members:
-Allie Schulte ranks ninth nationally in Division II active players in career games played with 109.
-Is 25 assists away from 300 career assists.
-Actively ranks 28^th in career assists with 275 assists.
-Ashton Duncan needs one three-pointer to reach 150 career three-pointers.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
There is a new "No.1" in NCAA Division II women's college basketball, as both the WBCA and D2SIDA each released their weekly Top-25 Polls Tuesday with Lubbock Christian University replacing Drury as the top team.
 
LCU last held the No.1 ranking in January of 2020, coming off the 2019 NCAA Division II national championship season. With no basketball championships held last season due to Covid-19, LCU remains as the reigning national champions. They are 9-0 this season and one of four teams in NCAA Division II that have an 8-0 record or better. Charleston (WV) and Lander are each 10-0. Drury fell out of the top spot after falling to unranked Rockhurst.
 
WHEN AT HOME
LCU went 13-0 last season inside Rip Griffin Center. They enter Thursday's play 6-0 this season at home and with their active home win streak sitting at 84 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 72 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 (they are 19-0 in LSC 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
84 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 -->
 
NCAA'S ACTIVE-LEADING HOME WIN STREAKS 
81 – LCU (Division II)
33 – North Georgia (Division II)
30 – Messiah (Division III)
 
MORE ON THE HOME FRONT
Ashton Duncan leads LCU at home this season, averaging 15.8 points per game. Allie Schulte also averages double figures at home, with an average of 14.0 points per home contest. LCU has a 34-6 advantage in blocks at home and they have held opponents to 35.6% shooting. The Lady Chaps are shooting 49.9% on the Rip Griffin Center floor this season, with a 46.3% shooting mark from outside. LCU, averaging 10.4 three-point field goals per home game, have Duncan shooting 61.4% from outside at home. She is 27-of-44 at home this season from outside.
 
BLOCKS ARE BACK
Since their first season as official NCAA Division II members (2015-16), LCU has ranked at least 12^th or better in total blocks (led the nation in 15-16 and ranked second in 17-18) in each season of play and have ranked in the top-14 in four of the five seasons in blocks per game (led the nation in 15-16 and 16-17). This season, LCU looks as if they may keep the trend continuing. They ranked in the top-10 until several game postponements have them currently ranking 27th in blocks (51) and are seventh in blocks per game (5.7), leading the LSC in the per-game category. Emma Middleton (18, third in the conference and 36^th nationally), Whitney Cox (12, seventh in the LSC) and Juliana Robertson (9, 12^th in the conference) place LCU with three players in the top-12 in the LSC in blocks. Middleton also leads the LSC and 22^nd nationally with 2.00 blocks per game.
 
DISTRIBUTION
With a mark of 1.37, LCU ranks fifth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio. LCU's 17.8 assists per game ranks 10th in the nation, with team leader Allie Schulte averaging 3.18 per game to lead the conference and rank sixth nationally. Juliana Robertson is not far behind, ranking second in the conference with a mark of 2.9 per game (eighth nationally). Madelyn Turner (2.6) is also averaging over 2.0 assists per game. LCU ranks 17^th nationally in turnovers per game (leads the LSC) with a mark of 13.0 per game (they rank 18^th in turnovers forced and sixth in turnover margin).
 
LAST LINE OF DEFENSE
Along with ranking 19^th nationally in steals per game, LCU's defense is holding opponents to 47.9 points per game (leads the nation). From the floor, opponents are shooting 34.0% (16th nationally).
 
UNBLEMISHED
LCU is the only program in the South Central Region without a loss and they are one of 10 programs nationally in Division II that are active and have not lost.
 
CHARITY STRIPE
The Lady Chaps have not missed more than three free-throws in a game this season, and they are 44-of-47 in their prior two combined games (93.6%). On the season, LCU ranks second nationally, shooting 83.3% from the free-throw line. Emma Middleton leads LCU at the charity stripe with an 87.5% free-throw shooting percentage (21/24).

FIVE THINGS ABOUT WNMU
1 > The Mustangs are coming off an 8-18 season in 2019-20, finishing 5-17 in the Lone Star Conference and 0-10 in the division (last season they were in the same division as LCU). They went 5-8 in road contests.
2 > WNMU has been limited to two regular season games this season. They fell to UT Permian Basin 72-59 in Odessa, Texas on Dec. 15 and then traveled to Gilbert, Ariz. to defeat Park – Gilbert (NAIA program) 80-49.
3 > After Thursday and Friday's game, WNMU will have one game remaining, as they will travel to Wichita Falls, Texas to face Midwestern State. The Mustangs have had five games postponed due to COVID protocols.
4 > Destiny Johnson and Olivia Lee co-lead the Mustangs through their first two games, each averaging 14.0 points a game.
5 > WNMU is amidst their first season with Josh Pace coaching the Mustangs. Their win over Park Gilbert provided Pace with his first coaching victory.

THE SERIES AGAINST WNMU
The Mustangs and Lady Chaps are set to meet for the 21st time in an all-time series that dates back to 1980. The series is tied 10-10 despite the fact WNMU has not defeated the Lady Chaps since 1994. LCU has won the prior six meetings, with the latest resulting in an 68-37 win on Feb. 29 in Silver City, N.M. LCU is 3-3 in Silver City, N.M. against WNMU, but have not met there since Nov. 20, 2007 (85-55 LCU win). LCU is 5-2 in Lubbock against WNMU (four straight wins). Last season's home-and-home conference schedule marked the first time the two teams had a home-and-home set scheduled in a single season since 1994, when each were members of the NAIA.

ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. WNMU
Here is a look at LCU's top three active leaders career vs. WNMU:

Madelyn Turner 2gp – 8.0 pts/g, 2.5 asst. p/g, 2.0 steals p/g
Emma Middleton 3gp – 6.7 pts/g, 8/16 fg, 5.0 rebounds
Allie Schulte 3gp – 6.3 pts/g, 2/3 3pt fg

PREVIOUS RECAP VS. WNMU
Feb. 29, 2020 (Silver City, N.M.) - WNMU:37 - LCU:68
A 20-0 run in the first quarter opened a dominating performance by No.6 Lubbock Christian University, as they surged to a 68-37 Lone Star Conference division victory over Western New Mexico in the regular season finale inside Drag's Court.

LCU's 20-0 run helped them overcome a 10-6 deficit and it closed the first quarter of play to give LCU a 26-10 lead. The Lady Chaps dominating run was part of a scoring binge in which LCU outscored WNMU 46-10 over a stretch of 20:24.

Along with the run and offensive spark, LCU also out-scored WNMU 22-2 in points-off turnovers, 44-6 in paint scoring and 14-0 in second-chance scoring. A majority of the damage was in the opening half, as LCU had an 18-0 advantage in points-off-turnovers and 22-4 advantage in paint scoring in the opening half of play. LCU held WNMU to 20% (5/25) shooting in the first half and had 12 points each from Maddi Chitsey and Allie Schulte to take a 42-17 halftime lead.

During LCU's 46-10 run, WNMU was 2-of-23 (8.7%) from the field. They had a series of nine straight field goal misses and 11 consecutive misses. Their streak of 11 straight misses ended with a Paulina Rodriguez three-pointer, which also ended the 46-10 run. Prior to the three-pointer, LCU had the lead built to a 32-point advantage (52-20 with 7:20 remaining in the third quarter).

Rodriguez's three-pointer started a stretch in which WNMU was 5-of-10 from the field, but they closed the game missing their final nine shot attempts and finished the game shooting 21.7% (10/46) from the field. WNMU was 5-of-30 (16.7%) inside the arc. Rodriguez finished with a game-high 15 points. The Mustangs also received 10 points from Kayla Clark.

LCU, 43.8% from the field (28/64), received 14 points each from Maddi Chitsey and Allie Schulte. They also received 11 points from Madelyn Turner and 10 points from Emma Middleton. Juliana Robertson had the most intriguing stat line, posting 10 rebounds and two steals without any points scored. LCU was making their first visit to WNMU since Nov. 20, 2007.
 
 
KEEP IN MIND
The Lone Star Conference announced it will use a point rating system to determine its men's and women's basketball standings this year due to COVID-19 related schedule adjustments.
 
The point rating system will replace winning percentage for the LSC's basketball conference standings, divisional standings and conference tournament seeding in 2020-21. 
 
The system assigns a numerical value to game results depending on the site and quality of the opponent. Teams will earn more points for a win on the road or at home against top competition based on conference winning percentage and receive fewer points for a win against lesser opposition. Points are also dispersed for losses, with more points awarded for a loss against stronger competition. 
 
Each week, the team ratings will be determined by taking the total points divided by league games played with the opponents winning percentage updated throughout the year.

The LSC has the point system in use for public viewing on the standings page located on the LSC's website.
 
The change will help offset an unbalanced league schedule and games canceled due to COVID-19.  Typically, the LSC slate includes games against all other league teams but this year is using a modified "bubble" schedule format to enhance student-athlete safety with regard to COVID-19 and reduce the amount of contact amongst teams by playing the same opponent twice during the week.
 
The conference tournament will consist of the top eight men's and women's teams with first-round games on-campus on Tuesday, March 2 followed by the four winning teams advancing to the final site at the highest remaining seed on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6.
 
LSC POINT RATING SYSTEM
Points shall be awarded for each conference contest played:
7 points – win over a .750 or better team on the road
6.5 points – win over a .750 or better team at home
6 points – win over a .500 or better team on the road
5 points – win over a .500 or better team at home
4.5 points – win over a .250 or better team on the road
4 points – win over a .250 team or better at home
3.5 points – win over an under .250 team on the road
3 points – win over an under .250 team at home
2.5 points – loss at home or on the road to a .750 or better team
2 points – loss to a .500 or better team at home or on the road
1 point – loss to a .250 or better team at home or on the road
.5 points – loss to an under .250 team on the road
0 points – loss to an under .250 team at home
 
COVID AND VIEWING OPTIONS
COVID-19 regulations by LCU will have the Rip Griffin Center at 50% capacity. All home game ticket and spectator policies are subject to change on a game-by-game basis. For games allowing fans, a limited number of tickets are available (admission covers both men's and women's games on that date) to the general public on www.lcuchaps.com/tickets.
 
Each game will be broadcast on the LSC Digital Network as an option for fans unable to attend. The Lone Star Conference have a new hybrid pricing model for the LSC Digital Network this season. The broadcasts of volleyball and men's and women's basketball games will be available via pay-per-view (PPV) conference-wide under the new model. Fans can purchase a $10 daily pass that will give them access to all LSC football, volleyball and basketball contests on the network that day, as well as access to previously aired games from the current season for 24 hours. In addition to live and archived streaming options, viewers will have the option to purchase and download games from the 2020-21 season for $10 each. Select games of all other sports carried on the LSC Digital Network will be available free-to-view (FTV) or PPV at the discretion of the broadcasting institution. The LSC Digital Network is in its second year showcasing the academic and athletic events of the league and its 18 member institutions. Fans can watch games and purchase passes online at  www.lonestarconferencenetwork.com or www.lcuchaps.com/live on computer and mobile devices. Viewers can also tune in to games on the LSC Digital Network via OTT apps available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku by searching for "LSC Digital Network."