LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (17-6, 12-3)
at SUL ROSS STATE (3-18, 2-11)
Saturday, February 8 – 3 p.m.
Gallego Center (Alpine, Texas)
 
TIPOFF
After a gritty win on Thursday at Western New Mexico, Lubbock Christian will complete their western road trip with a matchup against Sul Ross State at the Gallego Center in Alpine, Texas. The Chaps already beat the Lobos once this season, winning 84-54 on Jan. 9 inside the Rip Griffin Center, but they have improved since then and won a pair of Lone Star Conference matchups.
 
MURPHY MAGIC
The key to Lubbock Christian's win against the Mustangs earlier this week, at least offensively, was their senior forward from Auckland, New Zealand, Sean Murphy. Murphy scored a career-high 30 points in the win on 13-22 (.590) shooting. It broke his LCU career high of 20 and his overall NCAA career high (set at Nebraska-Kearney) of 25. It is the first time a Chap player has scored 30 since Feb. 29, 2024, when Tiras Morton scored 35. Murphy also pulled down 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
 
LOOKING AT THE LONE STAR
St. Mary's escaped with a double-overtime win against UT Tyler on Thursday, staying on top of the Lone Star Conference standings by one game against DBU. The Rattlers and Patriots will face off on Saturday in a game that may decide the league's regular season title. In the West Division, UT Permian Basin lost to West Texas A&M and is now behind the Chaps in the divisional standings. LCU, at 7-2 in the west, is slightly ahead of the Falcons at 7-3. The Chaps and Falcons will meet at the Rip Griffin Center next week.
 
THE DEFENSE DOESN'T REST
On Thursday, the Chaps limited the Mustangs to just 53 points and 28.6 percent shooting, which is their lowest single-game mark of the season. They have limited five of the last six opponents to less than 70 points and are allowing just 66.2 points per game, which ranks No. 17 nationally and leads the Lone Star Conference. In LSC games, they are allowing just 64.0 points per game. Chaparral opponents are shooting 43.7 percent against them, including just 33.5 percent from behind the arc.
 
BEYOND THE ARC
Lubbock Christian struggled mightily in the three-point shooting department against Western New Mexico, hitting just one in 15 attempts. For the season though, they are shooting 39.6 percent, which ranks No. 3 nationally and leads the conference. Duncan has made 70 this season, which ranks No. 14 in D-II and leads the LSC. His percentage of .438 is third on the team of players with at least 20 attempts, behind Ty Caswell (.472) and Jaylen Thompson, who is shooting 46.4 percent on 28 attempts. 
 
BOARD MEETING
The Chaps led in rebounding margin by just one on Thursday (39-38). It was the 13^th time this season they have led in rebounding, and they are 12-1 in those games. LCU averages 32.4 rebounds per game, led by Murphy and Amondo Miller Jr., who both average 5.7 rebounds per game. Caswell is also averaging more than five a game, and Thompson and Najeeb Muhammad are both averaging at least three.
 
OFFENSIVE OPTIONS
Lubbock Christian had five players finish in double-figures last week against Eastern New Mexico, including four of their five starters and one off the bench. Duncan and Caswell led the team with 19 points apiece, Miller Jr. was right behind with 18, Muhammad added 11 and Kendall Dow scored 10 off the bench. LCU's only non-starter who didn't reach double-figures was Murphy, who is averaging 11.7 points per game. Duncan, Miller Jr. and Muhammad are all also averaging double-figures, and Caswell is close by with 9.7 points per game.
 
CHARITY STRIPE
LCU missed just three free throws on Saturday, shooting 82.4 percent (14-17) from the charity stripe. They have shot better than 80 percent in five straight games and 13 times this season. Overall, the Chaps are shooting 78.5 percent from the free throw line, which is the 15th-best mark in the country and leads the conference. Both Caswell and Duncan are shooting better than 90 percent on the year, but have not attempted enough to qualify for the league leaderboards. Muhammad has though, and his 84.9 percent shooting is second-best in the LSC.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE LOBOS
Lubbock Christian and Sul Ross have been meeting on the hardwood since 1970, which was LCU's first as a four-year institution. The Chaps lead the all-time series 54-21 and they have won the last seven meetings and 38 of the last 40. Most of those matchups came prior to the 21^st century though. The Chaps and Lobos have only met nine times since the start of 2000 and only four times since LCU moved to the NCAA Division II level. This is SRSU's first season at the Division II level.
 
SCOUTING THE LOBOS

• SRSU has lost four straight, last winning 82-79 in overtime against TAMIU on Jan. 23
• Lobo guard Ethan Yancy leads the team in scoring with an average of 17.1 points per game
• Sul Ross allows an average of 80.3 points per game, which is the worst mark in the Lone Star Conference
• Xavier Webb, a former Lobo player himself, is in his fifth season leading the Sul Ross men's basketball program
• SRSU's 73.0 free throw shooting percentage is the third-best in the LSC