D2CCA TIP-OFF CLASSIC HOSTED BY THE MIAA
No.6 MISSOURI SOUTHERN (0-0) vs. No.13 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (0-0)
November 5, 2022 • 3:30 PM
Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium (7,316)
 

D2CCA TIP-OFF CLASSIC
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
No.6 Missouri Southern	Kansas City, Mo.	Sat, Nov. 5	3:30 p.m.	Video	Stats
Game Notes (PDF)

SHOW ME THE SEASON OPENER
The 20^th season in Steve Gomez's history at Lubbock Christian University opens in Kansas City, Mo., with LCU taking part in the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic facing Missouri Southern Friday (3:30 p.m.) and Missouri Western Saturday (5:30 p.m.) inside Municipal Auditorium. The classic/tournament is the first of three LCU will participate in during the regular season. LCU heads home for their first home game on Nov. 11, as LCU hosts the Carpet Tech Classic.

UNFAMILIAR ENDING
The Lady Chaparrals are coming off a 28-7 season from 2021-22. LCU made the NCAA South Central Regional for the sixth time in program history, but a 59-54 loss in the regional championship game to No.19 West Texas A&M marked their first regional loss in program history. Highlights of last season included a 76-72 home win over No.1 Lander on Nov. 19 at home to help keep their NCAA Division II record home win streak intact. The win streak is still in tact at 104 consecutive home wins.

WHO RETURNS
The Lady Chaps roster of 13 student-athletes consists of nine returners and four new additions. Of the nine returnees, three (Audrey Robertson, Grace Foster and Maci Maddox) averaged over 10 minutes per game last season. Robertson made three starts last season, during a stretch in which All-American Allie Schulte missed four games due to injury, and had a trio of double-digit appearances last season, including a 12-point outing against No.1 Lander. The final sister (of a trio of Robertson sisters) remaining on roster, she averaged 4.3 points per game last season. Foster, who was named to the 2022-23 LSC Women's Basketball Preseason Players to Watch list, became LCU's first recipient to the LSC All-Freshman Team last season, as she appeared in all 35 games off the bench and averaged 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She led LCU in blocks (28), ranking in the top-10 in the LSC. Maddox appeared in 31 games last season and was successful at a rate of 47.6% from three-point range during the season (10/21). Whitney Cox is LCU's lone senior on the roster, although she has an option to exercise her choice to play another season (due to COVID). Cox played in 31 games last season and produced 10 blocks.

WHO THEY LOST
For the first time since taking over the Lady Chaps, head coach Steve Gomez must replace all five of his starters, as Laynee Burr, Channing Cunyus, Ashton Duncan, Juliana Robertson and Allie Schulte completed their collegiate careers last season. All five of the starters were part of two of LCU's three NCAA Division II titles and combined for 4,675 career points. Allie Schulte (1,587 points in 155 career games) departed as LCU's all-time leader in three-point shooting percentage (.444) and also ranked second in steals (320) and fourth in assists (421). Duncan (1,101 points in 138 games) left as LCU's career leader in three-pointers (276).

NEW FACES
LCU has four new additions seeking their Lady Chaparrals debut. Deja Johnson, Tia Johnson, Martie McCoy and Taylor Thomas are part of the 2022-23 incoming class. Twin sisters Deja Johnson and Tia Johnson add local flavor to the roster and continue LCU's trend of having sisters on the roster. The Johnson sisters were part of Brownfield High School's 2020-21 UIL State Championship squad. McCoy joins the Lady Chaps from Muenster High School (Muenster, Texas), where she also was the kicker for the Hornets football program. A multiple All-State recipient was a member of the 2A UIL State Tournament All-Tournament Team in 2019-20 (as a sophomore), as Muenster finished as the state runner-up. Thomas continues a trend of Canyon High School products on the LCU roster (currently the only one, as Channing Cunyus and Brylee Winfrey were Canyon products on the roster last season). Another freshman with All-State and UIL State Tournament All-Tournament Team honors, Thomas was part of Canyon's 2020-21 UIL State Championship program.

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 will face a nationally ranked program Saturday, facing No.6 Southern Missouri. 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).

SEASON OPENERS
LCU is probably more known for how they finish the season, than how they begin the season. The Lady Chaps are 9-6 over their last 15 season openers. LCU opened last season with a 69-55 win over Motevallo in Billings, Mont. (Nov. 5, 2021). LCU is 29-14 all-time and 13-6 under head coach Steve Gomez in openers. The 2017-18 season opener in Commerce, Texas marked LCU's last season opener that was against a national ranked opponent (LCU topped No.5 CSU-Pueblo 57-52).

EYE-OPENING
The 2021-22 season marks LCU's 10th since leaving the NAIA and LCU is 242-36 record (87.1%) in that span. In NCAA postseason play, the Lady Chaps are 22-2 all-time.

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 MSSU
1 > The Lions are coming off 24-7 season in 2021-22, as they were MIAA regular season co-champions with a 19-3 conference record. They dropped their final two games of the season, falling in the MIAA championship game and to St. Cloud State in the NCAA Central Regional.
2 > Missouri Southern allowed a bucket at the horn, which forced overtime, and would end up falling 72-70 Tuesday at NCAA Division-I Wichita State. The Lions were led by Kaitlin Hunnicutt (15 points) and by Lacy Stokes (13 points and eight rebounds).
3 > MSSU has been picked to win the league in both the coaches and media polls as announced by the MIAA.
4 > The Lions return 10 players from last year's squad, including All-American Lacy Stokes, who was the MIAA Freshman and Player of the Year. She was also on the All-Defensive team by the MIAA last season, becoming the first women's basketball student-athlete in the conference's history to accomplish the feat after averaging 19.7 points, 5.7 rebound, 5.6 assists and 3.3 steals a game. Lacy set 18 program records for a freshman and became the first Lion ever to average at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists a game for a season.
5 > MSSU, 2-2 last season in neutral site play, last opened in a neutral site contest on Nov. 8, 2019, falling 79-70 to Henderson State.

THE SERIES AGAINST MSSU
LCU is 1-0 all-time against MSSU. The only prior meeting was December 8, 2000, with LCU winning 62-53 in a neutral site contest in Portales, N.M. LCU is 6-3 all-time against Missouri based programs.
 
PRIOR MEETING VS. MSSU
Portales, N.M. (December 8, 2000) – An unbeaten Missouri Southern was held to 26.7% shooting from the field and suffered their first loss of the 2000-01 season to LCU, who won 62-53 inside Greyhound Arena during the Zia Classic in Portales, N.M. Mamy N'Kolomoni led LCU with 18 points and Ginger Armacost supplied 16 points.