LONE STAR CONFERENCE BASKETBALL
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (8-1, 1-1) at No.20 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (7-2, 2-0)
Dec. 10, 2023 • 1 PM
Lubbock, Texas • Rip Griffin Center (1,950)
 

LONE STAR CONFERENCE BASKETBALL
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
TAMIU	Lubbock, Texas	Sun. Dec. 10	1 p.m.	Video	Stats

GAME NOTES (PDF)

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Lubbock Christian University plays out their final games before the holiday break with their first Lone Star Conference home games of the season, as they host Texas A&M International Sunday and Texas A&M-Kingsville Tuesday. Both games are scheduled for 1 p.m. (each of the days) inside Rip Griffin Center. After the pair of games, LCU will not return to the hardwood until they host Southwestern Assemblies of God (SAGU) for an exhibition game December 30.
 
FINALE IN FORT SMITH
LCU opened up Lone Star Conference play on the road last week, claiming a 69-65 win at Oklahoma Christian and a 58-49 win at Arkansas Fort Smith. The win at Arkansas Fort Smith marked the final LSC regular season meeting, as UAFS is heading to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) after this season.
 
For the first time in her LCU career, senior Audrey Robertson led LCU in scoring in consecutive games, as her performances helped LCU open conference play with a pair of road wins. She had a career-high 20 points in a victory at Oklahoma Christian and followed with 18 points at Arkansas Fort Smith, as LCU claimed their 21st consecutive all-time win at OC and 10th consecutive all-time win at UAFS. Robertson was 8-of-11 from the field at OC (2-of-2 from three-point range) and 5-of-9 from the field at UAFS (2-of-3 from long range). Her 13-of-20 (.650) from the field ranked fourth-best among LSC performers on the week. She also produced averages of 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals on the week.
 
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 82.6% of their attempts (161/195, which is fifth nationally) and averaging 17.9 points a game from the line (eighth nationally). Grace Foster has gone 13-of-13 from the free-throw line twice this season and had an active streak of 29 consecutive made free-throws made end Thursday at Oklahoma Christian. 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 55-of-60 on the season (.917, third in the LSC and 20^th nationally), which leads the squad (of qualifiers). Shaylee Stovall, who is 20-of-21 (95.2%), is 2.5-made free-throws away from qualifying as the team's leader (NCAA minimum to qualify is 2.5 made free-throws per game). Stovall enters Sunday with an active streak of 19 consecutive made free-throws.

> The Lady Chaps have two players in the top-10 in LSC scoring so far this season. Foster is averaging 16.3 points per game, which has her fourth in the LSC. Maci Maddox is ranking ninth in the LSC with 14.6 points per game. The pair are also in top-10 in minutes played, with Maddox leading the conference (ninth in the nation) with 37.5 minutes played per game (Foster is seventh in LSC at 32.0). Maddox is ninth in the LSC with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.1.

> Foster is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game (19th in the LSC), but is fifth in the LSC averaging 6.0 defensive rebounds per game. She led the LSC last season with a pace of 7.5 defensive rebounds per game.
 
> Maci Maddox is 20th nationally in steals with 23 on the season (second in LSC) and ranks third in the LSC with a pace of 2.6 steals per game. She opened the season with at least one steal in the first seven games (has had at least one steal in eight of nine games this season) and had 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 five games and three of their nine games this season. As a team, LCU leads the LSC and 10th nationally with a 47.2% shooting percentage from the field. LCU leads the LSC and is 33^rd in three-point shooting, as they are 40-of-110 (36.4%) from long range. 
 
MILESTONE
Grace Foster enters Saturday 19 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 CONVERSATION
Four a fourth time (fifth season in LSC), LCU is off to a 2-0 start in LSC play. Audrey Robertson leads LCU in LSC play with an average of 19.0 points a game. She is joined in a double-figure scoring pace by Grace Foster (14.5 points) and Maci Maddox (14.0 points). Foster, who leads LCU with a pace of 5.5 rebounds per game, is 13-of-14 (92.9%) from the free-throw line and spearheads a squad that is shooting 78.8% (41/52) from the line in conference action.

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 has LCU receiving votes in their latest Top-25 national poll, and the D2CSC currently has LCU ranked No.20 (their best ranking this season was No.18).

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.

OH, HOME
LCU is 3-1 at home this season. Grace Foster is leading LCU with 15.8 points per game on the home floor (also averaging 7.3 rebounds). The Lady Chaps, shooting 50.0% from the field inside "The Rip," are also receiving averages of 14.8 points a game from Maci Maddox and 10.0 points per game from Audrey Robertson. LCU is 69-of-84 from the free-throw line (82.1%) at home this season, with Shaylee Stovall 13-of-14 from the charity stripe.

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 273-48 record (85.0%) in that span. In NCAA postseason play, the Lady Chaps are 24-3 all-time (88.9%).
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT TAMIU
1 > The Dustdevils are coming off a 13-17 season from last season, which included a conference record of 6-16 and a 4-10 record in the East Division to share sixth place in the eight-team division. They opened their season with an 11-4 record over their first 15 games.
2 > TAMIU is 8-1 on the season and split their opening week of LSC play for a 1-1 conference start. They have only played one road game, which resulted in a win at Central Oklahoma.
3 > The Dustdevils are picked to finish 13th in the LSC this season, as they took the No.13 spot (of 16) in the conference's Preseason Coaches' Poll.
4 > TAMIU leads the nation with an average of 20.0 assists per game. Ngozi Obineke ranks fifth (3.9) and Telisha Brown ranks sixth (3.6) in the LSC.
5 > The Dustdevils rank third nationally with a scoring average of 89.8 points per game. Raiana Brown leads the offense for the Dustdevils, averaging 17.2 points per game, which ranks second in the LSC.

THE SERIES AGAINST TAMIU
LCU leads the all-times series 19-2 against TAMIU. The Lady Chaps won the first five and also had a 14-game win streak in the series until falling 60-47 last season (Dec. 8, 2022) in Laredo. LCU is 10-0 all-time in Lubbock, but they have not played in Lubbock since the 2020-2021 season (85-42 win on Jan. 23, 2021). The Lady Chaps (4-1 in LSC matches) went 12-1 against TAMIU while the two were Heartland Conference members.
 
ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. TAMIU
Top-three LCU active career leaders against TAMIU:
 
Grace Foster 2gp 6.5 points p/g, 5.0 rebounds p/g
Reese Schumann 1gp, 6 points, 10 rebounds
Maci Maddox 4gp, 3.6 points p/g, 4 steals
 
PREVIOUS RECAP VS. TAMIU
Dec. 8, 2022 (Laredo, Texas) – TAMIU: 60 – LCU: 47
Texas A&M International received a 21-point 10-rebound double-double from Raiana Brown and the Dustdevils held Lubbock Christian University to a season-low 32.1% shooting mark from the field, as TAMIU defeated LCU 60-47 in the Lady Chaparrals first Lone Star Conference road game of the season. The loss inside Kinesiology and Convocation Building ended LCU's six-game overall win streak.

LCU had their worst offensive quarter since February 27, 2021 (six points at West Texas A&M), as they were held to six points off 3-of-11 (27.3%). Reese Schumann had four of the six points. TAMIU struggled early offensively as well, as the two teams combined for nine points over the first seven minutes of the game, but the Dustdevils finished the frame on a 9-2 run to head into the second quarter with a 14-6 lead.

Shaylee Stovall hit the Lady Chaps opening shot attempt of the second quarter, but LCU followed with six consecutive misses from the field. TAMIU only had two points during LCU's dry spell, which ended with a 9-0 run off consecutive three-point field goals hit by the Lady Chaps. Foster bookended the trio of three-pointers with a pair, which helped her lead the LCU offense in the quarter with six points. Her second trey put LCU ahead 17-16 for their only lead of the game. Less than a minute after the 9-0 run, TAMIU closed the half on a 7-2 run for a 23-19 lead.

Despite shooting 2-of-8 from the field, Brown led all scorers at the half with 7 points for TAMIU. Foster's six point in the second quarter had her leading LCU at the half with six points. LCU committed 15 turnovers in the opening half, leading to a 14-7 scoring advantage at the break in points-off-turnovers.

Audrey Robertson had the opening bucket of the second half for LCU to cut the game to a one-possession game, but TAMIU responded with a 6-2 run. Robertson capped a 5-0 run for with another basket to cut the game to a one-possession game (29-28), which came with 5:05 left in the quarter. Emily Swiercz helped hold the lead for TAMIU with a pair of three-pointers, which was part of an 8-2 run for a 37-30 lead. Maci Maddox closed the quarter for LCU with a layup to cut the deficit to 37-32.

Taylor Thomas opened the fourth quarter with free-throws to cut the deficit to 37-33. Shaylee Stovall connected on a three-pointer with 4:30 to open a 5-0 run to pull within two points of TAMIU (43-41 with 4:30 to go). It went downhill from there for LCU. Ignited by eight points in the quarter from Brown and six from Swiercz, TAMIU went on a 7-0 run and closed the game outscoring LCU 17-4 (over the final 4:08).

LCU received 11 points from Foster and Maddox, who each co-led the Lady Chaps. Schumann led LCU in rebounding with a career-high 10 boards. She was 3-of-3 from the field and also added a trio of blocks. LCU was 18-of-56 from the field for a season-low 32.1% from the field. They were 5-of-21 (23.8%) from outside.

Brown led all scorers with 21 points off 7-of-18 shooting. She added 10 rebounds to co-lead the team, as Evelyn Quiroz also added 10 boards. Swiercz also added 14 points. TAMIU was 33.3% from the field (19/57) and they are the first team this season to top LCU from the field this season.