LUBBOCK, Texas (February 18, 2023) – A 22-2 run in the second half propelled Lubbock Christian University to a 60-46 Lone Star Conference victory over St. Mary's Saturday afternoon inside Rip Griffin Center.
 
St. Mary's was leading 33-30 three minutes into the second half, as Tonia Bilic had a field goal to provide the Rattlers their largest lead of the game. The lead did not last long, as LCU responded with the next four points for a 34-33 LCU lead with 6:10 left in the third quarter. Gabby Elliott regained the lead for StMU, but it would turn out to be the only Rattlers Field goal in the final 5:49 of the quarter and for a span of 8:50. Ignited by Martie McCoy's third field goal of the quarter, LCU closed the quarter on a 7-0 run (led 41-35 at quarter's close) and opened the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run. Audrey Robertson had five points during the 18-0 run, including a three-pointer for the first points of the fourth quarter, and with 7:14 remaining the run had LCU leading 52-35.
 
LCU hit a trio of three-pointers in the fourth quarter. The final one was by Carli Bostwick, which was followed by a pair of free-throws from Grace Foster to complete a 5-0 run and put LCU up 58-40 with 2:38 remaining for LCU's largest lead of the game.
 
The Lady Chaps surge in the fourth quarter was not aided by hot shooting, as LCU shot 42.9% (6/14) in the quarter. A 3-of-6 shooting performance from outside helped, but it was five offensive rebounds in the frame, which led to a 6-0 scoring advantage in second-chance-points.
 
LCU took advantage of opportunities in the second half, outscoring StMU 10-2 in points-off-turnovers despite each team having seven turnovers in the half. Lubbock Christian also outscored the Rattlers 9-2 from the free-throw line in the half (LCU was 9-of-11, 81.8%, from the line).
 
The final score would indicate the contest was one the Lady Chaps controlled, and so would the opening quarter of play, as LCU held the Rattlers to two field goals and received field goals from five different Lady Chaps to take a 14-4 lead into the second quarter. It was not the case, even with Shaylee Stovall putting LCU up 23-12 with a three-pointer 4:30 into the second quarter. StMU closed the second quarter going 6-of-9 from the field and had a 9-0 run in just over a two-minute span to help send the game into the half tied 26-26.
 
Outscoring LCU 22-12 in the second quarter, the Rattlers would take the lead (29-28) on a three-pointer from Teanna Huggins 90 seconds into the second half. It opened a 7-2 StMU run building up to Bilic's bucket to go up 33-30.
 
Foster led LCU with 11 points and 11 rebounds to convert her 11^th double-double performance of the season. She sniffed a triple-double posting a career-high seven assists in the contest as well. Maci Maddox and Robertson joined Foster in double figures in scoring, as they each contributed 10 points. LCU outscored the Rattlers 18-8 from the free-throw line, with starters (Foster, Maddox, Robertson, Stovall) combining to go 14-of-16 (87.5%) from the line. Maddox and McCoy each had eight points from the field to lead LCU in points from the field.
 
Gabby Elliott led StMU with a game-high 22 points. She was 8-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. The rest of the Rattlers were a combined 10-of-36 (27.8%) from the field. The loss pushed the Rattlers to 7-19 overall and 3-17 in the LSC.
 
The victory was LCU's first LSC win in which they shot less than 40% from the field (shot 38.8% from the field to move them to 1-3 in conference games shooting under 40%). LCU's fifth consecutive win improved their record to 20-8 overall and 15-5 in the LSC. The Lady Chaps have topped the Rattlers 13 consecutive times all-time and they extend their all-time series lead to 21-3, which includes a 12-0 all-time mark in Lubbock.
 
TURNING POINT
Martie McCoy's field goal with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter seemed to jar the Lady Chaps offense into a positive direction, as it was the first of two made field goal attempts (both by McCoy) to give LCU a lead (on each field goal). Prior to the first field goal, LCU had missed eight consecutive field goal attempts. In the ensuing eight attempts, started by McCoy's basket 1:02 into the half, LCU would go 5-of-8 from the field.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
LCU's opening quarter has been troublesome for the opposing teams. LCU, holding StMU to four points in the opening quarter Saturday, have held opponents to six-points-or-less in three of their last five games in the opening frame. On the season, LCU opponents are averaging 12.6 points per game in the first quarter.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
A home-and-home series with West Texas A&M is all that remains for the Lady Chaps regular season, which enters its final week. The two teams meet in Canyon, Texas Thursday before wrapping up the regular season in Lubbock Saturday.