Men's Basketball | 02.11.2026

NO. 11 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (20-4, 11-3 LSC)
vs. TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE (11-11, 8-6 LSC)
Thursday, February 12 – 7:30 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
 
TIPOFF
Homecoming weekend starts on Thursday, as Lubbock Christian University hosts Texas A&M-Kingsville at 7:30 p.m. at the Rip Griffin Center. The coronation of the homecoming king and queen will take place at halftime of the game, before the official Homecoming Game on Saturday against Texas A&M International. LCU is trying to bounce back from just their fourth loss of the season, falling to DBU 80-75 on Saturday. The Chaps have only lost back-to-back games once this year. There are only six games left on the schedule this season, and those opponents have a combined winning percentage of .474.
 
20 SOMETHING
With the win last Thursday, the Chapparals notched their third-straight season with at least 20 wins, and their sixth overall since head coach Todd Duncan began leading the program in 2011. They were the first LSC team to reach the mark and are one of only 13 teams nationally to already win at least 20 games this year. In the 41 seasons of Lubbock Christian basketball prior (since 1970-71 when the school became a four-year institution), they posted only five 20-win seasons, all under long-time head coach John Copeland.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
The Chaparrals have held four of their last five opponents below the 70-point mark and on Saturday held DBU below their season scoring average. LCU has played 15 games this season where they limited an opponent to less than 70 points, winning all 15 times. Lubbock Christian opponents are averaging just 67.6 points per game this season, which gives them the third-best defense in the Lone Star Conference. Chap opponents shoot just 41.8 percent from the field, including 30.4 percent from behind the arc.
 
BOARDING SCHOOL
LCU is averaging 36.9 rebounds per game this season, which is the fourth-best mark in the Lone Star Conference. More than half of those rebounds come from just two players – Antonio Pusateri and Amondo Miller Jr. Pusateri has 263 rebounds this season, which is the second-most in D-II. That averages out to 11.0 per game, which is sixth nationally, and his 15 double-doubles are third nationally and first in the LSC. The San Francisco native is on pace for 330 rebounds this season, which would be the third-most in a season in LSC history. Miller Jr. is not far behind at third in the LSC in double-doubles, and ranks fifth nationally with 7.9 defensive rebounds per game.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
As a team, LCU now shooting 50.3 percent on the season, which ranks 9th in the nation and leads  the conference. Lubbock Christian is also ranked 8th nationally in Effective FG%, which is a statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points, while all other field goals only count for two points. Their EFG% so far this season is .576. Pusateri leads the team and is third in the LSC in field goal percentage at .595, and Miller Jr. and Lucas Mercandino are all shooting better than 47 percent as well.
 
BEYOND THE ARC
LCU's efficiency extends all the way out past the three-point line, where their 39.6 percent shooting ranks seventh in all of Division II and leads the LSC. Kendall Dow leads the team and is second in the league, shooting 39.9 percent from deep. Dow  also leads the conference with 2.6 made three-pointers per game. LCU matched a program record with 20 made three-pointers – including 12 in the second half – earlier this season against Fort Lewis. The Chaps have shot better than 50 percent from behind the arc three times this season, including a season-high 64.7 percent on Nov. 2 against Augusta.
 
IRON MEN
Three of the top six players in the Lone Star Conference in minutes per game are starters for LCU. Miller Jr. leads the way, ranking second in the league and 38th nationally with 35:20 minutes per game. Dow and Pusateri are not far behind at third and sixth, respectively. Dow has played the full 40 minutes in seven games this season. Only Leo Nordberg (22.4) and Reagan Fielder (10.5) are averaging double-digit minutes off the bench, although Nordberg has moved into the starting lineup since Alex Anamekwe was injured in the game against West Texas A&M.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Lubbock Christian fell four spots in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top-25 poll and is now ranked No. 11. The Chaps have been nationally ranked every week this season, and they are one of just three Lone Star Conference teams in the rankings this week. Eastern New Mexico is at No. 10 and St. Edward's is No. 15. The Chaps have played seven games this season against ranked opponents and are 5-2 in those contests.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
This will be the ninth home game of the season for the Chaps, who are 7-1 inside the Rip Griffin so far this year. Including Thursday's matchup with TAMUK, they have four more games on their home court. In their eight home games so far this season, they are averaging 81.3 points per game on 53.1 percent shooting, while limiting opponents to 62.3 points per game on 40.1 percent shooting. In their only home loss against ENMU, the Chaps shot 57.1 percent from the field, which is their highest shooting percentage in a loss since March 16, 2021. Officially dedicated on October 9, 2000, the Rip Griffin Center seats 1,950 fans for sporting events.
 
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS

• Texas A&M-Kingsville averages just 68.8 points per game, which is the third-fewest in the conference
• TAMUK forces an average of 15.8 turnovers per game, which is tied for the second-most in the league
• Bryson Goldsmith is the only Javelina averaging double-figures, scoring 10.6 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting
• TAMUK has had a very back and forth season, never winning more than two games in a row and never losing more than three straight
• The Javelinas have won four of their last six games, including a win against St. Mary's in their most recent game

 
THE SERIES WITH THE JAVELINAS
Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M-Kingsville have only met six times on the hardwood overall, and only one of those meetings came prior to the Chaps joining the Lone Star Conference in 2019. TAMUK won that first meeting back in 1997, but has only one win since, and LCU leads the all-time series 4-2. The last Javelina win came in 2022. Five Chaps scored in double-figures last year as LCU beat TAMUK 75-63 in Kingsville.