LUBBOCK, Texas - In their final home game in the month of January, Lubbock Christian looks to win multiple games in a row for the first time in 2023, facing Western New Mexico on Saturday, Jan. 14.

Western New Mexico (9-6, 3-6 LSC) at Lubbock Christian (10-5, 6-3 LSC)
Saturday, Jan. 14 - 3 PM
Lubbock, Texas - Rip Griffin Center

NEED TO KNOW
- LCU is coming off an 89-65 win over Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 12. The Chaps shot 58.3 percent from the field in the game and scored 50 points in the second half.
- Against the Greyhounds, LCU forced 18 turnovers, scoring 30 points off of ENMU miscues. Eight of those turnovers were offensive fouls drawn by the Chaps.
- Najeeb Muhammad tied his season-high with 21 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from three.
- Russell Harrison finished with 17 points in the game, scoring 15 of those in the second half.
- Western New Mexico enters the game 9-6 overall and 3-6 in the Lone Star Conference following an 85-57 loss to West Texas A&M. The Mustangs committed 19 turnovers in the game.

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 48-13 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 23-6 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 19.7 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.
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.

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 found his stroke of late, scoring a season- 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 10.7 points per game, while his 70 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 15.1 points per game, and 4.9 rebounds per game. Harrison scored 17 points against Eastern New Mexico, scoring 15 of those in the second half. 

MAKE THEM EARN IT
Opponents have struggled to score against the Chaps this season, averaging 66.5 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 MUSTANGS
 - Western New Mexico enters the game 9-6 overall and 3-6 in the Lone Star Conference following an 85-57 loss to West Texas A&M. The Mustangs committed 19 turnovers in the contest.
-  The Mustangs have been a tough team to score on, with opponents averaging just 41.6 percent from the field this season, the fifth-best mark in the conference. Opponents are also shooting just 31.0 percent from three against WNMU.
- WNMU averages 15.2 turnovers per game, tied for the third most in the LSC.
- Keith Littles leads the Mustangs averaging 10.4 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with 35 this season.
- Head Coach Zane Gibson is in his third season with the Mustangs. During his second year as Western New Mexico's leader, Gibson led the Mustangs to their best start in the "modern era" starting out the year 5-0. The Mustangs would go on to win double digit games for the first time in 10 seasons and for the first time ever while Western New Mexico has been in the Lone Star Conference. Tony Avalos and Jordan Doss were both selected to the LSC All-Conference team.

THE SERIES WITH THE MUSTANGS
LCU leads the overall series with WNMU 6-2, having won six in a row since the series resumed in 2020. The Mustangs won the first two meetings in 1973 in Apline, Texas and in 1977 in Alamosa, Colo. Last year's 108-54 win for LCU was a record-setting day for the Chaps, as the program drained 20 three-pointers in the game and also clinched their program-best 25th win of the year. WNMU is 0-4 all-time in Lubbock.

LAST TIME OUT
Jan. 12, 2023 - vs Eastern New Mexico - Najeeb Muhammad tied his season-high in points, while LCU scored 30 points off of turnovers as the Chaps pulled away to knock off Eastern New Mexico 89-65 on Thursday, Jan. 12.
Lubbock Christian forced 18 Eastern New Mexico turnovers, scoring 30 points off of those turnovers. Of those 18 turnovers, the Chaps drew eight offensive fouls against the Greyhounds, including six in the first half.
The Chaps shot 58.3 percent from the field in the game, their second-highest mark of the season. LCU shot 59.5 percent on Dec. 10 at Texas A&M-Kingsville. LCU also connected on 50 percent of their shots from three, tied for their second-best mark from downtown this year. Lubbock Christian also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc on Nov. 12 against Colorado School of Mines. 
Muhammad led the team with 21 points, tying his season-best mark from Dec. 17 against West Liberty. The Las Vegas, Nev. shot 7-for-8 from the field (87.5 percent) and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc (75 percent), tying his season-high for made threes that he set just one week ago at UTPB. He also tallied four assists in the game.
Harrison scored just two points in the first half, but scored 15 in the second to finish with 17 points, his 11th double-digit scoring game of the season. The Lubbock native also hauled in five rebounds and dished out three assists.
Mackenzie scored 11 points in the first half, finishing with 15 for the game. The Aussie went 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-4 from three, while also pulling in five rebounds and giving out three assists. 

UP NEXT
The Chaps open up a four-game road swing, heading to Tyler, Texas for a matchup against UT Tyler on Thursday, Jan. 19. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM