NO. 2 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (16-1, 14-1 LSC)
vs. NO. 2 WEST TEXAS A&M (12-1, 10-1LSC)
Saturday, February 27 – 2 PM
First United Bank Center (Canyon, Texas)
All-Time Series: WT leads 21-6
 
TIPOFF
For the first time this season, the Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team is looking to bounce back from a loss. In a back-and-forth affair on Thursday night that featured 22 lead changes and 12 ties, WT escaped with a four-point in the Rip Griffin Center Thursday night. The Chaps get another shot now though, as they head to the home of the Buffs for a matchup at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
 
FIVE THINGS TO FOCUS ON
1 | The Chaps enter Saturday's matchup as the best team in all of NCAA Division II when it comes to assist/turnover ratio, posting a mark of 1.81 so far this year. They average 18.8 assists per game and turn the ball over just 10.4 times per contest. WT was able to force them into 13 turnovers on Thursday and score 14 points because of those. LCU was also limited to just 12 assists in the loss, which was their second-lowest total this season.
 
2 | Joel Murray matched his career high on Thursday, scoring 32 points in 39 minutes on the floor. He was 11-of-21 from the field and 9-of-13 from the free throw line. For the season, Murray is averaging 23.0 points per game, which leads the Lone Star Conference.
 
3 | Lubbock Christian ranks No. 8 nationally in field-goal percentage with a season mark of 51.6, but they struggled to shoot the ball Thursday, hitting only 42.6 percent from the field. They particularly struggled in the first half, shooting only 37.5 percent from the field and just 10 percent from behind the arc.
 
4 | Cameron Copley had a new season high on Thursday with 19 points in 30 minutes on the floor. He was only 5-of-13 from the field, but four of those five makes came from behind the arc and he went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line as well. For the season, the Canadian, Texas native is averaging 6.2 points per game while leading the team with 5.6 assists per contest.
 
5 | West Texas A&M's only loss of the season did come on their home floor, as No. 21 Dallas Baptist beat them 87-78 on Jan. 9. The Patriots held the Buffs to a season-low 36.5 percent shooting including a 21.2 percent mark from the three-point line, despite Qua Grant scoring 25 and Murray adding in 23.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M have met 27 times in total, with the first meeting occurring on Dec. 1, 1978. The Buffs claimed a win in that first game and in the first nine meetings between the team. They lead the all-time series 21-6. LCU's last win over WT was on Dec. 6,2018.