LONE STAR CONFERENCE BASKETBALL
MIDWESTERN STATE (5-14, 5-8) at LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (14-5, 9-3)
Feb. 1, 2024 • 5:30 PM
Lubbock, Texas • Rip Griffin Center (1,950)
 

LONE STAR CONFERENCE BASKETBALL
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Midwestern St.	Lubbock, Texas	Thur. Feb. 1	5:30 p.m.	Video	Stats

GAME NOTES (PDF)

SECOND HALF
The Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals open the second half of West Division play this week, as they host Midwestern State Thursday (5:30 p.m.) and Cameron Saturday (1 p.m.) inside Rip Griffin Center, where LCU is seeking to shake a rare two-game losing streak. LCU, who has dropped consecutive home games for the first time in the same single-season since the 2009-10 campaign, looks to remain perfect in West Division play, as LCU is 6-0 and atop the West Division. The Lady Chaps are 14-5 overall on the season, sitting in fourth place in the LSC standings.
 
SATURDAY SETBACK
Playing a second consecutive game against a nationally ranked foe, LCU was unable to bounce back from Thursday's loss to No.12 UT Tyler, falling 76-64 to No.13 Texas Woman's Saturday inside Rip Griffin Center. The Lady Chaps overcame a 14 and seven-point deficit, tying the game on two occasions (late as 60-60 with over six minutes remaining, but closed the game 1-of-10 from the field. The Lady Chaps had three players score in double figures, led by Audrey Robertson, who had 13 points and a team-leading seven rebounds. Maci Maddox tacked on 12 points and five assists and Shaylee Stovall helped out with 10 points. Defensively Kennedy Chappell had eight points, six rebounds and produced a game-high five steals.
 
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 a LSC  leading 77.6% of their attempts (260/335, 13^th nationally) and averaging 13.7 points a game from the line (76^th 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 earlier this season. 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). Her 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 87-of-98 on the season (.888, ranks second in the LSC and 14th nationally), which leads the squad (of qualifiers). Shaylee Stovall, who is 30-of-32 (93.8%), has a solid percentage at the line, but does not meet the statistical qualifying mark for leaders (NCAA minimum to qualify is 2.5 made free-throws per game).

> The Lady Chaps have two players in the top-20 in LSC scoring so far this season. Foster ranks third in the LSC with an average of 17.4 points per game and Audrey Robertson is ranking 14th in the LSC with 13.3 points per game. Foster and Maci Maddox are in the top-five in minutes played, with Maddox leading the conference (fifth in the nation) with 37.6 minutes played per game (Foster is fourth in LSC at 33.3). Maddox is third in the LSC with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.2 (has a 2.9 ratio in LSC play and has 38 assists with five turnovers over the prior six games).

> Foster is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game (12th in the LSC), but is third in the LSC averaging 6.5 defensive rebounds per game. She led the LSC last season with a pace of 7.5 defensive rebounds per game.
 
> Maci Maddox leads LCU in steals with 38 on the season (12th in LSC) and ranks 11^th  in the LSC with a pace of 2.0 steals per game. She opened the season with at least one steal in the first seven games (has had at least one steal in 15 of 19 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 four games this season. As a team, LCU is second in the LSC and 22^nd nationally with a 44.8% shooting percentage from the field. LCU leads the LSC and is second nationally in three-point shooting, as they are 111-of-279 (39.8%) from long range.  The Lady Chaps have shot at least 40% from outside in their last seven games played.
 
> With Martie McCoy out of the lineup, LCU has turned to Reese Schumann to make her first six starts of the season (only one career start prior). Schumann has taken advantage of the opportunity, as she has averaged 8.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over the games she has started. She produced a career high Jan. 18 (at Eastern New Mexico) with 24 points and has matched a career high in rebounds in two of the past four games (10 rebounds against ENMU and Angelo State).
 
CONFERENCE CONVERSATION
For a fourth time (fifth season in LSC), LCU jumped out to a 2-0 start in LSC play and they head into Thursday 9-3 in LSC action. They are coming off a conference loss (76-64 loss Saturday to Texas Woman's), which put them 3-3 this season in LSC home games. Grace Foster leads LCU in LSC play with an average of 17.7 points a game (third in the LSC). She is joined in a double-figure scoring pace by Audrey Robertson (15.6 points, eighth in LSC). Foster, who leads LCU with a pace of 7.1 rebounds per game, is 45-of-52 (86.5%) from the free-throw line and spearheads a squad that is shooting 72.9% (140/192) 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. LCU was ranked as high as No.18 in the D2CSC rankings (earlier this season) and was ranked No.20 prior to last week's games.

SO ARE SOME OTHERS
LCU fell to No.13 Texas Woman's (Saturday) UT Tyler (Thursday), placing them with a 0-4 record this season against nationally ranked programs (lost to No.17 Union in their season opener, No.12 Southern Nazarene on Nov. 25 prior to their losses last week to No.12 UT Tyler and No.13 TWU). 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. Of LCU's five losses this season, four of the opponents have been nationally ranked and the other opponent was receiving votes.

OUR HOME
LCU is 6-4 at home this season. Grace Foster is leading LCU with 18.1 points per game on the home floor (also averaging 7.0 rebounds). The Lady Chaps, shooting 43.9% from the field inside "The Rip," are also receiving averages of 11.9 points from Audrey Robertson and 10.7 points a game from Maci Maddox. LCU is 142-of-189 from the free-throw line (75.1%) at home this season, with Shaylee Stovall 21-of-22 (95.5%) from the charity stripe. Foster is 21-of-41 (51.2%) from three-point range inside "The Rip," with Audrey Robertson marking the next closest Lady Chap leader in three-point shooting with 12 three-pointers made.

SWEET HOME (ON) CHICAGO
The Lady Chaps, who went 12-2 at home last season, are 6-4 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. 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 has a 280-52 record (84.3%) in that span. In NCAA postseason play, the Lady Chaps are 24-3 all-time (88.9%). 
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT TWU
1 > The Mustangs produced a 6-22 record last season, which included a 4-18 conference record and an eighth-place finish in the West Division (2-12 divisional record).
2 > MSU is 5-14 this season overall and they have a 5-8 mark in LSC play. They are 5-5 since opening the season 0-9. They head into Lubbock following a 76-74 win at Oklahoma Christian Saturday.
3 > Midwestern State is picked to 15th in the LSC this season, as they took the No.15 spot (of 16) in the conference's Preseason Coaches' Poll. They are eighth among West Division squads.
4 > Brenita Jackson is at the helm and in her first season as the head coach of the Mustangs. She comes from Texas Wesleyan, where she posted a 52-13 record over two seasons. The two seasons in Cowtown were her only seasons coaching at four-year institutions, as she previously coached collegiately at the two-year college level.
5 > Zarria Carter enters the week ranking second nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.7). The Texas Wesleyan transfer averages 10.8 rebounds per game, which is second in the LSC (14^th nationally). She has nine double-doubles on the season, which is 10^th nationally. As a team, MSU is 16^th nationally with 15.7 offensive rebounds per game.

THE SERIES AGAINST MSU
The Mustangs command the all-time series with a 21-14 series record over LCU, which included 11 consecutive wins until LCU winning the prior seven meetings. Included in a series of seven straight LCU wins is a 68-61 overtime win in Wichita Falls, Texas, which was the previous meeting earlier this season (Jan. 6).  Each school has conflicting all-time records for the history of the two programs, as there were some MSU forfeitures in the mix, which enters into the confusion. The Lady Chaps are 9-7 all-time in Lubbock against MSU. They have only met four times in Lubbock since 1994 (LCU has won all four, including the prior meeting in Lubbock, which was a 74-63 LCU win on Jan.1, 2023). Of the prior 35 all-time meetings, the two programs have only met nine times since Steve Gomez's tenure as head coach of the Lady Chaps (he is 8-1 against MSU).
 
RETURNING LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. MSU
Top-three LCU returning leaders against MSU from last season's numbers:
 
Maci Maddox 5gp, 8.5 points p/g, 4.0 assists p/g
Reece Schumann 3gp, 7.3 points p/g, 9/16 fg
Grace Foster 4gp, 17.5 points p/g, 8.0 reb. p/g

PREVIOUS RECAP VS. MSU
Jan. 6, 2024 (Wichita Falls, Texas) – LCU: 68 – MSU: 61
Lubbock Christian University posted 27 points in the opening quarter, but a 7-0 run to close the game in overtime is what was needed to extend LCU's road win streak to four games, as Grace Foster (21 points) and Audrey Robertson (18 points) combined for 39 points and the Lady Chaparrals ended Midwestern State's three-game win streak with a 68-61 West Division win in Lone Star Conference play inside Ligon Coliseum.
 
The Lady Chaps (10-3, 5-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Grace Foster, who had 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Robertson tacked on 18 points and seven rebounds and Maci Maddox chipped in as well with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
 
The Lubbock Christian offense was very productive from downtown, knocking down nine threes on 17 attempts (52.9%). Maddox (3-of-4) and Foster (3-of-6) combined for six of the three-pointers and were a combined to go 6-of-10 from long range.
 
Lubbock Christian's defense held Midwestern State to only 13.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc (2-of-15) and 30.5 percent from the field. MSU (3-10, 3-4), who received 24 points from Kertisa Amos and 23 points from Zarria Carter, only committed six turnovers in the game, as they out-scored LCU 17-6 in points-off-turnovers. Carter (14) and Amos (10) each had double figures in rebounds to complete double-double performances against LCU.