SAN ANGELO, Texas - Fresh off their first road win of 2023, LCU looks to keep the good times going in San Angelo, facing Angelo State in a massive Lone Star Conference West Division matchup.

Lubbock Christian (9-4, 5-2 LSC) at Angelo State (10-3, 6-1 LSC)
Saturday, Jan. 7 - 3 PM
San Angelo, Texas - Stephens Arena at the Junell Center

NEED TO KNOW
- LCU is coming off an 83-74 win over UTPB. The Chaps shot 25-for-27 from the free throw line (92.6 percent), including making twelve straight free throws in the second half and going 15-for-17 from the line in the final four minutes to ice the game.
- Kurt Wegscheider recorded the first double-double of the season for the Chaps, with a season-high 16 points and 14 rebounds.
- Kendall Dow scored a career-high 18 points off the bench, along with three steals
- Rowan Mackenzie finished the night against UTPB with 22 points and nine rebounds. The junior went 10-for-12 from the free throw line.
- Najeeb Muhammad scored 16 points while pulling down a season-best five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Muhammad's three makes from deep are also a season-high

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 47-12 record in the LSC since joining the conference in 2019. The Chaps are 25-6 in Lone Star Conference road games, including a 10-0 road mark during the 2020-21 season. 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 19.3 points per game, second in the LSC. Mackenzie is second in the LSC in field goal percentage, shooting 56.4 percent from the field so far this season.
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. The Aussie scored 28 points, shooting 75 percent from the floor and going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

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 40.8 percent from three. After averaging 3.5 points per game last season, Gonzales has averaged 9.9 points per game, starting in all 13 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.

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 60 total assists are the second-most in the Lone Star Conference and 39th in Division-II.

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 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.

BUCKETS
LCU is shooting the ball well, averaging a 47.6 field goal percentage, the highest mark in the Lone Star Conference. Mackenzie is second in the LSC in field goal percentage, shooting 56.4 percent from the field so far this season.
From three-point land, the Chaps are averaging 36.0 percent from deep, with 9.2 makes a game.
Fianlly, the Chaps have connected from the charity stripe, shooting 79.9 percent from the free throw line. That mark is third in the conference and 17th in Division-II.

MAKE THEM EARN IT
Opponents have struggled to score against the Chaps this season, averaging just 65.8 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 RAMS
 - Angelo State enters the contest 10-3 overall and 6-1 in the Lone Star Conference after knocking off West Texas A&M 82-77 on Thuesday night. 
-  The Rams have won seven straight home games, their last home loss coming on Feb. 12, 2022 to Texas A&M International.
- Angelo State ranks the top field goal defense in the conference, as opponents are making just 40.7 percent of their shots from the field against the Rams. That mark ranks 37th in all of Division-II.
- Kevon Godwin leads the Rams and ranks ninth in the conference in points per game, averaging 15.3 points a night. 
- Reggie Quezada has been heating up from the floor, shooting 44.5 percent from the field. The Harlem, N.Y. native is averaging 12.8 points per game and has a team leading 33 assists.
- Vinay Patel enters his first season at the helm of the Ram Basketball after his hiring to the position was announced on April 29th, 2022. Patel brings 17 years of coaching experience to ASU, most recently serving as the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where he led the Rangers to a 20-9 overall record and one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA Division II in the 2021-22 season. 

THE SERIES WITH THE RAMS
Angelo State leads the all-time series with the Chaps 17-6, but LCU has won three in a row. Last season in San Angelo, the Chaps scored 40 points in the second half to push the game into double overtime, knocking off the Rams 85-79 thanks to a 10-4 run in the final OT period. ASU won nine straight meetings from 1970-1977, before the Chaps won their first matchup on Dec. 14, 1979. It would be another 33 years before Lubbock Christian defeated the Rams again on Dec. 17, 2012. This current Chaparral run ended a four game winning streak for Angelo State from 2017-2020, including a 97-92 double overtime win for the Rams at the 2020 Lone Star Conference Quarterfinals.

LAST TIME OUT
Jan. 5, 2023 - at UTPB - Lubbock Christian went 15-for-17 from the free throw line in the second half and four players finished in double figures as the Chaps held off a late UTPB come back to knock off the Falcons 83-74 on Thursday, Jan. 5. 
LCU shot 25-for-27 from the free throw line (92.6 percent), including making twelve straight free throws in the second half and going 15-for-17 from the line in the final four minutes to ice the game.
Wegscheider recorded the first double-double for the Chaps this season, and the first for LCU since Mar. 3, 2022 when Parker Hicks scored 21 points and hauled down 12 rebounds in the LSC Quarterfinals against St. Edward's. Wegscheider scored a season-high 16 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the field, and pulling down a season-best 14 rebounds. He also dished out three assists and recorded a block. 
Coming off the bench, Kendall Dow scored a career-high 18 points, draining a pair of shots from distance. The freshman was also a force on the defensive end, with three steals and a block. 

UP NEXT
Lubbock Christian returns to the Rip Griffin Center for a clash against the current top team in the LSC West Division, Eastern New Mexico on Thursday, Jan. 12. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM. Fans can purchase tickets online at lcuchaps.com.