D2CCA TIP-OFF CLASSIC HOSTED BY THE MIAA
MISSOURI WESTERN (0-1) vs. No.13 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (0-1)
November 6, 2022 • 5:30 PM
Kansas City, Mo. • Municipal Auditorium (7,316)
 

D2CCA TIP-OFF CLASSIC
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Missouri Western	Kansas City, Mo.	Sun, Nov. 6	5:30 p.m.	Video	Stats
Game Notes (PDF)

UNDERWAY
No.13 Lubbock Christian University completes their opening weekend of the regular season Sunday evening facing Missouri Western State in the final contest of the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic inside Municipal Auditorium. LCU looks to rebound after a tough 65-64 loss to No.6 Missouri Southern State Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Mo.

TOURNAMENT TRENDS
> Grace Foster led LCU Saturday in points (16) and rebounds (11), as she posted her second double-double in her LCU career. The sophomore also launched 20 field goal attempts, which is the most in a single game by a Lady Chap since Tess Bruffey had 22 attempts of Feb. 23, 2017.
>LCU was 3-of-9 from three-point range Saturday. Last season LCU had three games in which they had three-or-less three-point field goals. The last time LCU had less than 10 three-point attempts was Mar. 16, 2019 at Colorado Mesa (they went 1-of-8 in a NCAA regional victory).
>Sparked by 11 rebounds from Foster and a career-high 10 rebounds from Audrey Robertson, LCU posted 46 rebounds against MSSU (both teams had 46 boards). The 46 boards are the highest total for LCU since Feb. 11, 2021 (vs. Western New Mexico). The total was LCU's highest rebound total in a season opener since posting 47 at Colorado State Pueblo on Nov. 13, 2015.
>LCU is without their full 13-player active roster and three new Lady Chaps made their collegiate debut Saturday. Tia Johnson, Martie McCoy and Taylor Thomas made their debut Saturday, with Thomas posting a block and garnering her first collegiate point.
>Shaylee Stovall (14 points) and Reese Schumann (10 points) each joined Foster in double figures Saturday, and each of the performances (for Stovall and Schumann) were career-high performances.

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. 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). Saturday 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).

SEASON OPENERS
LCU is probably more known for how they finish the season, than how they begin the season. With Saturday's result, the Lady Chaps are 9-7 over their last 16 season openers. LCU opened last season with a 69-55 win over Motevallo in Billings, Mont. (Nov. 5, 2021). LCU is now 29-15 all-time and 13-7 under head coach Steve Gomez in openers.
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT MWSU
1 > The Griffins are coming off 24-10 season in 2021-22, posting a 14-8 conference record. They won the NCAA Division II Central Regional tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995. They fell to Grand Valley State.
2 > Missouri Western opened their season Saturday falling to a solid No.12 Minnesota Duluth 79-65 in Kansas City. Connie Clarke led the Griffons with 14 points.  
3 > MWSU is picked to finish fourth in their conference in both the coaches and media polls as announced by the MIAA. They are receiving votes in the D2SIDA Top-25 Preseason Poll.
4 > The Griffons are coached by former Texas Tech Lady Raider Candi Whitaker. The former Texas Tech women's basketball head coach (2013-18) took over the Griffons program in 2019 and is heading into her fourth season at MWSU. Steve Gomez and Whitaker have only faced each other in scrimmages. LCU assistant coach Kaycie Wilson (Boyles) played three seasons (2009 – 2012) for Whitaker at Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). UMKC played a portion of their home games at Municipal Auditorium during Whitaker's time there. This trip for LCU is Wilson's first trip back to Municipal Auditorium since she played at UMKC.
5 > MWSU's roster consists of a trio of Division I transfers, as Johnni Gonzalez (Cal-Santa Barbara), Brionna Budgetts (Central Arkansas) and Trinity Knapp (Missouri State) add Division I experience to the Griffins.

THE SERIES AGAINST MWSU
The two programs have never met. LCU, 6-4 all-time against Missouri based programs, plays Missouri programs in consecutive games for the first time since facing Central Missouri and Drury at the Elite Eight in Columbus, Ohio (2021).