COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 24, 2021) – For the fourth time in Lubbock Christian University women's basketball program history, and the third time in their NCAA era, the Lady Chaps are bound for a national title game. Top-seeded and No.1 nationally ranked LCU overcame their largest deficit of the season, behind a career-high 24-point performance from Allie Schulte, and moved to the national championship game of the 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight tournament with a 63-61 win over No.5-seeded Central Missouri Wednesday night at Great Columbus Convention Center (GCCC).
 
LCU went on a 5-0 run after surrendering the game's first bucket, with Ashton Duncan connecting on LCU's first field goal with a three-pointer. Unfortunately for the Lady Chaps, it would be their only field goal of their first six shot attempts. UCM used an 8-0 run, a 16-8 scoring advantage in the paint and a Kade Hackerott sprawling shot as time expired in the quarter for a 19-15 lead for the Jennies.
 
Hackerott's bucket led to another 8-0 Jennies run, as LCU missed their first five shot attempts of the second quarter in a span lasting the first four minutes of the quarter. The surge allowed UCM to build their lead to 25-15, placing LCU's deficit at a season's largest mark. Juliana Robertson ended the drought for LCU with a pair of field goals, as LCU responded with a 6-0 run. After a 4-0 Jennies run (all free-throws) built their lead to 29-21 (1:28 left in the half), LCU closed with a 7-4 scoring advantage to put their deficit at 33-28 at the half. Burr closed the half with a layup at the horn.
 
LCU was held to 1-of-6 (16.7%) shooting from outside in the half, with an overall mark at 37.9%. Allie Schulte led LCU with seven points in the half. The Lady Chaps did bounce back outscoring UCM 12-6 in the paint in the second quarter. UCM, with a 21-15 rebound advantage in the half, had seven points and six boards in the half from Brooke Littrell. The Jennies also had a 14-4 scoring advantage from their bench in the half.
 
The Lady Chaps opened the second half on a 6-2 run before Schulte launched a three-pointer to tie the game at 37-37 3:12 into the half. UCM responded and prevented LCU from regaining the lead, as Morgan VanHyfte hit a three-pointer to start a 5-0 run (placed the UCM lead at 42-37 with 6:07 remaining in the third quarter). LCU had five field goals in the final five of minutes of the third quarter, and three were from long distance. Emma Middleton, Schulte and Laynee Burr each drained three-pointers to help LCU outscore UCM 13-6 in the final five minutes of the quarter to give LCU a 50-48 lead heading into the final quarter. LCU outscored UCM 22-15 in the third quarter, with Schulte (12) and Middleton (7) combining for 19 of their 22 points in the quarter.
 
Schulte had the opening field goal of the fourth quarter, and a minute into the quarter, Ashton Duncan and Emma Middleton connected on back-to-back three-pointers for a 58-50 LCU lead with 7:19 remaining. Middleton suffered a fifth foul with just over five minutes left in the game. The Jennies went on a 5-0 run during Middleton's departure, and seven of their final 11 points of the game were from the free-throw line. Schulte put LCU up 63-59 with 41 seconds remaining. UCM was able to get a pair of free-throws with 29 seconds remaining to cut LCU's lead to 63-61. LCU called a timeout to advance the inbounds, but was called for a five-second inbounding violation, resulting in UCM receiving the ball back. The Jennies attempted three field goal attempts (all three-pointers) over the final 23 seconds, but the final two were blocked by Duncan to preserve the LCU victory.
 
LCU, shooting 61.5% in the third quarter, finished the game 43.6% from the field (24/55). They were 6-of-9 in the second half from long range to finish 7-of-15 (46.7%) beyond the arc. Schulte finished the game with a career-high 24 points off 8-of-14 shooting from the field. Middleton finished with 14 points and tied a career high in three-point shooting with a pair of three-pointers in a game for the third time in her career. LCU matched a program record for a NCAA postseason game with nine blocks (matched Mar. 13, 2016 against West Texas A&M), with Middleton becoming the fourth Lady Chaps member in program history to have five blocks in a game to match a program high in a NCAA postseason game. Duncan set a career high with her two blocks in the final thirty seconds of the game.
 
The Lady Chaps had to outlast a Jennies squad that had double-doubles from Littrell (16 points and 11 rebounds) and Nija Collier (11 points and 10 rebounds). UCM out-rebounded LCU 39-26. The Jennies were 20-of-43 (46.5%) shooting inside the perimeter, but were 2-of-11 (18.2%) from outside. UCM had their season end with a 23-5 record.
 
They are 22-0 overall on the season. LCU improved to 19-1 all-time in NCAA postseason play with the win. The Lady Chaps claimed their first program win over Central Missouri, as they were 0-2 against the Jennies,
 
TURNING POINT
Just as LCU was starting to take control of the game, getting their lead up to eight points with 7:19 left, Emma Middleton fouled out and LCU had trouble adjusting. LCU, closing the game with field goals on two of their nine attempts, was 2-of-7 after Middleton fouled out.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
The trip to the national championship game marks the fourth in LCU program history. LCU lost  the 2006 NAIA national championship game in 2006, before winning the 2016 NCAA Division II national championship and the 2019 NCAA Division II national championship.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The NCAA Division II national championship game is Friday at 7 p.m. (Central), with LCU facing Drury for a second straight season in the Elite Eight. LCU defeated Drury last season in the semifinals.