LUBBOCK, Texas (November 11, 2022) – No.13 Lubbock Christian University received a career-high 14 points from
Maci Maddox and the Lady Chaparrals overcame a hot start by Colorado Christian to defeat the Cougars 85-64 Saturday night in their home opener and their opening game of the Carpet Tech Classic inside Rip Griffin Center. The win was LCU's 105
th consecutive home victory.
Colorado Christian opened the game on a 7-0 run, with five of the points from Regan Laconte, as LCU missed four of their first five field goal attempts in the opening three minutes of the game. CCU's Laconte and Maggie Hutka each had a pair of field goals during a stretch in which the Cougars made six consecutive field goals and took a 14-5 lead midway through the opening quarter. LCU found an offensive spark with a three-pointer by
Rachel Haase, which ignited a 8-0 run (included a pair of Haase three-pointers) and was part of a 12-2 LCU run. Rachel Schumann had the last four points of the run and it gave LCU a 17-16 lead with 3:49 in the quarter. Hutka (7 points) and Laconte (5 points) combined for 12 points in the quarter for CCU, and LCU's Haase and Schumann (six points each) combined for 12 points for LCU in the quarter, as each team's pair helped send the game to the second quarter tied 20-20.
LCU started to pull away in the second quarter and they did it from the free-throw line. LCU had a 13-0 run in which the first five points were from the free-throw line. Four of the free-throws were from
Audrey Robertson, who also added a layup in the run, as LCU led 35-22 nearly three-minutes into the frame. LCU went 13-of-14 from the free-throw line in the quarter, with
Grace Foster hitting four during a 6-0 LCU run to go up 41-26 with 3:55 left in the half. Robertson (5-of-5) and Foster (4-of-4) combined to go 9-of-9 from the stripe and helped LCU take a 47-33 into the halftime break.
The Lady Chaps had a 13-1 scoring advantage in the first half in scoring from the free-throw line. They also had a 10-5 scoring advantage in second-chance points despite CCU having a 12-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. Robertson led all scorers in the first half with 11 points, and Foster led all players in the half with 10 rebounds.
CCU came out of the second half carried by Mykaela Moore, who had nine points in the quarter and all nine were during a three-minute stretch early in the third quarter. It went unnoticed, as LCU made five of six shot attempts from the field, which was capped by a Haase three-pointer to take a 60-41 lead with 6:21 remaining. LCU received six points in the third quarter from Maddox and
Taylor Thomas, with Thomas' scored in succession to help LCU close the quarter on an 8-2 run for a 73-51 lead.
Whitney Cox scored the final two points of the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with the first four points to help LCU have its largest lead at 77-51 (26-point advantage). The game went downhill from there, as LCU, shooting 53.2% (25/47) before the stretch, closed the game 1-of-12 from the field. CCU had the same woes in the quarter, as they missed eight consecutive field goal attempts. LCU went the final 6:16 of the game without a field goal and their last five points were from the free-throw line (four by
Deja Johnson).
LCU finished the game 44.1% (26/59) from the field. They forced the Cougars into 23 turnovers, leading to a 28-13 scoring advantage in points off turnovers. LCU was led by Maddox, who was 2-of-2 from three-point range and 6-of-11 from the field for her career-high 14 points. Robertson (12 points), who had a +35 plus/minus, and Haase (career-high 10 points) also finished in double figures for LCU. Foster led LCU with 11 rebounds.
CCU (0-1) was led by Moore, who had 11 points, and they received 11 rebounds from Agnes Paul. The Cougars out-rebounded LCU (first time LCU has been out-rebounded this season) 44-37, with a 17-8 advantage in offensive rebounds (only outscored LCU 14-10 in second-chance points).
The Lady Chaps (1-2) garner their first win of the season. They also moved to 2-1 all-time against CCU, as the teams were meeting in Lubbock for the first time all-time.
TURNING POINT
LCU's
Rachel Haase made her season debut Friday. She checked into the game with six minutes remaining in the first quarter with LCU trailing 12-5. The sophomore made her first two field goal attempts and they were from three-point range less than a minute apart and part of a 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 14-13 in a 50-second span.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Friday, LCU had a 26-9 scoring advantage from the free-throw line, as LCU was 26-of-32 (81.3%) from the line (
Grace Foster was 6-of-6). In their prior game (Sunday against Missouri Western), LCU had 29 points from the free-throw line. The 55 free-throws combined over a two-game span is LCU's highest mark since 56 combined free-throws made (over a two-game span) on January 19 and 20 of the 2011-2012 season (against Rogers State and John Brown).
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lady Chaps remain home Saturday for their final match of the Carpet Tech Classic, as they host Colorado State Pueblo at 6 p.m. inside Rip Griffin Center.
