HONOLULU, Hawaii (October 31, 2026) — What a difference a day makes in paradise. Less than 24 hours after a heartbreaking season-opening defeat, Lubbock Christian University responded with a dominant offensive performance Saturday afternoon, shooting a blistering 58.6% from the field while sophomores
Mattie Dollar and
Meg Meekins combined for 37 points to power the Lady Chaparrals past Western Colorado 80-49 in the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic inside Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center.
The Lady Chaps (1-1) shook off Friday's four-point setback to Winona State with their largest margin of victory immediately following a loss in more than seven years. LCU, which led for the final 36-plus minutes, built a 39-25 halftime advantage before delivering a decisive third-quarter surge, outscoring the Mountaineers 24-10 while shooting 73.3% (11-of-15) from the floor to put the contest out of reach.
The 31-point victory marked LCU's largest winning margin immediately following a defeat since Feb. 23, 2019, when the Lady Chaps responded to a 69-67 loss to Newman with a 93-44 triumph over Oklahoma Christian.
Dollar followed Friday's career-high 20-point performance with another 20-point outing, matching her career best while producing one of the most efficient offensive performances of her collegiate career. The sophomore guard connected on 9-of-11 field-goal attempts, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, and established career highs with five assists and three steals. After entering the weekend with five career three-pointers, all made during her freshman season, Dollar has already matched that total through two games this season. She also finished with a team-best plus-26 rating.
Meekins, the reigning Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year, returned to double figures after being limited to two points in Friday's opener. The sophomore guard erupted for 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, adding four rebounds and finishing with a plus-20 rating.
It marked her first double-figure scoring performance of the season after recording 21 such outings during her award-winning freshman campaign.
The sophomore contributions did not end there.
Ally Ihler delivered a career-high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including her first three-pointer of the season, for her first collegiate double-figure scoring performance.
Kaitlyn McAdoo added a career-high five points in fewer than nine minutes, connecting on both of her field-goal attempts, including a three-pointer.
Kennedy Chappell contributed eight points and three assists, while
Kyndle Cunningham added seven points, a team-high five rebounds and two steals.
Kaelie Massenburg chipped in four points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
The Lady Chaps displayed remarkable offensive balance, with 10 different players reaching the scoring column and six connecting on at least one three-pointer. LCU finished 34-of-58 (58.6%) from the field, narrowly missing last season's single-game shooting high of 58.8%, established Feb. 3 against Midwestern State. The Lady Chaps also connected on 7-of-16 attempts (43.8%) from beyond the arc.
Perhaps the most striking difference from Friday's setback was LCU's interior production. After being held to 14 points in the paint against Winona State, the Lady Chaps erupted for 52 against Western Colorado, holding a commanding 52-22 advantage inside. LCU also scored 24 points off 19 Mountaineer turnovers, compared to just four points Western Colorado generated from nine LCU miscues.
Defensively, the Lady Chaps held Western Colorado (0-2) to 34.8% (16-of-46) shooting, including 28.6% (4-of-14) from three-point range. The Mountaineers were particularly ineffective during LCU's third-quarter surge, connecting on just 2-of-12 field-goal attempts (16.7%) while missing all four of their three-point tries.
LCU matched its single-game high from last season with 11 steals, distributed among seven different players, while recording 17 assists from nine different contributors. The Lady Chaps also received 31 bench points and played all 13 available players, with nobody logging more than 28 minutes and 11 seconds.
Saturday also provided a milestone moment for three freshmen.
Alexis Martens,
Brooke Nowak and
Madison Garner each made their collegiate debuts. Martens collected a steal, while Nowak contributed a steal, blocked shot and assist. Garner scored her first collegiate points with two free throws and added two rebounds and a block.
Western Colorado was led by Penelope Urquhart, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, connecting on three three-pointers. Colette van der Hoven added 13 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Alyssa Eckroth contributed eight points. The Mountaineers managed just five bench points and six assists.
The victory improved LCU to 9-4 all-time in D2CCA-sanctioned tip-off events, with seven wins in its last eight tournament contests. Making their third trip to Hawaii, the Lady Chaps improved to 5-1 all-time on the islands.
LCU also remained unbeaten against Western Colorado, improving to 4-0 in the all-time series in the programs' first meeting since Nov. 27, 2022. The teams will not have to wait nearly as long for their next encounter, as Western Colorado is scheduled to visit Lubbock for the Lady Chaps' home opener Nov. 9.
How It Happened
First Quarter
Western Colorado struck first with a three-pointer from Colette van der Hoven 43 seconds into the contest, but the Lady Chaps quickly established control. Dollar opened LCU's scoring with a layup, and Chappell tied the contest with a free throw before Meekins buried a three-pointer at the 6:44 mark to give LCU a 6-3 lead it would never relinquish. Dollar followed with a layup after a steal to extend the advantage to five. After the Mountaineers pulled within 8-7, LCU answered with eight consecutive points, including six from Meekins, to build a 16-7 advantage with 1:56 remaining.
Raegan Lee added a putback with 1:06 left, giving LCU an 18-9 lead before Urquhart connected from long range to close the period. The Lady Chaps led 18-12 after shooting 61.5% (8-of-13) from the field, with Meekins scoring nine first-quarter points.
Second Quarter
LCU wasted little time extending its advantage, opening the second quarter with a Cunningham layup before Chappell and Dollar added baskets to put the Lady Chaps ahead 24-14 with 8:10 remaining. Dollar then turned a steal into a fast-break layup at the 6:42 mark, and
Kambrie Graser followed with a three-pointer 38 seconds later to stretch the lead to 29-14. Dollar's three-pointer with 4:54 remaining completed a 10-0 run and pushed the margin to 32-14. Western Colorado briefly answered with a Urquhart triple, but Cunningham responded from beyond the arc before Ihler contributed consecutive baskets, including a jumper with 1:31 remaining that gave LCU a 39-21 advantage. The Mountaineers scored the final four points of the half, trimming the deficit to 39-25. LCU outscored Western Colorado 21-13 in the quarter, connecting on 9-of-15 field-goal attempts (60%) and three three-pointers. Dollar entered halftime with 13 points, while Meekins had nine.
Third Quarter
The Lady Chaps emerged from halftime determined to eliminate any possibility of a Western Colorado comeback. Massenburg opened the second half with a layup, and Chappell added consecutive baskets before Meekins scored inside to push LCU's advantage to 47-29. Chappell split a pair of free throws, and Cunningham's steal set up a Dollar fast-break layup with 6:04 remaining, giving LCU its first 20-point lead at 50-29. Cunningham and Dollar continued attacking the paint, with Dollar's basket at the 3:04 mark extending the margin to 54-30. Meekins added two more field goals, including a layup with 43 seconds remaining that stretched the lead to 60-34. Ihler delivered the final blow, burying a three-pointer with seven seconds left to send the Lady Chaps into the fourth quarter holding a commanding 63-35 advantage. LCU outscored Western Colorado 24-10 in the quarter, shooting a sizzling 73.3% (11-of-15) while limiting the Mountaineers to just two made field goals in 12 attempts.
Fourth Quarter
Western Colorado opened the final period with an 8-0 run, cutting LCU's advantage to 63-43 with 7:55 remaining. However, Meekins halted the run with a layup, and McAdoo followed with a three-pointer at the 7:15 mark to restore a 24-point cushion. After Urquhart connected from long range to make it 68-47, LCU seized control once again. Massenburg scored inside, Dollar buried her second three-pointer with 4:55 remaining and McAdoo added a layup to extend the lead to 75-47. With all 13 Lady Chaps seeing action, the freshmen closed out the victory. Nowak assisted on Ihler's three-point play at the 2:42 mark, while Garner contributed a block, two rebounds and a pair of free throws with 1:18 remaining to provide the final points. LCU outscored Western Colorado 12-2 over the final 7:05 to complete the 80-49 victory.
Game Notes
» LCU followed Friday's 4-point loss (58-54 loss to Winona State) with a 31-point margin of victory. It is LCU's largest margin of win following a loss since following a 69-67 loss to Newman with a 93-44 win (49-point margin of victory) over Oklahoma Christian on Feb. 23, 2019.
» This is LCU's sixth consecutive season they have opened the season participating in a D2CCA Tip-Off event. They improve to 9-4 all-time in D2CCA events, and have won seven of their last eight games played (2021 – Billings, Mont., 2022 – Kansas City, Mo., 2023 – Lubbock, Texas, 2024 – Canyon, Texas, 2025 – St. Joseph, Mo., 2026 - Honolulu).
» LCU, making their third trip all-time to Hawaii and Oahu, improved to 5-1 all-time in games played in Hawaii.
» Reigning Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year
Meg Meekins had her first double-figure performance in scoring on the young season. Meekins, who had 21 games of scoring at least 10 points last season, was 8-of-11 from the field for 17 points . She was also a +20 plus/minus.
»
Mattie Dollar, who had a career outing with 20 points off five field goals (three from long distance Friday, matched her career high in points with a 20-point performance Saturday in the win. Saturday, she was a precise 9-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range. She was a +26 (plus/minus) and also produced career-highs in steals (3) and assists (5).
» Freshmen
Alexis Martens (a steal),
Brooke Nowak (a steal, block and assist) and
Madison Garner (2 points, 2 rebounds and a block) each made their collegiate and LCU debut Saturday.
» Balance was on full display, as LCU played 13 individuals (every player played at least 3:57 and no player played more than 28:11). 10 different Lady Chaps played into the scoring, LCU was 7-of-16 from three-point range and six different Lady Chaps hit at least one three-pointer. They dished out 17 assists, with nine different players contributing at least one. Additionally, LCU had 11 steals, matching last season's season-high total, with seven different players garnering at least one swipe.
» Meekins and Dollar were not the only sophomores to garner notice, as
Ally Ihler's 10 points (4-of-6 from the field) was a career high and marked her first double-figure point performance in her collegiate (and LCU) career.
Kaitlyn McAdoo produced a career high in scoring with five points, and contributed to the offense with less than nine minutes of court time.
» LCU shot 58.6% from the field (34/58), shooting over 50% from the field for the first time this season. The Lady Chaps, who had a season-high of 58.8% shooting from the field last season (of Feb. 3 against Midwestern State), had eight games of at least 50% shooting from the field (half were on the road).
» The two programs, who will be meeting again on Nov. 9 in LCU's home opener, were meeting for the fourth time all-time and for the first time since Nov. 27, 2022. LCU remains unbeaten (4-0) in the all-time series.
What's Next
The Lady Chaparrals will continue play in the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic on Sunday, facing Alaska Anchorage in the tournament's fifth-place game. The matchup will mark the first meeting between the programs since LCU defeated Alaska Anchorage in the 2015-16 NCAA Division II National Championship game in Indianapolis. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Hawaii Time (6:30 p.m. CT). Although the local start time remains unchanged from Saturday, the time difference between Honolulu and Lubbock shifts from five hours to four hours Sunday as daylight saving time ends in the continental United States.
