TYLER, Texas (January 22, 2026) - No. 15 Lubbock Christian saw its second-half offense stall Wednesday night as UT Tyler extended its winning streak to seven games with a 55–45 Lone Star Conference victory at Herrington Patriot Center.
 
LCU (15–4, 7–3 LSC) carried a 27–25 lead into halftime after holding UT Tyler to just four points in the second quarter, but the Lady Chaps were unable to sustain that momentum following the break. UT Tyler (13–6, 9–1 LSC) outscored LCU 30–18 in the second half and limited the visitors to a season-low 45 points.
 
The Lady Chaps opened the game with a 9–0 run late in the first quarter to briefly take a 14–13 lead, but UT Tyler closed the period on an 8–2 spurt to go ahead 21–16. LCU answered in the second quarter behind defensive pressure and timely baskets, holding the Patriots to 2-of-14 shooting in the frame and reclaiming the lead before halftime.
 
UT Tyler regained control in a tightly contested third quarter that featured three lead changes. The Patriots edged ahead 41–38 entering the fourth, then pulled away as LCU struggled to generate offense. The Lady Chaps went 2-of-15 from the field in the final quarter and endured a 10:26 stretch in the second half without a made field goal, during which UT Tyler built its largest lead.
 
Freshman Meg Meekins led Lubbock Christian with 14 points, connecting on 4-of-9 from three-point range. It marked her fifth game this season with at least four made three-pointers and her 14th double-figure scoring performance of the year. Kennedy Chappell added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Tia Johnson finished with seven points. LCU shot 28.8% from the field and was out-rebounded 41–30, its largest rebounding deficit of the season.
 
UT Tyler was paced by Leila Davis, who finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds for her team-leading double-double. Polina Latysheva added 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, while KK Bass chipped in three points and key defensive plays. The Patriots shot 39.6% from the floor and 35.7% from three-point range, improving to 9–1 in conference play.
 
The loss snapped dropped the Lady Chaps to 9–2 this season when leading at half.

How It Happened
UT Tyler opened the first quarter with a strong offensive display, highlighted by Polina Latysheva's 3-pointer 43 seconds into the game after UTT had four shots on their opening possession after a trio of offensive boards. Leila Davis contributed significantly, adding multiple baskets to help UTT maintain the lead. Lubbock Christian responded with a 3-pointer from Meg Meekins at 7:30 and a layup from Kennedy Chappell at 2:57, briefly giving LCU a 14-13 lead after a 9-0 run. However, UT Tyler's KK Bass drained a three at 1:28, and Lilli Hakkarainen's layup at the buzzer helped the Patriots close the quarter on an 8-2 run and secured a 21-16 lead at the end of the quarter. The Pats were 9-of-16 from the field (56.3%) in the period, while LCU was led in the frame by Chappell, who had five points.
 
Lubbock Christian took control early in the second quarter, with Meekins hitting a 3-pointer 51 seconds into the frame to narrow the gap. Tia Johnson then tied the game at 21-21 with a steal-and-score layup following a steal from an Edit Merivirta turnover. Chappell continued the momentum with a layup at 8:03, giving the Lady Chaps a 23-21 lead off the 7-0 run. Raegan Lee added a jumper at 4:40, assisted by Kyndle Cunningham, extending their advantage. Despite a late jumper by Davis for UT Tyler, Martie McCoy responded with a layup at 1:09, securing a 27-25 lead for the Chaps by the end of the quarter. LCU outscored UTT 11-4 in the second quarter and held them to 2-of-14 (14.3%) shooting mark in the period. Chappell led LCU at the break with seven points and four rebounds.
 
In the third quarter, UT Tyler secured a narrow lead over Lubbock Christian, outscoring LCU 16-11 in the frame. Latysheva contributed significantly for the Patriots, scoring two key 3-pointers, including one at 4:41 that put her team ahead. Meekins responded for the Chaps, hitting a 3-pointer at 2:58 to briefly regain the lead. However, Davis helped UTT pull ahead again with a layup and two free throws, establishing a 41-38 lead by the end of the quarter, as the two teams traded off 5-0 runs. The quarter was marked by three lead changes. LCU's Meekins (8) and Tia Johnson (3) combined for all 11 of LCU's points in the quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Chaps struggled offensively, making only 2 of 15 field goal attempts. Despite Chappell's efforts on defense, including a steal at 6:46, the team could not capitalize on turnovers (had 6-2 advantage in turnovers, but was out-scored 2-1 in points-off-turnovers in the period). UT Tyler extended their lead with efficient scoring, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Latysheva at 5:17, contributing to her team's 14-point quarter. Lubbock Christian's Mattie Dollar added a late fast-break layup with 14 seconds remaining, but it was not enough to close the gap, resulting in a final quarter score of 55-45 in favor of UT Tyler. LCU went a span that surpassed 10 minutes (10:26) without a field goal in the second half, as they missed nine consecutive field goal attempts (UTT outscored LCU 16-3 during the span). Meekins (8) and Tia Johnson (7) combined for 15 of LCU's 18 points in the second half, as LCU was out-scored 30-18 in the second half (LCU was 5-of-27, 18.5%) from the field in the second half.

Game Notes
» Freshman Meg Meekins paced Lubbock Christian offensively, leading the Lady Chaps with 14 points. Meekins connected on four three-pointers, finishing 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, marking her fifth game this season with at least four made triples. The performance also represented Meekins' 14th double-figure scoring outing of the season, further underscoring her consistency in the LCU lineup. She has now made at least one three-pointer in 18 of the Lady Chaps' 19 games this year, continuing to establish herself as one of the team's most reliable perimeter threats.
 
» Tia Johnson posted seven points in the second half and finished with 11 points, hitting double figures in points for a fourth game this season and sixth time in her career.
 
» LCU was out-rebounded 41-30, with the -11 rebound differential marking their most lopsided numbers on the boards this season. They did receive nine rebounds from Kennedy Chappell.
 
» The contest marked LCU's 400^th games since officially becoming NCAA members (started the 2015-16 season). LCU has a 334-66 record (83.5%) in the 400 games.
   
» LCU matched a season-high with 29 three-point attempts. They were 5-of-29 from long distance in the game, with the 17.2% three-point shooting percentage marking their second game of the season to shoot under 20% from three-point range.
 
»LCU's 45 points marked a season low and it was unfortunately promoted by a season-low 28.8% (15/52) shooting performance from the floor, which was their worst shooting performance since shooting2 6.2% (16/61) at Angelo state on Feb. 8, 2024.

» The Lady Chaps fell to 9-2 this season when leading at the half, as they let go of a 27-25 halftime lead.
 
» The all-time series squeezed a bit tighter, as LCU still leads the all-time series against UT Tyler 5-4. They move to 5-2 all-time in Tyler against the Patriots, as seven of the nine all-time meetings have been in Tyler (the two teams have only played each other once in Lubbock.
 
» LCU fell to 7-3 in true road games with the loss.
 
Next Up
Due to severe winter weather forecasted across North Texas, Lubbock Christian's Lone Star Conference women's basketball game at Texas Woman's University scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24, has been postponed. The contest will be rescheduled at a later date pending Lone Star Conference approval. LCU will next return to action on Saturday, Jan. 31, hosting Cameron University at the Rip Griffin Center with a 1 p.m. tip.