FRISCO, Texas - For the third time in nine days, Lubbock Christian faces no. 22 West Texas A&M, as the two meet in the Lone Star Conference Tournament for the first time ever on Saturday, Mar. 4.

Lubbock Christian (19-10, 14-8 LSC) vs no. 22 West Texas A&M (23-6, 20-2 LSC)
Saturday, Mar. 4 - 6:00 PM
Frisco, Texas - Comerica Center

AWARDS SEASON
On Wednesday, Mar. 1, the Lone Star Conference announced their men's basketball award winners, with three Chaparrals earning accolades. Rowan Mackenzie led the way with a First Team All-Conference honor, the first of his career, and became the first ever LCU men's basketball player to earn LSC Academic Player of the Year with a 3.80 GPA. Russell Harrison was honored for his stellar play this season with a Second Team All-Conference honor, while Aaron Gonzales was recognized for his success in the classroom, sliding on to the All-Academic Team with a 4.00 GPA.

NEED TO KNOW
- LCU is coming off a 71-59 win over St. Edward's in the LSC Quarterfinals. The Chaps shot 59 percent from the field in the second half in the come-from-behind win
- Rowan Mackenzie scored 23 points and hauled in 11 rebounds, his fourth double double of the season. Russell  Harrison recorded his first double double of the season, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in the victory.
- Kurt Wegscheider added 16 points against the Hilltoppers, while Najeeb Muhammad flirted with a double double, scoring nine points and dishing out eight assists.
- Lubbock Christian is 3-3 all-time in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. WT and LCU have met in the postseason just once, as the Buffs beat the Chaps 101-92 in the 2021 South Central Regional Championship

THIS IS MARCH
Since joining the Lone Star Conference, Lubbock Christian has won two LSC regular season championships, but is just 3-3 in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. All three losses have been by five points or less, falling to Angelo State 97-92 in 2OT at the 2020 tournament in the semifinals, falling to St. Edward's in the first round of the 2021 tournament 72-71, and dropping a 72-69 decision last season in the 2022 semifinals after a Jake Majors three-pointer with six seconds left gave Texas A&-Kingsville the upset win. The Chaps are 2-3 in the Comerica Center, knocking off St. Edward's 71-59 last night. Their other LSC Tournament win coming inside The Rip on Mar. 3, 2020 against Midwestern State.The Chaps have never won a conference tournament championship at the D-II level, going 4-4 in the Heartland Conference Tournament.

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT
This season, Rowan Mackenzie is leading the Chaps in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game, second in the LSC. Mackenzie is third in the LSC in field goal percentage, shooting 55.0 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. His 1.4 steals per game are sixth in the LSC.
 
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 scored 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 10.1 points per game, while his 123 total assists are fourth in the Lone Star Conference.

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. 
On Saturday, Feb. 4, Harrison flirted with a double-double, scoring 27 points and hauling down nine rebounds against UTPB. The Lubbock native shot 5-for-7 from three in the win over the Falcons. 
Harrison is averaging 16.4 points per game, tied for the sixth best mark in the LSC, and 5.4 rebounds per game. For his overall career, Harrison has scored 2,124 points, with 395 points in a season at NAIA Wayland Baptist, and 550 points in one season at JUCO Clarendon. Harrison has scored 475 points this season for the Chaps.

MAKE THEM EARN IT
Opponents have struggled to score against the Chaps this season, averaging 67.0 points per game against Lubbock Christian and holding opponents to just 44.0 percent from the field.
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
St. Edward's entered the regular season meeting with the highest free throw percentage in the conference at 81.2 percent. While the Hilltoppers shot 75 percent from the line in the game, they only attempted four free throws for the entire contest (3-for-4)

BUCKETS
LCU is shooting 47.8 percent from the field, the best mark in the Lone Star Conference. The Chaps shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field earlier this season against Eastern New Mexico, scoring 50 points against the Greyhounds in the second half of the game alone. Against DBU, Lubbock Christian shot 48.1 percent from the floor, including 47.1 percent from the three-point line. The Chaps are shooting 36.6 percent from deep this season, the second-best mark in the Lone Star Conference. Rowan Mackenzie is now shooting 43.6 percent from three for his career, the fourth best mark in program history.

SCOUTING THE BUFFS
 - West Texas A&M enters the contest having won nine straight games, winning the conference regular season championship and ranked no. 22 in the national polls.
-  WT has the best scoring offense in the LSC, averaging 84.6 points per game. That mark is the 18th best in Division-II. The Buffs also lead the conference in three-point percentage, averaging 38.1 percent from deep.
- Julius Brown was named the LSC Player of the Year at the conference awards banquet on Wednesday. Brown ranks fifth in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game. His 48.2 field goal percentage is sixth in the conference, while his 95 total assists are seventh in the LSC. Brown has also been a stalwart on defense for the Buffs, as his 1.4 steals per game are tied for sixth in the conference.
- Tom Brown was hired as the 17th head coach in program history on April 16, 2014. In the past five seasons, Coach Brown and his staff are 146-19 (.885) and average over 29 wins a season with appearances in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Title game. During his time in Canyon, Brown is 210-50 (.808) overall and 102-30 (.773) in league action.

THE SERIES WITH THE BUFFS
West Texas A&M leads the all-time series with the Chaps 13-8, sweeping LCU in the regular season. The two squads met twice last week, including an 84-77 win for WT inside the Rip Griffin Center on Saturday, Feb. 25. The two teams have met in the postseason just once, with the Buffs knocking off Lubbock Christian 101-92 in the 2021 South Central Regional Championship.

LAST TIME OUT
Mar. 3, 2023 - vs St. Edward's - Lubbock Christian shot a blistering 59 percent from the field in the second half to roll over St. Edward's 71-59 in the Lone Star Conference Quarterfinals on Friday, Mar. 3. 
Lubbock Christian shot just 21.9 percent from the field in the first half, but in the second half shooting a sizzling 59.3 percent from the floor. The Chaparrals missed just one free throw, going 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) from the charity stripe. 
Mackenzie led the Chaps in scoring, finishing with his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and hauling in 11 rebounds. The junior also shot 4-for-5 (80 percent) from three, and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. 
Harrison also recorded a double-double, his first as a Chap, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. The Lubbock native also shot 3-for-6 (50 percent) from three. Harrison also had a steal and a block.
Wegscheider scored 16 points and pulled down two boards. Muhammad flirted with a double-double of his own, scoring nine points and dishing out eight assists. Gonzales only scored four points, but had eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
Should the Chaps pull off the upset over the Buffs, LCU will advance to the LSC Conference Championship game for the first time in program history, facing the winner of Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State. The championship game is set for a 3:30 PM tip-off on Sunday, Mar. 5. If the Chaps lose, they will have to await their postseason fate with the NCAA Division-II selection show on Sunday, Mar. 5 at 10:00 PM central.