HOLIDAY HOOPS CLASSIC
LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (7-4) vs. No.15 MONTANA STATE BILLINGS (11-1)
December 17, 2022 • 5:30 PM (CT)
Las Vegas, Nev. • South Point Arena (4,600)
 

HOLIDAY HOOPS CLASSIC
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
No.15 MSU Billings	Las Vegas, Nev.	Sat. Dec. 17	5:30 p.m.	Video	Stats

VEGAS DOESN'T SLEEP
Lubbock Christian University opened the 2022 Holiday Hoops Classic, inside Las Vegas' South Point Arena, Friday with a 70-59 loss to No.13 Georgia Southwestern. The non-conference neutral site contest was LCU's first game in Las Vegas, Nev. since the 2007-08 season (Las Vegas Shoot-Out at Sierra Vista High School). LCU has no time to rest or dwell on the loss, as they complete their Vegas stay Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (CT) facing No.15 Montana State Billings. The contest is LCU's final regular season non-conference game and is their last game prior to the Christmas Break, as they will return to Lone Star Conference play Dec. 30 in Lubbock against Cameron.   
 
HURRICANE WARNING
No.13 Georgia Southwestern State, carried by a combined 35 points from Kayla Langley (18) and Jolicia Williams (17), was able to close a Holiday Hoops Classic contest against LCU with a 9-0 run to hold off a Lady Chaparrals comeback bid and open the weekend with a 70-59 win at South Point Arena. LCU had rallied from an 11-point second half deficit and trailed 61-52, after Jacquelyn Levay converted a four-point play for the Hurricanes with 5:56 remaining, before LCU went on a 7-0 run. Audrey Robertson had a layup to begin the run, which was followed by a three-pointer from Carli Bostwick and a bucket from Audrey Spurgin to cut LCU's deficit to 61-59. It unfortunately would be as close as LCU would get to overcoming the deficit. A trio of missed field goals and turnovers kept LCU off the scoreboard over the final 3:32 of the game, as GSW made six of their final eight shot attempts. Bostwick led LCU with a career-high 18 points and combined for 33 points with Robertson, who finished with 15 points. The career-high performance included a 4-of-5 mark from outside, 6-of-6 from the line and six rebounds (all marks are career highs). Reese Schumann led LCU with nine boards and two blocks. LCU lost despite a 41-32 rebound advantage. LCU was 37.3% (19/51) from the field in the loss.
 
WILL AND GRACE
Grace Foster is off to a solid season start for the Lady Chaps. Sprinkled throughout the statistical leaderboard in the LSC, she leads the LSC in double-doubles (with four to tie for 20^th nationally) and leads in rebounds (106, which is 10^th nationally) and rebounds per game (9.6, which is 20^th nationally). On the offensive side, Foster leads the LSC in free-throw percentage (91.3%, 22^nd nationally), second in three-point shooting percentage (47.6%) and is third in the LSC in scoring (15.8 points per game).

SEASON NOTES AND TRENDS
> Friday, Carli Bostwick notched a career high in points (18) and rebounds (6) against No.13 GSW. She is the fourth Lady Chaps member to lead or co-lead the team in scoring for a game. Grace Foster has either led or co-led LCU in scoring in seven of the 11 games this season.
> LCU is among the LSC leaders in three-point shooting with a 33.9% shooting percentage from the perimeter this season, which has them fourth in the LSC. Opposing teams are shooting 28.4% from three-point range, which defensively places LCU seventh in the LSC in perimeter defense. Opponents have launched 215 three-point attempts, compared to 177 by LCU.   
> Maci Maddox has double-figure point production in six of the prior 10 games and enters Saturday's game averaging 10.8 points per contest. She leads the LSC with 52 assists (14^th nationally) and is second with 4.7 assists per game (26^th nationally). Defensively, Maddox ranks second in the LSC in steals per game (2.5, 50^th nationally) and in steals (28, 20^th nationally).
>The Lady Chaps are averaging 38.5 rebounds per game, 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 (9.6) and Reese Schumann (5.7) are each averaging 5.0-or-more rebounds per game. LCU is fourth in the LSC in defensive rebounds per game (29.5, 32^nd nationally) and ninth in overall rebounds per game (38.5).
> LCU has a 191-127 scoring advantage from the line this season against their opposition. They have at least 20 points scored from the line in half of their prior 10 games. On the campaign, LCU is shooting 74.6% (191/256) from the line, which is second in the LSC and ranks 70^th nationally. The Lady Chaps rank 10th nationally and third in the LSC in free-throws made per game (17.4). Grace Foster is 42-of-46 (91.3%) from the line this season to lead LCU. Audrey Robertson (41-of-51, 80.4%, 11^th in the LSC) and Shaylee Stovall (32-of-41, 78.0%, 14^th in LSC) are each shooting at least 75.0% from the line (of those reaching minimum requirements).
>The Lady Chaps are averaging 71.9 points per contest (averaged 65.9 per game last season), which is second in the LSC (51^st nationally), and they have a trio of players averaging double figures in points. Grace Foster (15.8), Maci Maddox (10.8) and Audrey Robertson (10.6) lead the average scoring pace for the Lady Chaps.
>Defensively, Lubbock Christian is fourth in the LSC in blocks per game (3.8, 27^th nationally) and is 10th in steals per game (7.0). Reese Schumann leads LCU in blocks (19), ranking second in the LSC (16^th nationally), and Grace Foster ranks 11th in the LSC with 11 blocks. Schumann's average of 1.7 blocks per game ranks fourth in the LSC.

NEUTRAL TALK
LCU is seeking for their first neutral site win of the season (0-3) and each of the prior three neutral site games have come against nationally ranked programs or teams receiving top-25 votes. The Lady Chaps only neutral site games prior to Las Vegas were part of the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic in Kansas City, Mo., where LCU fell No.6 Missouri Southern State (65-64) and Missouri Western State (101-96 in OT). Grace Foster is averaging 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on a neutral floor. Carli Bostwick (18.0) and Audrey Robertson (12.3) are each joining Foster on the double-figure scoring trend. LCU is shooting 42.1% from the field, 35.9% from three-point range and a whopping 83.6% (61/73) from the free-throw line.

RANKING THINGS
LCU is 0-2 against nationally ranked programs this season, falling in their season opener (Nov.5) to No.6 Southern Missouri State and Friday to No.13 Georgia Southwestern State (LCU has dropped four consecutive games against nationally ranked foes). 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). With Saturday's contest against No.15 (D2SIDA) Montana State Billings, LCU will have played three nationally ranked programs and five programs either nationally ranked or receiving top-25 votes.

SWEET HOME (ON) CHICAGO
LCU, who went 13-0 at home last season, is 5-0 at home this season, which has their active home win streak sitting at 109 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 84 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 31-0 in LSC home games).
 
NCAA DIVISION II'S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS
109 - 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
109 – LCU (Division II)
33 – Christopher Newport (Division III)
33 - DeSales (Division II)
 
NCAA DIVISION LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS BY DIVISION
Division I – 99 – UConn 2006/07 – 2011/12
Division II - 109 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 -->
Division III – 121 – Amherst Jan. 31, 2009-Feb. 6, 2016
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT MSUB
1 > The Yellowjackets head into Saturday with an 11-1 record on the season. They opened the Holiday Hoops Classic with a 68-57 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville behind 17 points each from Dyauni Boyce and Chloe Williams. The 'Jackets rattled off a 17-12 season last season, which included a 10-5 conference record and a fifth-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
2 > MSUB is preseason picked to finish third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Taryn Shelley and Cariann Kunkel are GNAC Preseason All-Conference selections.
3 > Just as LCU head coach Steve Gomez is in his 20th season at LCU, MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin is in his 19th season as head coach at MSUB. Woodin has a coaching mark of 302-213 and is the winningest coach in MSUB history. The two coaches also spent time coaching high school basketball before coaching collegiately.
4 > LCU will run into another defensively minded program when facing MSUB, as the Yellowjackets rank ninth nationally with an allowance of 53.6 points per game. They average a win margin of 18.5 points per game.
5 > Dyauni Boyce ranks 46^th nationally in rebounding with 89 on the season and averages 7.4 per game. She leads MSUB with a scoring pace of 12.5 points per game.

THE SERIES AGAINST MSUB
LCU has a 1-0 all-time record against Montana State Billings, as the two teams met for the first time last season at the D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead (hosted by MSUB), where the Lady Chaps claimed a 67-61 road win (Nov. 6, 2021). Both LCU and MSUB used to be Heartland Conference members. MSUB was in the Heartland for two seasons (2005-07).
 
ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. MSUB
Audrey Robertson is the only active Lady Chaps member that had an offensive mark against MSU Billings in their prior meeting. Robertson was 2-of-4 from the field and finished with five points.

PRIOR MEETING VS. MSUB
BILLINGS, Mont. (November 6, 2021) – No.1 Lubbock Christian University overcame a 12-point deficit, shooting 55.9% over the final three quarters, and received 22 points from Ashton Duncan as the Lady Chaparrals defeated Montana State Billings 67-61 for their first road win of the season. The contest was part of the DII CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead.
 
The game was scoreless for the first 3:14, as MSUB's Cariann Kunkle opened the game's scoring. LCU missed their first five shot attempts and their drought ended 21 seconds after Kunkle's bucket via a three-pointer from Allie Schulte. Ashton Duncan followed on the ensuing LCU possession with a three-pointer for a 6-4 LCU lead. The tide shifted after Duncan's three-pointer, as the Yellowjackets surged on a 13-0 run for a 17-6 advantage. The run, covering over five minutes, was ended with Audrey Robertson converting a layup with 44 seconds left in the quarter for LCU's first two-point field goal of the game. LCU, shooting 21.4% (3/14) in the first quarter, trailed 17-8 heading into the second quarter.
 
Danielle Zahn opened the second quarter scoring 1:14 into the quarter, providing MSU Billings their largest lead of the game (20-8). Channing Cunyus answered with a three-pointer and it started a 15-4 LCU run, which led to LCU outscoring MSUB 21-6 and taking a 29-26 lead. Juliana Robertson, Duncan and Cunyus each were 2-of-2 from the field in the quarter, combining for a 6-of-6 shooting performance and helping the Lady Chaps to a 36-31 halftime lead. LCU was 69.2% from the field in the second quarter, shooting 6-of-8 from inside the arc (75%).
 
Duncan opened the second half volleying a put-back attempt in for a 38-31 lead, but the Lady Chaps would go without a field goal over the next 4:10. Addison Gardner popped a three-pointer for MSUB, who went on a 7-1 run over the 4:10 span. Duncan ended the span draining a three pointer to build the lead to 42-38 with 5:27 left in the quarter.
 
The three-pointer by Duncan was the first of eight consecutive possessions in which LCU had a one-possession-lead and converted with points (LCU was 6-of-7 from the field from the 5:27 mark of the third quarter to the 6:58 mark of the fourth quarter in field goals attempted with a lead of three or less points, and the one miss resulted in an offensive rebound and a foul resulting in free-throws made to extend the lead to a two-possession game). Duncan struck again on the seventh attempt during the one-possession sequence connecting on a three-pointer with 6:58 left in the game for a 58-53 lead. Her three-pointer sparked a 9-0 run for a 64-53 lead with 4:38 remaining, which was LCU's largest lead of the game.
 
With 3:01 remaining, MSUB had a late rally to make things uneasy for the Lady Chaps. LCU did not have a field goal in the game's final three minutes and they were held to two shot attempts in the span. The Yellowjackets went on an 8-0 run in four-minute span and cut LCU's lead to 64-61 with 31-seconds remaining. Duncan was able to garner a trip to the free-throw line and made a free-throw to push the lead back to a two-possession game.
 
Duncan led all scorers with 21 points, going 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. She was 4-of-5 in the second half and produced 13 points and four rebounds in the half. Schulte (16 points) and Cunyus had 12 points to join Duncan in double figures. LCU shot 47.8% (22/46) from the field in the game, shooting 52.6% (10/19) in the second half, which included 8-of-13 (61.5%) shooting inside the arc.
 
The Yellowjackets (1-1) were led by 6-3 Washington State transfer Taryn Shelley, who completed a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. MSUB was 45.1% from the field (23/51), never shooting under 40% in any quarter.