CANYON, Texas (March 15, 2021) – On a night the outside shots were not falling, top-seeded Lubbock Christian University needed inside shooters to complete the task…and they did. Lady Chaparrals forward Emma Middleton led all scorers with 22 points, and Juliana Robertson posted her first double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds), as LCU came back from an eight-point second half deficit and used a 15-0 run for a 78-65 win over No.2-seeded and No.19 Southwestern Oklahoma State. It is LCU's fourth automatic berth to the Elite Eight in program history, and the 2021 edition is hosted in Columbus, Ohio, with games played inside Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC).
 
Middleton's 22 points helped her clinch the Most Outstanding Player honor of the South Central Region after averaging 18.5 points in the two games LCU played in the tournament. Allie Schulte (16.5 points per game) and Juliana Robertson (11.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game) all claimed All-Tournament honors.
 
LCU's Allie Schulte and Ashton Duncan, who each had over 20 points in Saturday's semifinal victory over Cameron, were each 0-of-6 from the field in the first half. Juliana Robertson carried the weight for the Lady Chaps in the half, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and 14 in the half to help LCU take a 36-33 halftime lead. Despite a scoreless half, Schulte's defensive play was rewarding for the team, as she had three steals and helped LCU outscore the Bulldogs 12-4 in points-off-turnovers in the half.  
 
The three-pointers were not falling in the opening half. SWOSU entered the contest with a NCAA Division II leading 11.1 three-pointers per game, but they were 2-of-7 from three-point range in the half (opened the game 1-of-6 and 2-of-10 from long range). LCU was 3-of-18 in the half from long range and eventually 3-of-22 after their first four attempts of the second half did not fall.
 
The lack of success from outside for each team, had them working in the paint. Robertson (14) and Middleton (8) combined for 22 points in the first half, with Channing Cunyus also coming off the bench to pitch in four points in the half. LCU was 12-of-18 (67%) inside the arc in the half. SWOSU was 13-of-24 (54.1%) inside the perimeter, with Bethany Franks leading the Bulldogs in paint scoring (7 points) in the half.
 
The Lady Chaps went nearly six minutes without a field goal in the third quarter, as SWOSU started to surge. Franks hit a pair of three-pointers for the Bulldogs, which book-ended a 13-2 SWOSU run for a 50-42 Bulldogs lead. The eight-point deficit marked the largest second half deficit the Lady Chaps have faced this season.
 
Flashback to the prior two meetings between these two teams:
Mar. 29, 2019 – In the NCAA Division II national championship game, LCU faced a 10-point deficit to SWOSU in the second half. They rallied back to eventually win the thriller in double overtime by 10 points.
 
Nov. 16, 2019 – In a meeting inside Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, LCU faced a 52-46 deficit with 1:10 left in the third quarter and trailed 52-47 in the fourth quarter before LCU outscored SWOSU 24-9 in the fourth quarter for a 10-point LCU victory.
 
Monday, as shots were not falling, LCU used their grit to climb from their deficit. LCU was 3-of-9 from the field in the quarter, but they earned 12 free-throw attempts and made all 12 (Middleton 8-for-8 in the quarter) to have 12 of their 18 points in the quarter scored from the line. LCU scored the final six points of the quarter from the line and cut SWOSU's lead to 56-54 at quarter's end.
 
In the fourth quarter, LCU was finally able to dial in from long range. They opened the quarter on a 9-0 run, with Ashton Duncan ending a personal sequence of seven straight misses from downtown with a three-pointer to cap the run at 15-0 for a 63-56 LCU lead. Duncan connected on another less than two minutes later, followed with a wide-open Madelyn Turner also connecting for a 71-60 lead with 5:40 remaining.
 
Outside of Laynee Burr's bucket to open the fourth quarter scoring, LCU outscored SWOSU 24-9 in the fourth quarter with 20 of the points coming from their five seniors. SWOSU was 2-of-12 (16.7%) in the fourth quarter, with their last field goal put in with less than 10 seconds left in the game.
 
Middleton finished with 22 points and matched a program NCAA postseason record with an 8-for-8 performance at the free-throw line. Schulte went 8-of-8 from the line Saturday to originally set the mark, and she followed with a 6-for-6 performance at the line Monday to go 14-for-14 from the charity stripe in the regional. The mark for Schulte is a program single-regional record, topping Bobbi Chitsey's 7-for-7 regional performance in 2018, and Schulte is 25-for-26 (96.2%) in her career in regional play.
 
LCU was 18-for-18 at the free-throw line until missing their final attempt, which placed the nation's leading free-throw shooting team with a single-game season high 18-for-19 (94.7%) night at the line, which is a program record for NCAA postseason play.
 
Taking last season's COVID-19 cancellation out of the equation, SWOSU had their season end with a loss to LCU for a second consecutive season. The nationally ranked Bulldogs end their season with an 18-4 record. Macy Gore led SWOSU with 17 points, with Bethany Franks (13) and Makyra Tramble (12) combining for 25 points.
 
Robertson, who posted a career-high 12 rebounds the last time the two teams met, matched the mark Monday to complete her first double-double with a career-high 16 points. Schulte, who had seven rebounds, added 12 points to finish in double figures.
 
LCU, improving to 20-0 on the season, improves to 11-0 all-time in regional play and 16-1 all-time in NCAA postseason play (first season eligible for NCAA postseason was in 2015-16). They qualify for their fourth Elite Eight. LCU made their first two trips to Sioux Falls, S.D. for their first two and will make their second trip to Columbus for the event. The 2019 event was hosted inside Alumni Hall on the campus of Ohio Dominican, but this season's event with extremely limited fans will be hosted inside the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) in a make-shift venue inside the complex, which recently hosted the Atlantic Regional. Elite Eight play begins Mar. 23.
 
TURNING POINT
LCU's 15-0 run was the difference in the contest. The Lady Chaps were 4-of-6 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line during the 15-0 run over a 4:49 span, while SWOSU was 0-of-12 over the span from the field.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Emma Middleton becomes the third Lady Chaps member to claim Most Outstanding Player honors. Tess Bruffey claimed the honor twice (2016 and 2018) and Olivia Robertson received the honor in 2019.