LUBBOCK, Texas (January 25, 2024) – Tina Machalova's layup with 1.9-seconds remaining extended No.12 UT Tyler's win streak to 16 games and ended No.20 Lubbock Christian University's seven game win streak, as the Lone Star Conference's East Division leading Patriots topped the West Division leading Lady Chaparrals 57-56 Thursday night inside Rip Griffin Center.
  
The Lady Chaps (14-4, 9-2) had two players score in double figures, led by Audrey Robertson, who had 17 points. Reese Schumann added 14 points, nine rebounds and two steals and Maci Maddox added eight points and five steals.
 
Lubbock Christian forced 17 Texas-Tyler turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Thursday's game. The Lady Chaps turned those takeaways into 21 points on the offensive end of the floor (21-11 scoring advantage in points off turnovers). Maddox's five steals led the way for Lubbock Christian (LCU had nine steals).
 
UTT (18-3, 12-0) received 13 points from Destini Whitehead, 12 points from Montse Gutierrez and 10 from Machalova, who had eight points in the fourth quarter.
 
How It Happened
 
After falling behind 2-0, Lubbock Christian went on a 9-0 run with 6:52 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Audrey Spurgin, to take a 9-2 lead. Behind five points from Robertson, LCU went into the second quarter with a 14-8 advantage. Lubbock Christian relied on its three-point shooting in the opening period, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 14 points (they were 2-of-5 from outside in the period, while UTT was 0-of-6).
 
Lubbock Christian kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 4:17 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three-pointer from Kennedy Chappell, to increase its lead to 28-22. The Patriots closed the half on a 5-0 run over the final 1:48 to cut LCU's lead to 31-30 at the half. Lubbock Christian forced five Texas-Tyler turnovers in the period and turned them into nine points. Schumann was 3-of-3 from the field in the period for nine points and finished with 11 points in the half to lead LCU.
 
Texas-Tyler opened the second half on a 11-6 scoring run before Lubbock Christian went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Robertson, to grab a 42-41 lead with 10 seconds to go in the third. UTT responded with a three-pointer at the buzzer by Meagan Mendazona (her only points of the game) to seize a 44-42 lead entering the fourth quarter. Robertson led LCU in the frame with seven points, but the Lady Chaps struggled with a 3-of-10 shooting mark during the quarter.
 
Lubbock Christian narrowed its deficit to 46-45 before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Grace Foster's three-pointer, to seize a 51-46 lead with 8:03 to go in the contest. UTT re-asserted control, outscoring the Lady Chaps 11-5 the rest of the way to hand Lubbock Christian the 57-56 loss. Robertson had LCU's only field goal inside the final eight minutes of the game (2:15 remaining, which had LCU with a 56-53 lead), as LCU closed the game 1-of-9 from the field. LCU had a 56-55 lead with the basketball inside the final 30 seconds, but they were whistled for a shot-clock violation. UTT took their final possession over the final 6.9 seconds and an inbounds play setup Machalova's layup for the Patriots win.
 
Game Notes
 
» The Lady Chaps shot well from three-point range, knocking down 6-of-15 long range attempts. Maci Maddox and Audrey Robertson each had a pair of three-pointers.

» The Lady Chaps held the Patriots to only 39.6 percent shooting from the field. LCU fell to 10-2 when holding their opponents to a shooting percentage under 40%.

» The Lubbock Christian defense forced 17 turnovers. Maci Maddox had five steals, which matched a career high for a fourth time in her LCU career.

» Audrey Robertson led the Lady Chaps with a game-high 17 points. She also led LCU with three assists. Robertson is averaging 17.3 points a game over the prior six games.

» Lubbock Christian got a game-high nine rebounds from both Reese Schumann and Grace Foster. Schumann, who is averaging 8.5 rebounds over a four-game span, was a rebound shy from matching her career high.
 
» The game contained eight lead changes and LCU led for 30:46 and trailed for 4:32.

» The Lady Chaps fell to 12-2 when leading after the first quarter, 10-2 when leading at the half and 0-4 when trailing after the third quarter.
 
» LCU fell to 0-3 this season against nationally ranked opponents. Of their four losses on the season, three have come against ranked programs and one was against an opponent receiving national votes.
 
» The loss dropped LCU to 6-3 at home this season.
 
» The Lady Chaps fell to UTT for a third consecutive time and are 4-3 all-time against the Patriots. UTT is now 1-0 all-time in Lubbock, as the teams were meeting in Lubbock for the first time ever.
 
What's Next
Another ranked opponent comes to Lubbock Saturday, as No.13 Texas Woman's visits Rip Griffin Center for a 1 p.m. tip. TWU has the second-best record in the LSC, as they come to Lubbock with an 11-1 conference record and on a seven-game win streak.
 
Portions of this article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.