CARPET TECH CLASSIC
COLORADO CHRISTIAN (0-0) vs. No.13 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (0-2)
November 11, 2022 • 6:00 PM
Lubbock, Texas • Rip Griffin Center (1,950)
 

CARPET TECH CLASSIC
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Colorado Christian	Lubbock, Texas	Fri., Nov. 11	6:00 p.m.	Video	Stats
CSU Pueblo	Lubbock, Texas	Sat., Nov. 12	6:00 p.m.	Video	Stats
Game Notes (PDF)

WELCOME HOME
No.13 Lubbock Christian University opens their home slate of the 2022-23 season hosting the Carpet Tech Classic inside Rip Griffin Center. Action inside Rip Griffin Center will consist of a pair of games Friday and Saturday. Friday, following a 3:30 p.m. tip between UT Tyler and Colorado State Pueblo, LCU will host Colorado Christian (6 p.m. scheduled tip), and Saturday LCU will host CSU Pueblo (estimated 6 p.m. tip) after UT Tyler clashes with Colorado Christian (3:30 p.m. start). The pair of home games begins a stretch in which LCU plays six of seven games at home.
 
OLIVIA NEEDS A RIDE
Last season, LCU's SAAC committee held a fundraiser to assist Olivia Needs a Ride and helped raise over $12,000. The LCU SAAC is continuing to assist Olivia Needs a Ride through fundraising efforts and is having their Olivia Needs Ride Night Friday during LCU's home opener. For additional information about Olivia Needs a Ride, please visit https://olivianeedsaride.com/.
 
NOT AS ROUGH AS IT LOOKS
There is no need to hit the panic button following LCU's first 0-2 start since the 2016-17 season. Last weekend at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic in Kansas City, LCU fell to No.6 Missouri Southern State (65-64) and to Missouri Western State 101-96 in overtime. The Lady Chaps didn't appear inexperienced (they were opening the season playing with five new starters for the first time in Steve Gomez's 20 seasons at the helm of the Lady Chaps), as they led in the final minute of regulation in each of the games (facing MSSU, the regional favorites according to D2SIDA, and MWSU, who was an Elite Eight qualifier last season). LCU showed they can score, as Grace Foster lit up Missouri Western State for 36 points. LCU has four players averaging double figures in points (Grace Foster 26.0, Audrey Robertson 11.0, Maci Maddox 10.5 and Shaylee Stovall 10.0) and a trio of players average at least 7.0 rebounds (Cox 8.5, Foster 8.5 and Robertson 7.5).  

WILL AND GRACE
The MIAA, hosts of the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic, announced their All-Tournament selections and Grace Foster was Lubbock Christian University's representative on All-Tournament Team. Foster, a sophomore from Childress, Texas, led all players at the tournament, conducted in Kansas City, Mo. at Municipal Auditorium, with 26.0 points per game. Her marquee performance was a 36-point performance against Western State Sunday, as she had LCU's highest single-game point total since Nov. 5, 2010 (Emily Pool, 36 points against Northern New Mexico College) and it tied for the fourth-highest single-game point total in LCU program history. She was 13-of-20 from the field in the game, with her 13 field goals marking the most by a Lady Chap since Mar. 1, 2013 (Kelsey Canavan, 13 against Rogers State). Foster opened the season with her second career double-double, posting 16 points and 11 boards against No.6 Missouri Southern State. With 12 points in the second half against SMSU and 20 points in the second half against MWSU, she averaged 16.0 points in the second half of play on the week. Defensively, she averaged 2.0 blocks per game. Foster's tournament numbers included going 60-percent (6-of-10) from three-point range.

SEASON NOTES AND TRENDS
>Grace Foster has a pair of double-figure contests to open the season, which matches her career-high completed twice her freshman season. On January 6 (vs Arkansas Fort Smith) and Jan. 13 (at Texas A&M-Commerce), Foster posted 14 and 20 points.
>Whitney Cox posted career-highs in points (6) and rebounds (6) Saturday against MSSU, and followed Sunday (against MWSU) with her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to establish new career-high marks.
>The Lady Chaps are averaging 42.5 rebounds per game through their opening pair of contests, posting a high of 46 against MSSU. LCU has not averaged over 40 rebounds in a season since averaging 40.3 during the 2015-16 season.
>Sunday, LCU was 29-of-33 (87.9%) from the free-throw line. The 29 free-throws were tied for the fifth-most since LCU began competing with a NCAA schedule (2013-14) and their highest mark since 30 against Lander last season (Nov. 19, 2021). On the campaign, LCU is shooting 82.1% (46/56) from the line. Audrey Robertson (10-of-12) and Shaylee Stovall (15-of-18) are each shooting 83.3% from the line to lead the team (of those reaching minimum requirements.
>LCU's allowance of 101 points Sunday to MWSU was a rarity. The 101 points marked the second time an LCU opponent has scored at least 100 points against LCU during Steve Gomez's tenure as the Lady Chaps head coach. The last time LCU allowed at least 100 points was on Jan. 31, 2004 in a 101-62 loss to Oklahoma Christian, which was during Gomez's first season with the Lady Chaps. Overall in program history, Missouri Western's 101 points marked the 10th time in LCU program history in which they allowed at least 100 points in a contest.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
D2SIDA (Division II Sports Information Directors Association) and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) each announced their preseason top-25 rankings for the 2022-2023 season, with D2SIDA ranking Lubbock Christian University No.13 and the WBCA ranking the Lady Chaparrals No.23.

LCU has found their way into the D2SIDA preseason poll nine consecutive seasons, marking every season they have been eligible to appear (due to the transfer from NAIA to NCAA Div. II), ranking No.1 (2019-20 and in 2021-22), No.3 (2018-19 and in 2020-21), No.23 (2017-18), No. 4 (2016-17), No.15 (2015-16) and receiving votes in 2014-15. The Lady Chaps No.13 ranking is the second-best among South Central Region programs, as West Texas A&M holds the No.7 ranking.

The WBCA NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, which the WBCA did not conduct during the 2020-21 season (COVID), is a poll LCU has consistently debut in each season a poll has been conducted since being eligible. Carrying the No.1 ranking last season, this season's No.23 ranking ends a streak of three consecutive top-10 preseason poll appearances. Along with their three consecutive top-10 debuts (No.1 in 2021-22, No.2 in 2019-20, No. 10 in 2018-19), LCU has claimed No.11 (2016-17) and No.18 (2015-16) in their prior appearances in the poll.

SO ARE SOME OTHERS
LCU faced a nationally ranked program Saturday, falling to No.6 Southern Missouri State. LCU went 6-0 against nationally ranked programs in 2020-21 and 3-2 in 2021-22 against the nations ranked foes (opened 3-0). LCU's season opener marked the first time since the 2017-18 season opener in Commerce, Texas in which LCU opened against a national ranked opponent (LCU topped No.5 CSU-Pueblo 57-52). This Saturday, with LCU facing a program receiving top-25 votes (CSU Pueblo), three of their four games this season will have been against nationally ranked teams or teams receiving votes.

SWEET HOME (ON) CHICAGO
LCU went 13-0 at home last season, which has their active home win streak sitting at 104 games (it is the active and all-time leading mark in NCAA Division II women's basketball). 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 (not including a 4-0 mark in LSC postseason play), has also won 82 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 29-0 in LSC home games).
 
NCAA DIVISION II'S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS
104 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 -->
87 - Neb.-Kearney Jan. 31, 1995-Nov. 24, 2001
85 - West Tex. A&M Jan. 9, 1987-Dec. 6, 1991
 
NCAA'S ACTIVE-LEADING HOME WIN STREAKS
104 – LCU (Division II)
30 – BYU (Division I)
29 – Two programs tied (BYU, Christopher Newport)
 
NCAA DIVISION LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS BY DIVISION
Division I – 99 – UConn 2006/07 – 2011/12
Division II - 104 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 -->
Division III – 121 – Amherst Jan. 31, 2009-Feb. 6, 2016
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT CCU
1 > The Cougars followed a 5-13 season in 2020-21 with a 9-18 overall record last season. They went 6-15 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contests, which had them tied for 12^th place. They went 3-9 in road contests.
2 > CCU is preseason picked 11^th in the RMAC Preseason Poll.
3 > Agnes Paul and Sydney Priddy are the returning starters on the CCU squad. Paul averaged 6.5 rebounds per game and tallied 168 total last season. Priddy, who will run point, averaged 5.3 points and handed out 80 assists last season. CCU has eight new players on roster entering the season.
4 > Colorado Christian faced a pair of Division I programs to complete their exhibition schedule. The Cougars fell to Wyoming (68-36) and Colorado State (78-47). Regan Loconte led the Cougars with 12 points against Wyoming and Victoria Perez came off the bench to lead the Cougars with nine points against the Rams.
5 > Lourdes Gonzalez is the one of only two seniors on the Cougars roster. She averaged 11.4 points per game and 7.3 rebounds last season.
 
THE SERIES AGAINST CCU
LCU and Colorado Christian have met two prior times (series split 1-1), meeting last season (60-46 LCU season-opening win on November 12, 2021) to mark the first meeting between the two squads since an invitational hosted by Colorado Christian on Dec. 3-4, 1993. The Dec. 4, 1993 meeting marked the first meeting, with Colorado Christian winning 72-55.
 
ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. CCU
Here is a look at LCU's top three active leaders career vs. CCU:

Grace Foster 1 GP,  8.0 pts/g,  
Audrey Robertson 1 GP, 3.0 pts/g, 3.0 reb/g, 1/3 3FG
Whitney Cox 1 GP, 1/2 FG
 
PRIOR MEETING VS. CCU
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (November 12, 2021) - Laynee Burr notched a second consecutive career-high performance, as she posted 19 points (13 in the second half) to help Lubbock Christian University spoil Colorado Christian's home and season opener with a 60-46 win inside CCU Event Center.

After 2:35 of scoreless basketball to open the game, Ashton Duncan took the lid off the basket with a three-pointer from the left corner for an opening 3-0 lead for LCU. That was LCU's only basket for a five-minute stretch, as LCU was 1-of-9 from the field to start the game. The dry spell ended with 2:23 left in the quarter with Audrey Robertson connecting with a three-pointer from the same left-wing corner as Duncan. Despite a 2-of-11 (18.2%) shooting performance in the quarter (both field goals were three-pointers), LCU led 10-9 after the opening quarter.

Duncan hit another three-pointer in the second quarter, and it was part of an 8-0 LCU run for a 19-11 lead. The run came, as LCU held CCU without a field goal for a span of 6:46. The Cougars responded scoring nine of the next 13 points. They cut the LCU to three points before Whitney Cox had a layup with five seconds left to give LCU a 27-22 halftime lead.

Burr, Channing Cunyus and Duncan each had six points to co-lead LCU at the half. LCU shot 32.1% from the field in the first half.

LCU opened the second half on a 15-2 run (17-2 if Cox's basket to end the first half is included), which was capped by three consecutive three-pointers. Burr followed Duncan's third three-pointer of the game with back-to-back three-pointers during the run and LCU led 42-24 with 4:38 left in the quarter. Burr finished with 10 points in the quarter and LCU took a 46-31 lead into the fourth quarter.

She added to her totals in the fourth quarter with an and-one three-point play 3:06 into the fourth quarter, which was part of an 8-0 run to start the quarter. Burr had a free-throw for the final point of the run, which provided LCU a 53-31 lead for the largest lead of the game (6:54 remaining). LCU held CCU without a field goal for the opening 3:17 of the quarter and for an overall span of 3:57.

LCU utilized their bench in much of the fourth quarter, as all 15 active players spent time on the floor. Seven different players had at least one point, as Burr and Shaylee Stovall each co-led LCU in the quarter with three points.

The Lady Chaps (4-0) won despite shooting 32.1% (18/56) from the field. Burr was 7-of-12 from the field, while the rest of the Lady Chaps were a combined 11-of-44 (25%). Duncan and Cunyus each finished with 10 points, with Cunyus co-leading the team (Juliana Robertson) in rebounds with eight. LCU had an 18-6 scoring advantage from the free-throw line, as they were 18-of-21 (85.7%) from the line. They made 13 consecutive free-throws before their first miss of the game (streak was 17 consecutive made free-throws going back to Sunday's game against Tampa). Cunyus was 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. LCU received five steals from Allie Schulte, as the Lady Chaps had a 15-9 advantage in turnovers forced.

CCU (0-1) was led by Agnes Paul, who scored 12 points and added eight rebounds to lead the team in each category. Diane Thompson was making her head coaching debut for the Cougars.