LUBBOCK, Texas - Lubbock Christian looks to enter 2023 the same way they ended 2022, with a conference win, facing Midwestern State on Sunday, Jan. 1 at 3 PM at the Rip Griffin Center. 

Midwestern State (5-7, 2-4 LSC) at Lubbock Christian (8-3, 4-1)
Sunday, Jan. 1 - 3 PM
Lubbock, Texas - Rip Griffin Center

CAMP DAY
Any campers from the LCU men's basketball camps earlier in the year that wear their camp t-shirt to this weekend's games against Cameron and Midwestern State will get in for free, along with one free ticket for their parent. Limit two tickets total per camper. 

NEED TO KNOW
- LCU is coming off an 85-61 win over Cameron. Rowan Mackenzie and Russell Harrison combined for 56 points, with both players scoring 28 points.
- Mackenzie was named Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Dec. 20. Mackenzie scored 20 points, dished out five assists and hauled in seven rebounds against Le Moyne. He also had 16 points and had five assists vs no. 4/5 West Liberty
- For the third straight game, Najeeb Muhammad tied or set a new season-high for assists, dishing out nine assists vs Cameron
- LCU tied the single-game record for three-point attempts vs Cameron with 45. The Chaps made 16 threes against the Aggies. 

BACK TO SCHOOL
For the rest of the regular season, the Chaparrals will play inside the Lone Star Conference. LCU has won two-straight Lone Star Conference regular season championships, and have compiled a 46-11 record in the LSC since joining the conference in 2019. LCU is also 2-2 in overtime conference games since joining the LSC in 2019 after knocking off Oklahoma Christian 70-68 in OT earlier this season.

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT
This season, Rowan Mackenzie is leading the Chaps in scoring, averaging 20.1 points per game, second in the LSC. If the season were to end today, Mackenzie would have the third-highest single season scoring average in program history.
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. For his impressive play against the Orediggers, Mackenzie earned his first career LSC Offensive Player of the Week Honors on Nov. 14, 2022. 
He earned his second LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Dec. 20, 2022, after scoring 20 points, hauling in seven rebounds and dishing out five assists against Le Moyne. Mackenzie also had 16 points and four rebounds against no. 4/5 West Liberty.
Mackenzie leads the LSC in field goal percentage, shooting 59.5 percent from the field so far this season. He also leads the team in rebounds with 5.7 per game.

NOBODY BEATS AARON
Moving into the starting lineup this season, 2021-22 LSC All-Freshman Team member Aaron Gonzales has been a sharpshooter for the Chaps, shooting 43.8 percent from three. After averaging 3.5 points per game last season, Gonzales has averaged 10.2 points per game, starting in all 11 contests for Lubbock Christian.
Gonzales scored a career-high 17 points against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 21, draining five shots from beyond the arc. The sophomore flirted with his first career double-double on Dec. 3 against Arkansas Fort Smith, scoring 13 points and pulling down a career-best nine rebounds to lead LCU.
His 2.2 three-pointers a game are the ninth-most in the LSC.

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE
Najeeb Muhammad has been dishing out assists like hot cakes all season long. Muhammad finished with a career-high eight assists on Dec. 10 against Texas A&M International, just two days after handing out six assists against Texas A&M-Kingsville.  He then tied his season-high with eight assists against Le Moyne. Muhammad set a new season-best in assists with nine against Cameron.
Muhammad has found his stroke of late, scoring a career-high 21 points in LCU's 91-83 win over no. 4/5 West Liberty, going 10-for-10 from the free throw line. That mark ties Kenny Hewitt for the single-game free throw percentage record. Hewitt went 14-for-14 against Mid-America Nazarene on Feb. 7, 2009. Muhammad also dished out six assists and had three steals.
This season, the Arizona Western College transfer is averaging 9.7 points per game, while his 52 total assists are the second-most in the Lone Star Conference. 

WOKE UP FEELING DANGER RUSS
Russell Harrison tied his career-high in points from his lone season at Claredon College (2019-2020) with 33 points on Dec. 3 against Arkansas Fort Smith. Harrison was automatic from beyond the mark, making six three-pointers in the game, including four in a row in the second half. The grad transfer finished the night shooting 52.1 percent from the field. Harrison stuffed the stat sheet in that game, pulling in eight rebounds, had two assists, and blocked one shot while coming away with one steal. 
Harrison is averaging 15.2 points per game, second-most in the LSC, and 5.0 rebounds per game. Harrison scored 28 points and hauled in eight rebounds vs Cameron, his sixth straight game with double-digit scoring 

IT'S FREE REAL ESTATE
LCU has put it together from the charity stripe as of late, shooting 79.3 percent from the free throw line, the third best in the LSC and the 19th best mark in Division-II. The Chaps were a perfect 11-for-11 from the line against Cameron, and are shooting 96.2 percent from the line in their last two games combined. 
Muhammad is shooting 90.6 percent from the free throw line this season, including going 10-for-10 against no. 4/5 West Liberty on Dec. 17. That mark is fourth in the LSC and 29th in all of Division-II.

MAKE THEM EARN IT
Opponents have struggled to score against the Chaps this season, averaging just 64.6 points per game against Lubbock Christian. So far this season, five opponents that LCU has faced have scored their lowest point total in a game this season. Oklahoma Christian entered the game against Lubbock Christian with the best scoring offense in the LSC at 81.8 points per game, but the Chap defense held the Eagles to a season-low 68 points. Against Arkansas Fort Smith, the Chaps held the conference's leading scorer Payton Brown (22.1 PPG) to 14 points and just 2-for-9 from three. Against West Liberty, the Hilltoppers scored just 83 points, the first time they have been held to under 90 points all season

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
 - Midwestern State enters the match 5-7 overall and 2-4 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs were down 40-29 to West Texas A&M in their last game on Dec. 30 at halftime, but outscored the Buffs 42-32 in the second half. It was too little, too late however, as WTAMU held on for the 73-72 win.
-  The Stangs have played tough all season, with five of their losses by five points or less.
- Midwestern State has forced opponents to make shots, holding their foes to just 40.8 percent from the field, tied for the second-best mark in the LSC. The Mustangs are holding opponents to 64.8 points per game, tied for the fifth-best scoring defense in the conference. MSU has also held opponents to just 28.5 percent from the three-point line.
- Jermane Carter is third in the conference in rebounds with 7.8 a game. 
- Duncan Alevok is tied for sixth in the LSC with 13 blocks this season, averaging 1.1 per game.
- Justin Leslie was hired as Midwestern State's 10th head men's basketball coach in program history in April of 2019. He has led the Mustangs to winning ledgers in each of the two seasons earning Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament berths in each of his first three seasons at the helm. MSU continued its trend of making late surges by winning eight of its last 10 games during the regular season in 2021-22. The Mustangs rode the momentum to a 16-15 overall record and the No. 6 seed in the LSC Postseason Tournament advancing to the quarterfinal round.

THE SERIES WITH THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State leads the all-time series 16-7, but Lubbock Christian has won six games in a row. Last season, the Chaps knocked off the Mustangs 66-52 inside the Rip Griffin Center to move to 20-0, the program's best start ever. Midwestern State has not won a game against the Chaps in the 21st century, their last win coming on Feb. 1, 1979. The Mustangs won 13 straight meetings from Feb. 17, 1973 to Feb. 1, 1979.

LAST TIME OUT
Dec, 30, 2022 - vs Cameron - Russell Harrison and Rowan Mackenzie combined for 56 points and 11 three-pointers as the Chaps rolled to an 85-61 win over Cameron inside the Rip Griffin Center on Friday, Dec. 30
As a team, the Chaps tied the single-game record for three-point attempts, attempting 45 shots from long range, tying the mark set on Oct. 30, 2009 against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. LCU connected on 16 of those shots from deep, four away from tying the single-game record. 
The Chaps were also perfect from the free-throw line for the first time this season, going 11-for-11 from the charity stripe. Mackenzie led the LCU team from the line, going 6-for-6.
The win moves LCU to 4-0 all-time against Cameron in Lubbock and ties the series at five wins for each team. Todd Duncan also earned his 210th win as head coach for the Chaps.
Harrison and Mackenzie combined for 56 points, each scoring 28 points apiece. Harrison flirted with a double-double, hauling in eight rebounds. The grad transfer shot 7-for-15 from three, three makes away from tying the school record for made threes and one attempt from tying the single game record for three-point attempts in a game.
Mackenzie stuffed the stat sheet once again, adding seven rebounds and three assists. The junior was also a force defensively, with four steals and a career-high two blocks.
Muhammad set a new season-high in assists with nine. The Arizona Western transfer has set or tied his season-high for assists in back-to-back games. Gonzales also finished in double-digits with 11 points, hitting three shots from long range. Wegscheider also sniffed a double-double, with eight points and six boards.

A WIN WOULD
- Be the Chaps' fifth straight win
- Move LCU to 5-0 at home this season
- Be LCU's sixth straight win over Midwestern State

UP NEXT
Lubbock Christian returns to the road, heading just down the highway to face rival UTPB in Odessa on Thursday, Jan. 5. Tip-off from the Falcon Dome is set for 7:30 PM.