HONOLULU, Hawaii (November 1, 2026) - A decade after Lubbock Christian University and Alaska Anchorage battled for a national championship, the Lady Chaparrals and Seawolves needed extra basketball to settle their long-awaited reunion.
Kennedy Chappell made sure the outcome remained the same. The returning All-American delivered 25 points, including eight in overtime, as LCU outscored Alaska Anchorage 14-7 in the extra period to secure a 63-56 victory Sunday afternoon in the fifth-place game of the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic inside Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center.
The Lady Chaps (2-1) overcame a three-point halftime deficit, weathered a 19-point fourth-quarter surge by Alaska Anchorage (1-2) and shot 80% (4-of-5) in overtime to close their season-opening trip to Hawaii with consecutive victories. Chappell scored eight of LCU's 14 overtime points, connecting on two of three field-goal attempts and four of five free throws, including a pivotal three-point play that provided the Lady Chaps with a five-point cushion midway through the extra session.
The victory snapped a three-game overtime losing streak for LCU, with all three previous setbacks coming in Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament play. It marked the Lady Chaps' first overtime victory since defeating UT Permian Basin 74-67 on Jan. 11, 2024, and their first neutral-site overtime triumph since a 74-72 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on March 2, 2023, in Frisco, Texas.
Sunday's matchup carried considerably more historical significance than an ordinary early-season tournament finale. The programs had not met since April 4, 2016, when LCU defeated Alaska Anchorage 78-73 in Indianapolis to claim the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship and complete a perfect 35-0 season. The title came in the Lady Chaps' first season of NCAA postseason eligibility, making LCU the only women's basketball program to win a national championship in its first eligible season.
Ten years later, the Lady Chaps again emerged victorious over the Seawolves, improving to 2-0 in the all-time series.
Chappell, who accounted for 14 of LCU's 24 first-half points, finished 7-of-11 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line while collecting a team-high eight rebounds and three assists. Her 25 points fell two shy of matching her career high and marked the 10th performance of at least 20 points in her LCU career. The senior also matched her career high for made free throws in a game, collecting her 39th career double-figure scoring performance.
Sophomore
Meg Meekins delivered another pivotal performance, scoring all 17 of her points after halftime to finish with her second consecutive double-figure outing. The reigning Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year erupted for 15 points in the second half, connecting on five of seven field-goal attempts during the final two quarters, including both of LCU's three-pointers. Her second-half contributions included a traditional three-point play in the third quarter and a three-pointer midway through the fourth that helped the Lady Chaps reclaim momentum after surrendering the lead.
Mattie Dollar continued her productive start to the season with 13 points and five rebounds, giving the sophomore double-figure scoring performances in all three games of the Hawaii tournament. Dollar, who scored 20 points in each of LCU's first two contests, finished 5-of-12 from the floor and converted all three free-throw attempts Sunday.
The trio combined for 55 of LCU's 63 points, accounting for 87.3% of the Lady Chaps' offense.
Raegan Lee contributed four points, two rebounds and a team-high two steals off the bench, while
Kimber Mathews and
Kaelie Massenburg each added two points. Massenburg also collected three rebounds, including a crucial defensive board in overtime, and scored a go-ahead basket during the extra session.
LCU shot 45.8% (22-of-48) overall, including a 9-of-15 (60%) performance during the fourth quarter and overtime. The Lady Chaps struggled from the perimeter, connecting on just 2-of-13 three-point attempts (15.4%), but made up for the outside shooting difficulties by outscoring Alaska Anchorage 38-20 in the paint and holding a 17-7 advantage in points scored from the free-throw line.
The Lady Chaps were 17-of-24 (70.8%) at the charity stripe, while the Seawolves converted 7-of-12 attempts (58.3%). LCU also outrebounded Alaska Anchorage 32-30, although the Lady Chaps recorded just five assists, their lowest single-game total since Feb. 3, 2024, against Cameron.
Alaska Anchorage was led by Sheridan Liggett, who finished with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting and added four rebounds. Mylee Anderson contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals before fouling out in overtime, while Bridgette Tello added 15 points, connecting on two three-pointers. The trio accounted for 49 of the Seawolves' 56 points.
The Seawolves shot 40% (22-of-55) from the field and 21.7% (5-of-23) from three-point range. Their defensive effort helped produce 16 LCU turnovers, which Alaska Anchorage converted into 14 points.
Despite shooting struggles in the first half, LCU found its defensive footing after intermission. Trailing 27-24 at halftime, the Lady Chaps limited Alaska Anchorage to just three third-quarter points, holding the Seawolves to 1-of-9 shooting (11.1%) while forcing five turnovers. The defensive stand allowed LCU to outscore Alaska Anchorage 11-3 in the period and take a 35-30 advantage into the fourth quarter.
However, the Seawolves refused to go quietly.
Alaska Anchorage erased the five-point deficit and regained a 37-35 lead on an Amber Kartchner three-pointer with 6:07 remaining in regulation. Dollar answered with a three-point play, and Meekins buried a three-pointer on LCU's next possession to give the Lady Chaps a 41-37 advantage.
The teams traded baskets throughout the closing minutes, with Liggett providing the tying basket for Alaska Anchorage with 45 seconds remaining. Neither team scored again in regulation, sending the contest into overtime deadlocked at 49-49.
LCU quickly seized control in the extra period. Meekins opened the scoring with a jumper before Massenburg and Chappell combined for five unanswered points to give the Lady Chaps a 56-51 lead with 2:29 remaining. Alaska Anchorage twice trimmed the deficit to two points, but Chappell delivered a decisive driving layup with 55 seconds left before adding three free throws over the final 26 seconds to secure the victory.
The Seawolves missed their final three shots, all from beyond the arc, while LCU closed the game on a 5-0 run.
The result completed a successful turnaround for the Lady Chaparrals, who opened their season with a 58-54 loss to Winona State on Friday before responding with an 80-49 victory over Western Colorado on Saturday and Sunday's overtime triumph.
The back-to-back victories improved LCU to 10-4 all-time in D2CCA-sanctioned tip-off tournaments, with eight wins in its last nine games in those events. The Lady Chaps also improved to 6-1 all-time in games played in Hawaii, completing their third trip to the islands with a 2-1 tournament record.
How It Happened
First Quarter
Alaska Anchorage struck first with a three-pointer from Mylee Anderson 52 seconds into the contest, and Sheridan Liggett followed with consecutive jumpers to give the Seawolves an early 7-2 advantage. Chappell answered with a pair of free throws at the 4:43 mark before adding a jumper to trim the deficit to 9-6. The senior continued carrying LCU's offense, converting four consecutive free throws to give the Lady Chaps their first lead at 10-9 with 2:33 remaining. Bridgette Tello responded with a three-pointer just 10 seconds later, and a free throw extended Alaska Anchorage's advantage to 13-10. Chappell added another jumper with 1:10 remaining, and Lee turned a steal into a fast-break layup with 32 seconds left to give LCU a 14-13 lead after one quarter. Chappell scored 12 of the Lady Chaps' 14 points, converting all six free-throw attempts. LCU finished the period 4-of-11 (36.4%) from the field but capitalized on its opportunities at the foul line.
Second Quarter
LCU continued its momentum into the second period, opening with consecutive layups from Mathews, Dollar and Chappell to complete a 10-0 run spanning the first and second quarters and build a 20-13 advantage with 7:56 remaining. Tello halted the run with a three-pointer, but Dollar answered with a jumper to restore a six-point cushion. Alaska Anchorage then began chipping away, with Kiara Stone converting two free throws and Liggett adding a jumper to trim the deficit to 22-20. Stone tied the contest with a layup at the 3:56 mark, and Anderson connected on a three-pointer with 3:19 remaining to give the Seawolves a 25-22 lead. Lee briefly interrupted the run with a layup at the 2:10 mark, but Anderson scored again with 27 seconds remaining to send Alaska Anchorage into halftime leading 27-24. The Seawolves outscored LCU 14-10 in the quarter, including a 12-2 run after trailing by seven. Chappell paced all scorers with 14 points at the break, while LCU went 0-of-6 from three-point range in the opening half.
Third Quarter
The Lady Chaps turned to their defense to change the game's complexion after halftime. Alaska Anchorage managed just one free throw over the opening six-plus minutes of the third quarter, but LCU initially struggled to capitalize, failing to score until Meekins converted a layup and free throw with 6:25 remaining to cut the deficit to 28-27. After
Kyndle Cunningham blocked an Anderson attempt, Chappell gave LCU its first lead of the second half with a jumper at the 3:30 mark, putting the Lady Chaps ahead 29-28. Meekins then buried LCU's first three-pointer of the contest with 2:19 remaining, extending the advantage to four. Tello temporarily trimmed the margin with a layup, but Chappell converted a free throw and Meekins scored inside with 33 seconds left to give LCU a 35-30 lead heading into the fourth. The Lady Chaps held Alaska Anchorage to just three points on 1-of-9 shooting (11.1%), including 0-of-5 from three-point range. The Seawolves committed five turnovers during the period, while Meekins scored eight of LCU's 11 points.
Fourth Quarter
Alaska Anchorage opened the final period with renewed offensive energy, receiving consecutive baskets from Tello to trim LCU's lead to 35-34 with 6:52 remaining. Kartchner then connected on a three-pointer with 6:07 left, completing a 7-0 run that gave the Seawolves their first lead since the third quarter. Dollar answered with a layup and free throw 23 seconds later to reclaim a 38-37 advantage, and Meekins followed with a three-pointer at the 5:18 mark to put LCU ahead 41-37. Anderson delivered consecutive baskets to keep the Seawolves within striking distance, while Dollar answered with a putback that made it 43-39. Liggett tied the game at 43-43 with 2:56 remaining, but Meekins responded with a jumper to regain the lead. Tello converted two free throws to tie the contest again, and Dollar's layup with 1:43 remaining gave LCU a 47-45 advantage. Liggett answered at the 1:18 mark before Meekins converted two free throws with 57 seconds left, putting LCU ahead 49-47. Liggett then scored inside with 45 seconds remaining to tie the game for the eighth time. The Seawolves missed a potential go-ahead free throw, and neither team converted in the closing seconds, sending the contest to overtime tied at 49-49. Alaska Anchorage outscored LCU 19-14 in the quarter, shooting 61.5% (8-of-13) from the field.
Overtime
Following scoreless possessions by both teams to open the extra period, Meekins broke the deadlock with a jumper at the 3:43 mark. Liggett immediately answered for Alaska Anchorage, but Massenburg responded with a basket at the 3:00 mark to regain a 53-51 advantage. Chappell then delivered one of the game's defining plays, converting a layup while drawing a foul from Tello and completing the three-point play with 2:29 remaining to give LCU its largest lead of the extra session at 56-51. Anderson answered with a layup, and Dollar responded with two free throws to maintain a five-point cushion. Liggett kept the Seawolves alive with a three-point play at the 1:38 mark, trimming the deficit to 58-56. Chappell answered again, converting a layup with 55 seconds remaining to restore a four-point lead. Following an Alaska Anchorage miss, Anderson committed her fifth foul with 26 seconds remaining, sending Chappell to the line for another free throw. The senior added three points from the charity stripe in the final 26 seconds, while the Seawolves missed their final three field-goal attempts. LCU shot 80% (4-of-5) in overtime and converted 6-of-7 free throws to outscore Alaska Anchorage 14-7 and secure the 63-56 victory.
Game Notes
» The overtime victory marked LCU's first overtime result of the season and snapped a streak of three consecutive overtime games that ended in losses, all coming in Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament play. The win was LCU's first in overtime since a 74-67 victory over UT Permian Basin on Jan. 11, 2024, in Lubbock. It also marked the Lady Chaps' first overtime win at a neutral site since edging Texas A&M-Kingsville 74-72 on March 2, 2023, in Frisco, Texas, during the LSC Championship Tournament, snapping a stretch of four consecutive neutral-site overtime results that ended in losses.
» This is LCU's sixth consecutive season they have opened the season participating in a D2CCA Tip-Off event. They improve to 10-4 all-time in D2CCA events, and have won eight of their last nine 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 6-1 all-time in games played in Hawaii.
»
Meg Meekins had her second double-figure performance in scoring on the young season (in as many games). Meekins, who had 21 games of scoring at least 10 points last season, matched her Saturday total Sunday with 17 points. All of her 17 points came after half time, as she exploded with 15 in the second half, going 5-of-7 from the field (in the half), which included a vital 2-of-3 from long range (and a key old-school three-point play).
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Mattie Dollar, who entered the season with two double-figure point performances from her freshman season, is the lone Lady Chap with double-figure performances in each game this season, as she had 13 points Sunday.
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Kennedy Chappell produced 25 points for LCU, marking the 39th game of her Lubbock Christian career scoring at least 10 points. Chappell was 4-of-6 from the field in the first half and knocked down all six of her free-throw attempts to register 14 of her 25 points in the first half. She also led all scorers with eight points in overtime off a 2-of-3 shooting performance from the field and 4-of-5 effort from the line. Her 25 points fell two points shy of matching her career high (27) and the performance was her 10
th performance of at least 20 points in her LCU career. She matched a career high with 11 free-throws made, as she was 11-of-13 from the line (her career high in attempts is 16).
» LCU trailed 27-24 at half, placing them with a 1-0 record on the season when trailing at the half. They were 5-6 last season when trailing at halftime.
» The Lady Chaps out-scored UAA 17-7 from the free-throw line, as LCU was 17-of-24 from the line (70.8%). UAA was 7-of-12 from the line (58.3%), and on the season, LCU opponents are shooting 57.6% (34/59) from the line.
» LCU shot 45.8% (22/48) from the field, but included in the mix was a 9-of-15 (60%) shooting effort from the squad following the third quarter.
» Even with the extra frame, assists were at a minimum, as LCU was credited with a low of five assists in the contest, which is their lowest total since Feb. 3, 2024 (against Cameron).
» The matchup carried a historic connection, as LCU and Alaska Anchorage had not met since facing off in the 2015-16 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship game in Indianapolis. The Lady Chaparrals won that contest 78-73 to complete a perfect 35-0 season in their first year of NCAA postseason eligibility, becoming the only women's basketball program to capture a national championship in its first eligible season. Sunday's victory marked LCU's first meeting with the Seawolves since that championship clash and improved the Lady Chaps to 2-0 all-time in the series. And, for the geography enthusiasts, the Honolulu meeting was played roughly 230 miles closer to Anchorage than the teams' 2016 meeting in Indianapolis.
What's Next
The Lady Chaps will enjoy a day of sightseeing (hopefully weather permitting in what has been a rain-filled Hawaiian journey) Monday before a redeye flight returns them back to the Hub City, where they can prepare to host Western Colorado Monday, Nov. 9 (6 p.m.) inside Rip Griffin Center for their home opener. It will mark the second meeting between the two programs, as LCU defeated Western Colorado Saturday.
