LAREDO, Texas (January 2, 2022) – No.1 Lubbock Christian University produced their highest steal total since 2004 (21), with Allie Schulte posting a career-high eight steals to go along with 23 points, and the Lady Chaparrals garnered their first Lone Star Conference win of the season with a 62-48 win over Texas A&M International Sunday afternoon inside Kinesiology and Convocation Building.
 
After hitting the record books Friday in search of low-shooting performances, LCU opened the game Sunday feeling as if they finally weren't shooting on rims to win prizes at the county fair.
LCU opened game 3-of-3 from the field and all three field goals were three-pointers. The Lady Chaps, opening the game on a 7-0 run, hit from downtown on their first four field goals of the game. Ashton Duncan and Allie Schulte each had a pair and LCU led 13-5 midway through the quarter. Schulte led LCU with 10 points in the first quarter, as they led 20-10 at the end of the quarter on 7-of-12 (58.3%) shooting.
 
The two teams combined for one field goal through the first three minutes of the second quarter. LCU missed their first four field goal attempts of the quarter before connecting on four straight field goals. Duncan had four points of a 11-0 LCU run to build a 31-12 lead with 4:46 remaining in the half. TAMIU held LCU to one field goal the rest of the frame and Emily Swiercz capped an 11-0 run with a three-point play to pull TAMIU within 10 (31-21) with 1:38 left in the half.
 
The Lady Chaps used a 15-7 scoring advantage in points-off-turnovers in the half to take a 33-21 halftime lead. Duncan and Schulte each had 10 points in the half for the Lady Chaps, who forced TAMIU into 16 turnovers in the first half. Channing Cunyus was a +16 (plus/minus) for LCU in the half.
 
LCU had a sluggish start to the second half, missing their first four shot attempts and opening the half 1-of-9 from the field. TAMIU opened with a 7-0 run and cut the LCU lead to 33-28 2:50 into the half. Duncan ended the TAMIU run with a three-pointer, which was the first of two she made in the quarter. Her second three-pointer of the quarter helped LCU complete an 11-3 run to build the lead to 44-31 with 3:00 to-go in the quarter. Despite shooting 17.6% (3/17) in the quarter, LCU led 44-34 heading into the final frame.
 
The Lady Chaps defense held TAMIU without a field goal for a span of 7:05 carrying over from the third quarter into the first 3:51 of the fourth quarter. LCU used an 8-0 run during the TAMIU dry spell, with five points from Schulte and a trio from Laynee Burr during the run for a 54-36 lead and LCU's largest lead of the game. A 6-0 TAMIU run placed the Dustdevils down 56-44 with four minutes left, but they would get no closer, as LCU, behind nine points in the quarter from Schulte, shot 53.8% (7/13) in the final quarter.
 
TAMIU, falling to 10-2 overall and 1-1 in conference, dropped their first home game of the season (7-1). Eva Langton and Clara Fernandez each had 13 points to co-lead the Dustdevils. TAMIU had eight offensive boards, leading to a 16-7 scoring advantage in second-chance scoring.
 
LCU forced TAMIU into 26 turnovers, producing 21 steals. The total was the highest steals total by the Lady Chaps since swiping 21 on Dec. 9, 2004 against Southwestern Assemblies of God (SAGU). Sunday's steal total led to LCU outscoring TAMIU 18-10 in points-off-turnovers.
 
Schulte produced eight steals, which not only moved her into second in LCU's career record book for steals (273 to move past Sherry Brown, who had 271 from 1979-1983), for a new career high after posting seven Friday. The eight steals were the highest individual game total for a Lady Chap since Tabitha Quibty-Sellers had eight steals on Nov. 18, 2002. The team record is 12 by Tina Phillips (Hays) from Nov. 12, 1991.      
 
Along with eight steals, Schulte came a point shy of matching a career-high in points, as she led all scorers with 23 points. She was joined in double figures by Duncan, who nailed four three-pointers and finished with 16 points. LCU also received balance play by Cunyus, who had nine points, seven rebounds, five assists (matched a career high) and four steals (career high).
 
The Lady Chaps improved to 12-2 overall with the win and their first conference win of the season has them 1-1 in LSC play. LCU improved to 19-1 all-time against TAMIU and 7-1 all-time in Laredo.
 
TURNING POINT
With 7:10 remaining in the third quarter and TAMIU storming back to cut their deficit to 33-28, LCU's defense held the Dustdevils to 1-of-11 from the field over a span just-over 10 minutes in length. During the sequence, LCU outscored TAMIU 17-8, with TAMIU scoring six of their eight points at the free-throw line. Schulte had eight of LCU's points during the run.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
LCU had 30 three-point attempts in the game, which ranks tied as the tenth-most attempts in a game since 2010. The 30 attempts were the most since attempting 35 last season at UT Tyler (Jan. 3, 2021). Ashton Duncan attempted 16 three-point attempts, marking a career high. The 16 attempts were the most by a Lady Chaps member since Bailey Haist attempted 17 on five years to the date against TAMIU (Jan. 2, 2017).
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lady Chaps return to Rip Griffin Center for their first LSC home games, hosting Arkansas Fort Smith Thursday at 5:30 p.m.