ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (November 2, 2025) – No.13 Lubbock Christian University closed out its season-opening weekend in style, as Kennedy Chappell (21) and freshman Meg Meekins (20) each poured in 20-plus points to lift the Lady Chaps past Missouri Western State 82–75 Sunday afternoon at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic inside St. Joseph Civic Arena.
 
The win improved LCU to 2–0, marking its second straight 2–0 start to a D2CCA Tip-Off event and extending its event win streak to five. Missouri Western fell to 0–2 under first-year head coach Luke Scheidecker, who was tacked with one of two technical fouls assessed to the Griffons.
 
Chappell set career highs with 21 points, seven assists, and seven made field goals while drawing 10 fouls against the Griffons. Meekins followed with a 20-point outing on 5-of-9 shooting, including a scorching 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Junior Kimber Mathews provided 12 points off the bench for her second straight double-digit scoring effort, while senior Martie McCoy added seven points and tied a career-high with four assists.
 
Missouri Western was led by guard Mia Morel's 19 points and six assists, while Nakiya Harris added 15 points. The Griffons, playing in their home city, shot 47.3% but couldn't withstand LCU's perimeter efficiency and second-half surge.

How It Happened
Lubbock Christian and Missouri Western opened the game with a competitive first quarter. Sydney Lewis scored first for MoWest with a jumper assisted by Mia Morel at 9:36. Kennedy Chappell responded with a layup for the Chaps shortly after, with Tia Johnson providing the assist. Tia Johnson connected on a three-pointer with 48-seconds remaining in the quarter to cut MWSU's lead to 17-14 at quarter's close. Chappell led LCU with four points in the frame, which d=saw the Griffs outscore LCU 5-0 in points off turnovers.
 
Missouri Western edged ahead in the second quarter with a series of three-pointers, including one by Morel, assisted by Nakiya Harris, eight seconds into the quarter. Lindsey Kelderman further extended their lead with a three-pointer at 8:11, again assisted by Morel, pushing the MWSU lead to 23-14. The Chaps' Meg Meekins responded with back-to-back three-pointers, closing the gap to 23-20 at 7:26, with assists from Chappell. Despite a late push from the Chaps, culminating in a three-pointer by Martie McCoy with 44 seconds remaining, MWSU maintained a narrow 36-32 lead as the half ended. Meekins was 3-of-4 in the quarter from three-point range, leading to a nine-point quarter. She had 11 points at the halftime break.
 
In the third quarter, the Chaps pulled ahead with a 26-12 advantage over the Griffs. Early scoring included a 3-pointer by Raegan Lee at the 7:48 mark, narrowing the gap. Chappell was pivotal, contributing with layups and assisting on key plays, including a 3-pointer by Kimber Mathews, which gave the Chaps a 45-44 lead with 4:43 remaining. The Griffs struggled with turnovers, committing seven in the quarter, which the Chaps capitalized on to extend their lead further (LCU had a 10-2 scoring advantage in the quarter in points-off-turnovers). Chappell (9) and Mathews (7) combined for 16 points in the quarter.
 
MoWest began the fourth quarter with a strong effort, narrowing the gap with a jumper and free throw from Harris, bringing the score to 53-58. The Griffons woul open the frame on a 9-1 run. The Lady Chaps  final responded with a pivotal three-point play by Mathews at 7:09, which gave LCU a 62-57 lead and ended a 4:50 sequence in which LCU went without a field goal. Meekins provided a crucial boost with a three-pointer and two steals in a span of three minutes, contributing to a 10-point lead (LCU went on a 10-2 run from Mathews' three-pointer). Although the Griffs cut the deficit with late-game scoring, including a three-pointer from Jada Smith, the Chaparrals sealed the 82-75 victory with consistent free throw shooting from Meekins in the final seconds. Meekins, going 5-of-6 from the line in the quarter, led LCU with 8 points in the quarter.

Game Notes
» With Kennedy Chapel (21) and Meg Meekins (20) each scoring 20-or-more points, it gives LCU multiple players with 20-point performances in the same game. The occurrence only happened once last season, as Grace Foster and Audrey Robertson each had 20-or-more points against Colorado Christian (Nov. 9, 2024).
 
» LCU's 2-0 start marks the second consecutive season the Lady Chaps have gone 2-0 in a D2CCA Tip-Off event (two 2-0 starts since 2021-22 season). They are 8-3 all-time in D2CCA events, with Sunday's win marking their fifth consecutive victory (2021 – Billings, Mont., 2022 – Kansas City, Mo., 2023 – Lubbock, Texas, 2024 – Canyon, Texas, 2025 – St. Joseph, Mo.).
 
» LCU was 11-of-29 (37.9%) from three-point range. They received three-point field goals from six different individuals for a second consecutive game. It occurred seven times last season.  The 29 three-point attempts has only been topped three times since 2022-2023 season (twice last season).
 
» Several career highs were accomplished in the contest, as Kennedy Chappell set career highs in points (21), field goals made (7), free-throws made (7, 7/8) and assists (7). Adding in a unique statistic, she drew 10 fouls called against the Griffons (include Martie McCoy drawing six fouls, and the two individuals combined for 16 fouls called against the Griffons). Chappell led LCU with 13 points fueled in the second half of play.
 
» Meg Meekins accomplished several career highs, as the freshman scored 20 points off a 5-of-9 shooting performance, which included going 4-for-5 from three-point range. She also provided five rebounds. Meekins had nine of her points off a 3-for-4 shooting performance from three-point range in the second quarter.
 
» Kimber Mathews, who had one outing scoring double figures in points prior to this season, tallied 12 points Sunday for her second consecutive game with at least 10 points.
 
» For consecutive games, the Lady Chaps overcame a 9-point deficit, as they overcame a 13-point deficit Saturday against Adams State.
 
» Returning Lady Chaps Martie McCoy matched a career high with four assists, while Tia Johnson set a career high total with three assists.
 
» The win marked LCU's first-ever over MWSU, as the two teams were meeting for the second time all-time. The all-time series is now tied at 1-1. MWSU is based in St. Joseph, but this was a neutral site event, as the game was not played on campus, but at Civic Arena (in downtown) and part of an event hosted by the St. Joseph Sports Commission.
  
Next Up
LCU takes a small break before resuming regular season play, as they will head to Pueblo, Colo. November 14 to face Colorado Christian in the opening game of the South Central Region Challenge at Massari Arena.