LUBBOCK, Texas - The Chaparrals kick off their final home stand of January, facing rival Eastern New Mexico in a pivotal Lone Star Conference West Division clash.

Eastern New Mexico (10-4, 5-3) at Lubbock Christian (9-5, 5-3)
Thursday, Jan. 12 - 7:30 PM
Lubbock, Texas - Rip Griffin Center

NEED TO KNOW
- LCU is coming off a 77-65 loss to Angelo State on Jan. 7. The Chaps shot just 38.7 percent from the field, their lowest mark of the season
- Rowan Mackenzie scored 30 points for the third time this season, going 9-for-14 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line. He also hauled in five rebounds and had three steals
- Russell Harrison finished in double digits for the tenth time this season, with 14 points against the Rams.
- Angelo State pulled down 40 rebounds against LCU, the most for an opposing team against the Chaps this season
- Eastern New Mexico enters the game 10-4 overall and tied for second in the LSC West Division, with a 3-1 record in division play and 5-4 overall in the conference. The Greyhounds lost to Midwestern State 56-53 on Jan. 7.

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 47-13 record in the LSC since joining the conference in 2019. The Chaps are 25-7 in Lone Star Conference road games, including a 10-0 road mark during the 2020-21 season. At the Rip Griffin Center, the Chaps are 22-6 in conference matchups. 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, first in the LSC. If the season were to end today, that mark would be the third best points per game average in a season in program history. Mackenzie leads the LSC in field goal percentage, shooting 57.1 percent from the field so far this season.
This past week, Mackenzie scored 22 points against UTPB, including going 10-for-12 from the free throw line while hauling down nine rebounds in the win over the Falcons. Despite the loss to Angelo State, Mackenzie scored 30 points for the third time this season, shooting 9-for-14 from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. 
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 has gotten it done on the defensive end as well, earning LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Jan. 3. Against Cameron, Mackenzie had four steals and had a career-high two blocks against the Aggies, holding CU to just 26.7 percent from three as the Chaps scored 22 points off turnovers. His 1.9 steals per game are tied for second in the LSC.

SLOW STARTS, BIG FINISHES
Lubbock Christian has made a habit of starting slow but finishing the second half of games strong. Against UAFS, the Chaps shot 40.7 percent in the first half from the field and 18.8 from three. In the second stanza, LCU opened the final 20 minutes of the game making six straight threes on an 18-2 run. The Chaps shot 51.2 percent in the second half against the Lions and 44.4 percent from three.
Against Oklahoma Christian, LCU opened a game shooting less than 15 percent from the floor, shooting just 1-for-9 (11 percent) in the first 8:03 of the game and going down 19-6 against the Eagles. Lubbock Christian finished the second half of that game on a 17-6 run, shooting 45 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from beyond the arc in the both the second half and overtime period of the game. 

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 also ound 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 against the Hilltoppers.
This season, the Arizona Western College transfer is averaging 9.9 points per game, while his 66 total assists are the third-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 15.0 points per game, and 4.9 rebounds per game. Harrison scored 21 points and hauled in sixth rebounds vs Midwestern State, his seventh straight game with double-digit scoring numbers and his second-straight 20+ point scoring output after scoring 28 points against Cameron earlier in the week.

MAKE THEM EARN IT
Opponents have struggled to score against the Chaps this season, averaging 66.6 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
As of late however, teams have found their stroke from deep against the Chaps, with UTPB shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc, while Angelo State shot 47.1 percent from deep and 54.9 percent from the field. The Chaps are 0-3 when opponents shoot at least 45 percent from beyond the arc this season.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
 - Eastern New Mexico enters the game 10-4 overall and 5-4 in conference play after falling 56-53 to Midwestern State on Jan. 7. Greg Johnson had a chance to tie the game with three seconds left, but his three-pointer was just off the mark.
-  The Greyhounds have already secured their first ten-win season since 2018-19 when they went 13-14. ENMU has not had a winning season since 2013-14 when the Hounds went 14-13. ENMU has a win over a ranked team this year, defeating no. 19 UT Tyler 68-45 on Dec. 19. Four of the Greyhounds' wins are against teams from the NAIA level.
- ENMU has been feeling it from downtown, shooting 34.8 percent from three this season, tied for the fourth best mark in the conference. 
- Defensively, the Hounds are third in the conference, averaging 3.86 blocks per game. Jose Murillo ranks fifth in the LSC with 1.1 blocks a night
- Errol White leads the LSC with 9.0 rebounds a game. His 126 total rebounds are second in the conference
- Brent Owen became the 14th head coach in the history of Eastern New Mexico men's basketball in early May of 2020 and will begin his third season as head coach of the Greyhounds in 2022-23. Owen joined the Greyhounds following a nine-year tenure as an assistant coach at the University of Southern Indiana. In his first full season on the Greyhounds bench, Owen led the Hounds to a 7-17 record, including a win against #24 Oklahoma Baptist, 70-66 (11/27). Owen helped the development of Kentrell Pullian, who would go on to win the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year honor for the 2021-22 season and land on the LSC All-Freshman team.

THE SERIES WITH THE GREYHOUNDS
LCU leads the overall series with ENMU 20-17, having won four straight and six of the last seven meetings. The Greyhounds last defeated LCU on Dec. 30, 2017, winning 82-73. During this four game winning streak, the Chaps have won on average by a score of 77-59, winning the last three meetings by at least 18 points. The Chaps won last year's contest in Lubbock 84-53 and won in Portales 76-58, playing both games in a five day span.

LAST TIME OUT
Jan. 7, 2023 - vs Angelo State - Rowan Mackenzie scored 30 points for the third time this season, but the Chaps could not stop the red-hot Rams, falling to Angelo State 77-65 on Saturday, Jan. 7.
Angelo State shot 54.9 percent from the field, the third time an opponent has shot that exact mark against the Chaps this season. LCU is 0-3 in those contests. The Rams also shot 47.1 percent from three, and the Chaps are now 0-3 when opponents shoot at least 45 percent from beyond the arc this season. 
Despite the loss, Mackenzie scored 30 points for the third time this season and the third time in his career. The Australian shot 9-for-14 from the field (63.4 percent), 3-for-6 from three, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. 

A WIN WOULD
- Be the fifth straight win over Eastern New Mexico
- Be the first home win for LCU in 2023 (Lost to Midwestern State 71-65 on Jan. 1, 2023)

UP NEXT
LCU hosts their final home game of January on Saturday, Jan. 14, against Western New Mexico. Tipoff is set for 3 PM inside of the Rip Griffin Center. Fans can purchase tickets at lcuchaps.com