DALLAS, Texas - Lubbock Christian looks to stop a six-game losing skid to the Patriots and a three-game losing stretch on the weekends, traveling to Dallas to face DBU on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Lubbock Christian (11-6, 7-4 LSC) at Dallas Baptist (10-9, 5-6 LSC)
Saturday, Jan. 21 - 2 PM
Dallas, Texas - Burg Center

NEED TO KNOW
- LCU is coming off a 58-48 win over UT Tyler. The Chaps held the Patriots to just 28.3 percent from the field for the game, and 11.76 percent in the first half.
- Russell Harrison scored 16 points in the second half against UT Tyler, finishing with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
- Rowan Mackenzie flirted with a double-double for the second straight game, scoring nine points and pulling down 10 rebounds for the third time in his career.
- Aaron Gonzales finished with 13 points, scoring 11 of those in the first half against UT Tyler. He shot 50 percent from the field.
- LCU is 0-3 on Saturdays and Sundays in 2023. The Chaps have split every conference series this season except for the first set against Oklahoma Christian and UAFS. LCU's last win on a Saturday was on Dec. 17 against no. 4/5 West Liberty in Las Vegas

BACK TO SCHOOL
LCU has won two-straight Lone Star Conference regular season championships, and have compiled a 49-14 record in the LSC since joining the conference in 2019. The Chaps are 26-7 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 23-7 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. The Chaps dropped a three overtime slugfest 97-87 against DBU at the Rip Griffin Center on Dec. 5, 2019.

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT
This season, Rowan Mackenzie is leading the Chaps in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game, second in the LSC. Mackenzie is second in 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 1.8 steals per game are tied for fourth in the LSC.

GOTTA MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS
Lubbock Christian has been automatic from the free throw line this season, shooting 78.6 percent from the charity stripe. That mark is the third-best in the Lone Star Conference, and the 10th best in Division-II. If the Chaps were playing Division-I basketball, that mark would also rank 10th in D-I, above schools such as Clemson, Miami, Duke, Purdue and Texas Tech.
Najeeb Muhammad is shooting 89.4 percent from the free throw line, the third best mark in the conference and 14th best in Division-II for eligible players.

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 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 10.5 points per game, while his 79 total assists is tied for the third-most in the Lone Star Conference. His 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in the LSC, and 24th in the country.

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 15.3 points per game, and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is just 36 points away from 1000 total at NCAA schools. Harrison scored 704 points in two seasons at UL Monroe. For his overall career, Harrison has scored 1,892 points, with 395 points in a season at NAIA Wayland Baptist, and 550 points in one season at JUCO Clarendon. Harrison has scored 260 points this season for the Chaps.

MAKE THEM EARN IT
Opponents have struggled to score against the Chaps this season, averaging 66.0 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. Western New Mexico shot 50 percent from three in their win over the Chaps last weekend. LCU is 0-4 when opponents shoot at least 45 percent from beyond the arc this season.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
 - Dallas Baptist enters the game 10-9 overall and 5-6 in the LSC. The Patriots have lost four straight games, with three of those coming by six points or less.
-  The Patriots have been solid from the field this season, averaging 46.1 percent from the floor, the third best mark in the LSC. DBU can also stroke it from deep, shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc, second best mark in the conference. Teams have struggled to make shots from three against Dallas Baptist, averaging just 30.4 percent from deep.
- Ricky Lujan is tied for eighth in the LSC in assists, with 57. He is averaging 3.0 assists per game.
- Ta'Jay Dunlap leads the LSC and 24th in Division-II with 35 steals. His 2.06 steals per game are the most in the LSC and 33rd in D-II.
- Dr. Blake Flickner is in his 18th season as the Head Basketball Coach at DBU. In 17 years at the helm for the Patriots, Flickner boasts a record of 304-191 and has guided DBU to the NCAA Division II Tournament seven times, including six of the last seven years. Under Flickner's direction, the Patriots are one of just seven teams in the nation to reach the NCAA postseason each of the last five seasons. During Flickner's tenure at DBU, the Patriots have won a pair of Heartland Conference regular-season titles and two Heartland Tournament championships. Flickner is also a two-time Heartland Conference Coach of the Year, claiming the league's top coaching honors in 2009 and 2017.

THE SERIES WITH THE PATRIOTS
DBU leads the overall series 25-10, winning five in a row and seven of the last eight meetings. The Patriots defeated the Chaps 75-73 last season to end LCU's 20-game winning streak. Lubbock Christian's last win in the series was an 84-78 win on Feb. 8, 2018. LCU is just 2-14 all-time against DBU in Dallas, their last win in the Big D coming on Dec. 17, 2016.

LAST TIME OUT
Jan. 19, 2023 - at UT Tyler - Lubbock Christian held UT Tyler to under 15 percent from the floor in the first half, as the Chap defense smothered the Patriots in a 58-48 win on Thursday, Jan. 19. 
Lubbock Christian held UT Tyler to just 17-for-60 (28.3 percent) from the floor, the first time the Chaps have held a team under 30 percent from the field since Dec. 6, 2021 against Oklahoma City. The Chaps won 93-48, as the Stars shot just 29.5 percent from field. That mark is also the lowest field goal percentage for a conference opponent against LCU since Texas A&M International shot 21.6 percent from the floor on Feb. 9, 2019. LCU won that contest 75-36, the lowest amount of points Lubbock Christian has allowed in a Lone Star Conference game.
It is the first time LCU held a conference foe under 50 points since Feb 20, 2021 when the Chaparalls defeated UTPB 88-49. It is the first home loss this season for UT Tyler, and their first home loss since Feb. 19, 2022 when the Pats fell 81-60 to St. Edward's at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center.
Harrison scored 16 of his 17 points in the game in the second half. The Lubbock native pulled down eight rebounds and also dished out a pair of assists.

A WIN WOULD
- Be the Chaps first win on a Saturday since Dec. 17, 2022
- Be LCU's first win over DBU since Feb. 8, 2018 and their first win in the Burg Center since Dec. 17, 2016.
- Give LCU their 50th win all time in Lone Star Conference games

UP NEXT
The road trip continues for the Chaps, heading to Wichita Falls to face Midwestern State in their first conference rematch of the season on Thursday, Jan. 26. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM