LSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (5-2) at OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (1-3)
Nov. 30, 2023 • 5:30 PM
Oklahoma City, Okla. • Payne Athletic Center / The Eagles' Nest (2,100)
 

LONE STAR CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
OC	Oklahoma City, Okla.	Thur. Nov. 30	5:30 p.m.	Video	Stats

GAME NOTES (PDF)

LONE STAR TIME OUTSIDE THE LONE STAR STATE
Lubbock Christian University hits the conference slate of their 2023-24 schedule this week, as they open Lone Star Conference play with their first conference road trip of the season. LCU returns to Oklahoma Thursday and faces Oklahoma Christian in Oklahoma City (5:30 p.m. tip) before heading to Fort Smith, Ark. Saturday to face Arkansas Fort Smith (1 p.m. tip) to complete their opening week of conference action. The Lady Chaps have built a 5-2 non-conference record, with each loss coming against nationally ranked programs.
 
SNU-ZE FEST
The Lady Chaparrals suffered their first non-conference road loss since the 2019-2020 season Saturday, as they fell at No.12 Southern Nazarene 67-64. LCU trailed by 17 points with just-over a minute remaining in the third quarter, but rallied back to cut the deficit to one-point before SNU tallied a key field goal in the final minute to preserve the win. They received 22 points from Grace Foster in the loss.
 
SEASON NOTES AND TRENDS
> LCU opened the season with at least 20 points from the free-throw line in their first four games this season, marking their first four-game span of 20-or-more free-throws since Feb. 18 – Mar.23, 2017. The Lady Chaps are taking advantage from the free-throw line, making 83.9% of their attempts (120/143, which is seventh nationally) and averaging 17.1 points a game from the line (24^th nationally). Grace Foster has gone 13-of-13 from the free-throw line twice this season and enters Thursday with an active streak of 25 consecutive made free-throws. Each of the 13-made free-throw performances involve the most free-throws made in a game (13) since Nicole Hampton had 15 on Jan. 14, 2016 (third-most since 2008). Foster had 13 on Nov. 5 against Adams State at home, which set a Rip Griffin Center record. Foster's 13-of-13 marks are each one off Hampton's 14-of-14 school-record performance on Jan. 14, 2016 (at Newman). Fosters 13-of-13 on Nov.5 did mark a new Rip Griffin Center record previously held by Laynee Burr, who was 12-of-12 on Feb. 4, 2022 (against Midwestern State). The performance at the line for Foster on Nov. 12 against CSU Pueblo marked her sixth game in which she was perfect from the line with six-or-more consecutive shots made. Foster is 42-of-45 on the season (.913, second in the LSC), which is second on the squad (of qualifiers) behind Shaylee Stovall, who is 17-of-18 (94.4%, leads the LSC). Stovall enters Thursday with 16 consecutive made free-throws.

> The Lady Chaps have two players in the top-10 in LSC scoring so far this season. Foster is averaging 16.9 points per game, which has her fourth in the LSC. Maci Maddox is ranking ninth in the LSC with 14.7 points per game. The pair are also in top-10 in minutes played, with Maddox leading the conference (15th in the nation) with 37.1 minutes played per game (Foster is ninth in LSC at 31.7). Maddox is sixth in the LSC with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.4.

> Foster is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game (15th in the LSC), but is fifth in the LSC averaging 6.1 defensive rebounds per game. She led the LSC last season with a pace of 7.5 defensive rebounds per game.
 
> Maci Maddox is 26th nationally in steals with 18 on the season (second in LSC) and ranks fifth in the LSC with a pace of 2.6 steals per game. She has at least one steal in all seven games to open the season and has steals in 10 consecutive games (dating back to last season). Maddox opened last season with at least one steal in the first 11 games.
 
> LCU has shot at least 50% from the field in two of their last three games and three of their seven games this season. As a team, LCU leads the LSC and ninth nationally with a 47.9% shooting percentage from the field. LCU leads the LSC and is 23^rd in three-point shooting, as they are 34-of-88 (38.6%) from long range.
 
MILESTONE
Grace Foster enters Saturday 48 points shy of 1,000 career points. The last Lady Chaps member to reach 1,000 career points is Ashton Duncan, who hit the mark Feb. 17, 2022 against Eastern New Mexico.
 
CONFERENCE OPENERS
This season marks LCU's fifth season in the Lone Star Conference. Thursday's game marks LCU's conference opener and the game is their 30th conference opener (six Heartland Conference and 19 Sooner Athletic Conference openers prior to joining the LSC). The Lady Chaps, 3-1 in LSC openers, went 11-8 all-time in SAC openers and 5-1 in HC openers. They are 17-3 all-time in conference openers under head coach Steve Gomez. They have won 16 of their prior 18 consecutive conference openers, defeating Oklahoma Christian at home 88-61in last season's LSC opener (Dec. 1, 2022).

NATIONALLY KNOWN (OR UNKNOWN)
Despite returning five starters from a regional-finalist squad, which also shared a divisional title, LCU did not garner the attention of voters in the preseason. This season, LCU received Top-25 votes in the WBCA Preseason Poll, but it is their first time they did not make the Top-25 for a WBCA preseason poll since the start of the 2017-18 season (second time not in a WBCA Preseason Poll since becoming eligible for the poll in 2015-16… WBCA did not conduct a preseason poll in 2020-21 due to COVID). Also, since joining NCAA Division II (2015-16 was their first postseason eligible season), the Lady Chaps have appeared in every D2CSC Preseason Poll until this season, as they also received votes in the D2CSC Top-25 Preseason Poll. The WBCA and D2CSC each have LCU receiving votes in their latest Top-25 national poll. LCU was ranked No.22 and No.18 before their loss at No.12 Southern Nazarene knocked them out of their poll.

SO ARE SOME OTHERS
LCU fell to No.12 Southern Nazarene Saturday, placing them with a 0-2 record this season against nationally ranked programs (lost to No.17 Union in their season opener). LCU went 6-0 against nationally ranked programs in 2020-21, 3-2 in 2021-22 (opened 3-0) and 2-5 last season against Top-25 competition. LCU's only two losses this season have come against nationally ranked competition.

ROAD REVELATIONS
The Lady Chaparrals, who went 8-4 on the road last season, is off to a 1-1 road record this season. They edged Colorado Christian 67-62 in overtime in Lakewood, Colo. on Nov. 10 in their lone road win so far on the young season. The Lady Chaps had a six-game win streak in regular season non-conference road games snapped Saturday (at No.12 Southern Nazarene), which a streak that has spanned since falling at Cameron on Dec. 8, 2019 (LCU was a Heartland Conference member that season). Grace Foster leads LCU in road scoring with 15.5 points a game. LCU has four players averaging double-figures in scoring on the road, as Macy Maddox (12.0), Shaylee Stovall (11.0) and Audrey Robertson (10.0) join Foster. Robertson leads LCU with 5.5 rebounds in road-play. LCU is shooting 84.8% (28/33) from the line on the road, compared to 57.1% (12/21) by the home team. Maddox is showing balance on the road, as she has 3.0 steals and 4.5 assists per game to go along with her 12.0 points per game.

SWEET HOME (ON) CHICAGO
The Lady Chaps, who went 12-2 at home last season, are 3-1 this season at home. On Feb. 2, 2023, the NCAA Division II record home win streak came to a close, as LCU fell to Angelo State, which ended the record win streak at 113. The loss was LCU's first at home since Jan. 1, 2015 against Oklahoma City University. LCU, who also had a 7-0 mark in NCAA postseason play in Lubbock in the mix (not including a 4-0 mark in LSC postseason play), had also won 88 consecutive home conference games (their last conference home loss occurred Jan. 10, 2013 against Oklahoma City). They completed a 49-0 all-time mark in Heartland Conference home games (they are 35-1 in LSC home games). LCU also went 11-0 during their 113-game home win streak against nationally ranked programs.

NCAA DIVISION II'S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS
113 - Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 - Feb. 2, 2023
87 - Neb. Kearney Jan. 31, 1995-Nov. 24, 2001
85 - West Tex. A&M Jan. 9, 1987-Dec. 6, 1991

EYE-OPENING
The 2023-24 season marks LCU's 11th since leaving the NAIA and LCU is 271-48 record (85.0%) in that span. In NCAA postseason play, the Lady Chaps are 24-3 all-time (88.9%).

FIVE THINGS ABOUT OC
1 > The Oklahoma City based Eagles posted an 8-18 mark last season (8-14 in Lone Star Conference and finished fifth in the East Division with 6-8 division mark). OC closed out their season winning their final three games last season.
2 > OC has only played four games this season and are 1-3 through those contests. The Eagles, who fell 101-50 to Oklahoma State and 100-63 to North Texas in exhibition play, opened the season with a 69-60 win over Upper Iowa before falling in their last three contests. Thursday's game will serve as their home opener along with their conference opener (OC is 1-3 in LSC openers).
3 > The Eagles are picked to finish ninth in the LSC this season, as they took the No.9 spot (of 16) in the conference's Preseason Coaches' Poll. The placement was OC's second-highest since joining the LSC.
4 > OC leads the LSC with an average of 22.8 free-throw attempts per game. They are second behind LCU with a pace of 16 points from the line per game. Four OC players have double-figures in free-throws made, and none have missed more than three attempts this season, including Brooklin Bain, who is 11-of-12 (91.7%) from the line this season.
5 > Bain leads the LSC in double-doubles with two on the season. She averages 13 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

THE SERIES AGAINST OC
For a second consecutive meeting, LCU, who once trailed 0-12 in the all-time series, has a series lead against OC, leading 31-29 in a series that dates back to 1979. LCU had trailed the all-time series until winning 27 of the last 30 meetings, including winning the prior 20 meetings (OC's last win coming on Feb. 17, 2011). The two teams last met December 1, 2022, which was in Lubbock, and LCU claimed an 88-61 win. LCU has won the last nine meetings played in Oklahoma City (Feb. 15, 2020 was the last meeting in Oklahoma City, as LCU won 81-57). Both teams are former Heartland and Sooner Athletic Conference foes (the only current LSC programs that have that designation).
 
ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. OC
Top-three LCU active career leaders against OC:
 
Maci Maddox 2gp 9.5 points p/g, 3.5 assists p/g, 3/6 3-fg
Shaylee Stovall 2gp, 9.5 points p/g, 4/5 3-fg, 7/8 fg
Taylor Thomas 1gp, 8 points, 3/5 fg
 
PREVIOUS RECAP VS. OC
Dec. 1, 2022 (Lubbock, Texas) – LCU:88 - OC:61
Lubbock Christian University used a 30-5 advantage in points-off-turnovers and career highs of 19 points from Maci Maddox and 16 points from Shaylee Stovall to open their Lone Star Conference schedule with an 88-61 win over Oklahoma Christian. The free-throw-filled game, featuring 74 free-throws inside Rip Griffin Center.

Twenty-one different players attempted at least one free-throw in the game, as OC had 40 of the game's 74 attempts from the line. LCU out-scored OC 24-23 from the line. The two teams combined for 32 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter alone and the 74 combined free-throws in the game were the most attempts in an LCU contest since LCU combined for 79 with Tarleton State on November 22, 2011.

As far as the action when there were no free-throws being attempted, the contest was a game that was neck-and-neck at the start. OC and LCU had knotted up the score on six occasions over the game's opening 5:52, and LCU never led during the span. Maddox, who scored 13 points in the opening quarter, had a 6-0 run to give LCU their first lead of the game. She had nine of the Lady Chaps 11 points in the final 5:02 of the first quarter to give LCU a 22-13 lead.

The 7-0 run turned into a 12-0 run as Stovall notched the first five points of the second quarter to put LCU up 27-13 41 seconds into the quarter. Kate Bradley hit back-to-back three-pointers for OC to outscore LCU 10-2 to cut LCU's lead to 31-25 with 6:19 remaining in the half. It would be as close as the Lady Eagles would get, as Grace Foster and Stovall combined for a 5-0 run late in the half to give LCU a 42-31 halftime lead.

Stovall completed the first half with eight points and all eight were registered in the second quarter. She trailed Maddox at the break, as the two combined for half of LCU's first-half scoring.

Foster opened the second half with a pair of field goals before LCU hit three three-pointers on four attempts. Stovall knocked down a pair of the three-pointers (Maddox made the other) and her second put LCU up 57-34 3:41 into the second half. Stovall (8) and Maddox (6) combined for 14 points in the third quarter, as LCU shot 52.9% (9/17) in the quarter. They were 4-of-7 from long-range in the frame.

LCU took a 68-43 lead into the fourth quarter. Reese Schumann had a three-point play and Audrey Spurgin added a pair of free-throws to complete a 5-0 run 1:40 into the final quarter for a 73-45 lead and LCU's largest of the game. Then whistles occupied the remainder of the game, as 19 fouls were called in the quarter and 32 free-throws were attempted. OC scored 18 points in the final quarter and 13 were from the line.

The Lady Chaps notched a season-high 14 steals and forced OC into 25 turnovers, which led to LCU outscoring OC 30-5 in points-off-turnovers. Audrey Robertson led LCU with four steals and Maddox had three swipes.

Maddox was 8-of-12 from the field (3-of-4 from three-point range) in her career-high outing. She also provided five assists. Stovall was 6-of-7 from the field, hitting 3-of-4 from the perimeter, for her 16 points.

OC received 11 points from Olivia Travis. She co-led the team with seven rebounds, joining Brooklin Bain. OC was 22-of-40 in the game from the line (55.0%).