BETHANY, Okla. - For the first time since both teams moved up to the Division-II level, the no. 16 Lubbock Christian Chaparrals travel to Bethany, Okla. to renew an old rivalry with no. 12 Southern Nazarene. 

No. 16 Lubbock Christian (1-1) at No. 12 Southern Nazarene (1-1)
Saturday, Nov. 19 - 3 PM
Bethany, Okla. - Sawyer Center

NEED TO KNOW
- LCU is coming off a 69-66 loss to RV Colorado School of Mines, the Chaps first nonconference regular season loss since Nov. 9, 2019
- Junior guard Rowan Mackenzie scored a career-high 35 points and drained seven three-pointers vs Mines. His four steals were also a career high. For his play, he earned his first career LSC Offensive Player of the Week award on Nov. 14.
- The LCU roster features nine newcomers. Six of those are true freshman, two are Junior College transfers and one is a grad transfer from Louisiana Monroe
- The Chaps are ranked no. 16 in the NABC national poll.
- No. 12 Southern Nazarene is 1-1 after defeating St. Cloud State 87-52 before falling to Sioux Falls 75-72
- LCU was picked third in the Lone Star Conference coaches poll

AN HISTORIC SEASON
The Chaps are coming off another historic season, starting the year 20-0 and climbing to no. 1 in the national rankings on the way to claiming a second straight LSC Regular Season Championship. LCU earned the no. 1 seed in the South Central Region, hosting the first three rounds of the NCAA DII Tournament at the Rip Griffin Center before falling to Colorado Mesa in the second round. The Chaps had six members of the Lubbock Christian University men's basketball team were recognized with Lone Star Conference postseason awards, including Parker Hicks being named the league's Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Joining Hicks on the the All-LSC First Team was teammate Lloyd Daniels. Aamer Muhammad was an All-LSC Second Team selection, Rowan Mackenzie was an All-LSC Honorable Mention pick, and Aaron Gonzales was picked for the All-Freshman Team. Head coach Todd Duncan repeated as the league's Coach of the Year.

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT
Rowan Mackenzie is the top scorer returning for the Chaps this season. Mackenzie built off a strong freshman campaign, starting in 28 games for the Chaps. He scored 20 points twice in the 2021-22 season, dropping 20 points and shooting 6-for-7 from three against Oklahoma City on Dec. 6, and scoring 20 points against UTPB on Jan. 29. 
This season, Mackenzie is leading the Chaps in scoring, averaging 25.5 points per game, tied for the 12th most in Division-II. The junior scored a career-high 35 points against Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 12, draining seven three-pointers, just three shy of tying the school record of most threes made in a single game. He also picked up a career-high four steals.
Mackenzie's 4.5 three-pointers a game this season are seventh in the nation, while his nine total makes from deep are also seventh in D-II.

NOT SHY AT ALL
Transfer Kurt Wegscheider leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.5 a game. In his first game with LCU against Regis on Nov. 11, Wegscheider finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Wegscheider played in 28 games for Utah State Eastern College, averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. He recorded a double-double on Nov. 19 against Central Wyoming College, scoring a season-high 24 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Wegscheider also tallied 41 steals and 44 assists this season.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
A total of nine new players will make their debut for the Chaps this season. Of those nine, three are transfers, led by Louisiana-Monroe transfer Russell Harrison. The Monterrey High product averaged 13.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game with the Warhawks last season, including a game on 1/6/2022 when Harrison scored 28 points and pulled down 13 boards against Arkansas State. 
Two junior college transfers join the Chaps, with Najeeb Muhammad coming over from Arizona Western College, while Kurt Wegscheider comes over from Utah State East College.
Muhammad played in 28 games for Arizona Western College, averaging 11.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds a night. He shot 37.6% from the floor, including 35.7% from beyond the arc. Muhammad recorded a season-high 21 points on Nov. 10 against the College of Southern Nevada. He recorded double-digit assists twice this season, dishing out 10 assists against Gateway C.C. on Feb. 9 and recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists on Nov. 20 against Eastern Arizona College. Muhammad's 139 total assists ranked third in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.

THE DEFENSE DOESN'T REST
The Chaparrals finished the 2021--22 season with one of the nation's best defenses. LCU held opponents to an average of 62.5 points per game, which was the seventh-best mark in D-II. Opponents shot 39.5 percent from the field against them (seventh-best nationally), including 30.6 percent from behind the arc (23rd-best in D-II). Thirteen times last season, the Chaps held teams below 60 points, winning all thirteen of those matchups.
This season, LCU has held opponents to 64.0 points per game, but opponents are shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. LCU is 1-0 when holding teams below 60 points, defeating Regis 66-59. 

BULLSEYE
On the other end of the floor, Lubbock Christian did not face the shooting woes that they themselves caused their opponents. The Chaps ranked fifth in the nation in overall field goal percentage (.514) and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.394). LCU shot better than 50 percent from the field in 20 of their 29 games last season and went 17-2 in those contests. The LSC Tournament loss against Texas A&M-Kingsville was the only time last season that the Chaps outshot an opposing team and lost (25-1). 
This season, LCU is shooting just 40.5 percent from deep and 48.1 percent from the floor. Mackenzie leads the team with nine threes and shooting 64.3 percent from deep

NATIONALLY KNOWN
The Chaps enter the season ranked no. 16 in the NABC National Polls after finishing the 2021-22 season ranked seventh. LCU will play four games against teams that were ranked in the NABC preseason poll, facing no. 12 Southern Nazarene on Nov. 19, no. 8 West Liberty on Dec. 17 at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., and back-to-back contests against no. 5 West Texas A&M to close out the regular season on Feb. 23 and 25. LCU also has matchups against three teams that were receiving votes in the preseason poll, falling 69-66 to Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 12 and Dallas Baptist and Angelo State later in the year in conference action. The Chaps had four wins over ranked foes last season

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
- The Crimson Storm are currently ranked no. 12 in the NABC national poll
- SNU went 21-10 last season, falling to Southwestern Oklahoma State in the Great American Conference Championship Game. The Storm also knocked off no. 25 Dallas Baptist  71-67.
- All-GAC First-Team player Tyler McGhie returns to the court for the Crimson Storm. McGhie was seventh in the GAC last season in points per game with 17.5, first in three-pointers a game with 3.4 and fourth in three-point percentage, shooting 41.9 percent from downtown. So far this season, McGhie is averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting 33.3 percent from deep.
- The leading scorer for the Crimson Storm this season is 2021-22 All-GAC Honorable Mention member Adokiye Iyaye, with 17.0 points per game. Iyaye scored 21 points in the season opener, making a trio of three pointers.
- The reigning 3-time Great American Conference Coach of the Year, Adam Bohac, heads into his 13th season at the helm. Bohac led the Crimson Storm to the GAC Championships for the sixth consecutive season this past year, as well as securing the Great American Conference regular season title for the third straight year.

THE SERIES WITH THE CRIMSON STORM
The former NAIA rivals have met 26 times, with SNU dominating the series 21-5. LCU has won two of the last three, including back-to-back meetings on Feb. 5, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2011. The Storm won the last meeting on Jan. 28. 2012 in Lubbock 68-64. 
SNU won the first seven meetings from 1970-1974 and then won nine straight games from 1975-2008. LCU is 4-6 in the last 10 matchups. Eight meetings having been decided by five points or less.

LAST TIME OUT
Nov. 12, 2022 - vs Colorado Mines - Despite scoring over half of the LCU points, a three by Rowan Mackenzie at the buzzer went just off the mark, and RV Colorado School of Mines knocked off no. 16/24 Lubbock Christian 69-66 to close out the Regis Conference Challenge on Saturday, Nov. 12

After a layup by Russell Harrison with 14:36 left gave LCU a 45-36 lead, Mines would go on a mini 9-2 run, an Adam Krasovec layup cutting the lead down to 49-45 with 11:18 left. A three by Boone with 9:24 left sliced the Chap advantage to one, before Mackenzie hit another three with 8:44 left to push LCU ahead 55-51. Mackenzie then hit another three with 7:45 left to have the Chaps go up 58-53. 

The Orediggers then went on a 12-2 run, tying the game at 60 with 4:49 left with an emphatic dunk by Sam Beskind. A pair of free throws by Kai Barr gave Mines their first lead of the game since holding a 5-2 edge 2:07 into the first half, before a Boone layup swelled the lead to 65-60 with 3:04 left.

Mackenzie hit a three with 12 seconds left to cut the Digger lead to 69-66. On the inbounds pass, the defense stepped up, with Mackenzie getting the ball back. The junior put up one last heave as the horn sounded, but it was off the mark and Colorado School of Mines survived to knock off Lubbock Christian 69-66.

Mackenzie scored 35 points, a new career-high, going 13-for-18 from the field and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. career-high. Muhammad also had a solid second game in the blue and white, scoring 11 points, hauling down four rebounds and dishing out four assists.

UP NEXT
LCU will play their first home game against NCCAA foe Arlington Baptist on Monday, Nov. 21. Fans who bring five canned goods or nonperishable food items will earn free admission to the game. All canned foods go to benefit the food pantry at Green Lawn Church of Christ. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.