No.18 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (2-2) at Southwestern Oklahoma State (0-3)
November 21, 2022 • 5:30 PM
Weatherford, Okla. • Pioneer Cellular Event Center (4,000)
 

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Southwestern Okla. St.	Weatherford, Okla.	Mon., Nov. 21	5:30 p.m.	Video	Stats
GAME NOTES (PDF)

BE THEIR GUEST
No.18 Lubbock Christian University takes a 2-2 record to Weatherford, Okla. Monday, for a 5:30 p.m. tip against Southwestern Oklahoma State inside Pioneer Cellular Event Center. The game is the home opener for SWOSU and it is also LCU's first true road game of the season. LCU went 9-5 in road games last season, going 3-0 in non-conference road games.
 
SMALL BREAK
LCU has not played since a 76-58 home win over Colorado State Pueblo on Nov. 12. LCU has won their last two games, claiming wins at the Carpet Tech Classic. LCU was able to shoot a season-best 51.1% from the field in the win over CSUP
 
WILL AND GRACE
After a season-opening weekend, which included a 36-point performance against Missouri Western State, Grace Foster had a pair of solid performances in LCU's 2-0 mark at the Carpet Tech Classic. Foster led LCU, the only team that went 2-0 at the event, with 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. Against Colorado Christian, she produced 10 rebounds and she followed with 11 rebounds and 25 points against CSU Pueblo. The 25-point outing was the highest single-game scoring performance by a LSC individual over the week. Her average of 10.5 rebounds (8.5 defensive rebounds per game) led all LSC performers on the week, and she led all players going 14-of-14 from the free-throw line.

SEASON NOTES AND TRENDS
>Grace Foster is one of 71 players meeting the statistical minimums to qualify among the statistical NCAA Division II leaders with a perfect 100% free-throw shooting percentage. Foster, who is second in the LSC in scoring at 21.3 points per game (36^th nationally), is the only Division II player with a 100% free-throw percentage with at least 20 attempts, as she is 20-of-20 this season.
>Maci Maddox has posted career-high scoring totals in her prior three games, scoring 13 points against Missouri Western State followed with 14 points in contests against Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo. She is 4-of-8 from long range during the stretch and is averaging 5.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game.
>The Lady Chaps are averaging 40.5 rebounds per game through their opening pair of contests, posting a high of 46 against Missouri Southern State (Nov. 5). LCU has not averaged over 40 rebounds in a season since averaging 40.3 during the 2015-16 season. Grace Foster (9.5), Whitney Cox (5.5) and Audrey Robertson (5.3) are all averaging 5.0-or-more rebounds per game.
> LCU has a 94-52 scoring advantage from the line this season against their opposition. They have at least 20 points scored from the line in their three prior games. On the campaign, LCU is shooting 79.7% (94/118) from the line, which leads the LSC and ranks 27^th nationally. Grace Foster is 20-of-20 from the line this season to lead LCU from the line. Shaylee Stovall (18-of-21, 85.7%) and Audrey Robertson (20-of-24, 83.3%) are each shooting over 83.0% from the line (of those reaching minimum requirements). They rank fourth nationally with an average of 23.5 free-throws made per game. LCU's opponents are shooting 77.6% from the line, which leads the LSC as well.
>The Lady Chaps are averaging 80.3 points per contest (averaged 65.9 per game last season), which ranks second in the LSC, and they have a trio of players averaging double figures in points. Grace Foster (21.3), Maci Maddox (12.3) and Audrey Robertson (12.0) lead the average scoring pace for the Lady Chaps.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
D2SIDA (Division II Sports Information Directors Association) and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) each have LCU in their Top-25 national polls, as D2SIDA has Lubbock Christian ranked No.18 and the WBCA ranking has Lady Chaparrals No.23.

The D2SIDA poll, which had LCU debuting at No.13 in their preseason poll, has already announced their first in-season poll, while the WBCA has only conducted a preseason poll.

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 in their season opener (Nov.5), 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). Three of LCU's four games this season have been against nationally ranked teams or teams receiving votes.

SWEET HOME (ON) CHICAGO
LCU, who went 13-0 at home last season, is 2-0 at home this season, which has their active home win streak sitting at 106 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
106 - 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
106 – 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 - 106 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 -->
Division III – 121 – Amherst Jan. 31, 2009-Feb. 6, 2016
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT SWOSU
1 > The Bulldogs enter Monday's tilt 0-3 on the season (their first 0-3 start since 2015-16). They are coming off a 29-5 season and a 20-2 Great American Conference record. SWOSU won the GAC Championships and clinched a Central Regional appearance, where they lost to Missouri Western in the opening round.
2 > Southwestern Oklahoma State was preseason picked to finish fifth in the GAC preseason poll. They were one of three GAC programs to receive first-place votes. 
3 > SWOSU is opening their home slate by hosting LCU. They went 13-0 at home last season and have a 13-game home win streak.
4 > Like LCU, SWOSU has the unique statistic in which they lead their conference (Lone Star for LCU and GAC for SWOSU) in opposing team free-throw percentage, as SWOSU opponents have combined to shoot 77.6% from the line.
5 > Morgan Smith, who posted 19 points against Pittsburg State, leads SWOSU averaging 13.7 points per game. Her career-high is 20 points, which she completed twice last season.

THE SERIES AGAINST SWOSU
LCU is 6-3 all-time against SWOSU, with LCU winning the prior three meetings. The most memorable contest between the two programs was on Mar. 29, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio, where LCU topped SWOSU in double overtime (95-85) to claim the 2019 NCAA Division II national title. The previous meeting was also in postseason play, as LCU topped SWOSU 78-65 in Canyon, Texas at the South Central Regional Championship Game (SWOSU was in LCU's region due to COVID postseason realignment). LCU is 1-2 all-time in Weatherford against SWOSU, with the Bulldogs winning the prior two meetings (Dec. 3, 2018 was the previous meeting in Weatherford, where SWOSU won 77-75).
 
ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. SWOSU
No active Lady Chaps have appeared in any prior meetings against SWOSU.

PRIOR MEETING VS. SWOSU
CANYON, Texas (March 15, 2021) – On a night the outside shots were not falling, top-seeded Lubbock Christian University needed inside shooters to complete the task…and they did. Lady Chaparrals forward Emily Middleton led all scorers with 22 points, and Juliana Robertson posted her first double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds), as LCU came back from an eight-point second half deficit and used a 15-0 run for a 78-65 win over No.2-seeded and No.19 Southwestern Oklahoma State.
 
LCU's Allie Schulte and Ashton Duncan, who each had over 20 points in Saturday's semifinal victory over Cameron, were each 0-of-6 from the field in the first half. Juliana Robertson carried the weight for the Lady Chaps in the half, scoring 12 points in the first quarter and 14 in the half to help LCU take a 36-33 halftime lead. Despite a scoreless half, Schulte's defensive play was rewarding for the team, as she had three steals and helped LCU outscore the Bulldogs 12-4 in points-off-turnovers in the half.  
 
The three-pointers were not falling in the opening half. SWOSU entered the contest with a NCAA Division II leading 11.1 three-pointers per game, but they were 2-of-7 from three-point range in the half (opened the game 1-of-6 and 2-of-10 from long range). LCU was 3-of-18 in the half from long range and eventually 3-of-22 after their first four attempts of the second half did not fall.
 
The lack of success from outside for each team, had them working in the paint. Robertson (14) and Middleton (8) combined for 22 points in the first half, with Channing Cunyus also coming off the bench to pitch in four points in the half. LCU was 12-of-18 (67%) inside the arc in the half. SWOSU was 13-of-24 (54.1%) inside the perimeter, with Bethany Franks leading the Bulldogs in paint scoring (7 points) in the half.
 
The Lady Chaps went nearly six minutes without a field goal in the third quarter, as SWOSU started to surge. Franks hit a pair of three-pointers for the Bulldogs, which book-ended a 13-2 SWOSU run for a 50-42 Bulldogs lead. The eight-point deficit marked the largest second half deficit the Lady Chaps have faced this season.
 
Flashback to the prior two meetings between these two teams:
Mar. 29, 2019 – In the NCAA Division II national championship game, LCU faced a 10-point deficit to SWOSU in the second half. They rallied back to eventually win the thriller in double overtime by 10 points.
 
Nov. 16, 2019 – In a meeting inside Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, LCU faced a 52-46 deficit with 1:10 left in the third quarter and trailed 52-47 in the fourth quarter before LCU outscored SWOSU 24-9 in the fourth quarter for a 10-point LCU victory.
 
Monday, as shots were not falling, LCU used their grit to climb from their deficit. LCU was 3-of-9 from the field in the quarter, but they earned 12 free-throw attempts and made all 12 (Middleton 8-for-8 in the quarter) to have 12 of their 18 points in the quarter scored from the line. LCU scored the final six points of the quarter from the line and cut SWOSU's lead to 56-54 at quarter's end.
 
In the fourth quarter, LCU was finally able to dial in from long range. They opened the quarter on a 9-0 run, with Duncan ending a personal sequence of seven straight misses from downtown with a three-pointer to cap the run at 15-0 for a 63-56 LCU lead. Duncan connected on another less than two minutes later, followed with a wide-open Madelyn Turner also connecting for a 71-60 lead with 5:40 remaining.
 
Outside of Laynee Burr's bucket to open the fourth quarter scoring, LCU outscored SWOSU 24-9 in the fourth quarter with 20 of the points coming from their five seniors. SWOSU was 2-of-12 (16.7%) in the fourth quarter, with their last field goal put in with less than 10 seconds left in the game.
 
LCU was 18-for-18 at the free-throw line until missing their final attempt, which placed the nation's leading free-throw shooting team with a single-game season high 18-for-19 (94.7%) night at the line, which is a program record for NCAA postseason play.
 
Macy Gore led SWOSU with 17 points, with Bethany Franks (13) and Makyra Tramble (12) combining for 25 points.
 
Robertson, who posted a career-high 12 rebounds the last time the two teams met, matched the mark Monday to complete her first double-double with a career-high 16 points. Schulte, who had seven rebounds, added 12 points to finish in double figures.