LUBBOCK, Texas (February 26, 2026) — Lubbock Christian University used a balanced scoring effort and defensive pressure to secure a 73-54 Lone Star Conference victory over Western New Mexico Thursday at Rip Griffin Center.
 
The Lady Chaps (22-6, 14-5 LSC) never trailed by more than one point in the opening minutes and led for more than 38 minutes, improving to 10-1 at home this season. LCU also extended its dominance in the series, winning its 18th consecutive meeting with the Mustangs and moving to 21-10 all-time against WNMU.
 
LCU set the tone early, building a 19-9 lead after the first quarter behind 55.6% shooting from 3-point range in the period. The Lady Chaps stretched the margin to 36-24 at halftime and used a 23-point third quarter to push the lead to as many as 23 points in the second half.
 
Tia Johnson led LCU with 12 points, marking her second straight game as the team's top scorer and her ninth double-figure outing of the season. Kennedy Chappell added 10 points for her 24th double-digit performance of the year, while freshmen Raegan Lee and Kyndle Cunningham each contributed 10 points. Cunningham also grabbed seven rebounds, all in the first half.
 
The Lady Chaps shot 47.2% from the field and 47.1% from 3-point range (8-of-17), while converting 15 of 20 free throws. LCU forced 16 turnovers and produced a season high with 11 steals, with Johnson and Lee recording three apiece. The Lady Chaps also held a 34-20 scoring edge in the paint and received 37 points from their bench.
 
Western New Mexico (1-25, 1-18 LSC) was paced by Jordan Sapien's 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and Tess Taylor's 15 points. Teeya Gordon added 10 points in limited minutes, and Brelee Nichols contributed seven rebounds. The Mustangs shot 36.2% from the field and 31.6% from beyond the arc.
 
LCU led by double figures for most of the second half and closed the game shooting 75% from the free-throw line to seal the win.

How It Happened
The first quarter began with the Lady Chaps establishing an early lead through Raegan Lee's three-pointer, assisted by Tia Johnson, just 22 seconds into play. The Chaparrals maintained control with strong defensive efforts, including steals by Johnson and Lee, and limited the Mustangs to nine points. Deja Johnson contributed significantly to the home team's offense, scoring five points, including a three-pointer at 3:31. Despite WNMU's efforts, including a successful three-pointer by Tess Taylor, the Chaps ended the quarter with a 19-9 advantage, marked by Kennedy Chappell's late jumper. LCU's first five field goals were three-pointers, with a pair by Lee, who led LCU with six points in the period.
 
Lubbock Christian maintained its lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 17-15. Martie McCoy's pair of free throws at the start of the quarter set the tone, while Johnson contributed with a layup and a steal early on. McCoy's free-throws, which opened the scoring in the period, capped a 12-0 run (LCU had closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run). Chappell added to the scoring with a jumper and successful free throws, finishing with four points in the quarter. Western N.M.'s Jordan Sapien hit a key three-pointer at the 8:04 mark, but the Chaps' defense held strong with two blocks and four steals, limiting the visitors' opportunities. The quarter ended with the Chaparrals closing the half on an 8-2 run and leading 36-24. They held WNMU off the scoreboard the final 2:28 of the quarter. Chapell led LCU with six points in the quarter and joined Lee with eight points at the break to co-lead the squad.
 
The Lady Chaps extended their lead over WNMU in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 23-14. Chappell started the scoring with two free throws at 9:53, putting the home team ahead by 14 points. WNMU went the opening three minutes of the half without a field goal. Kyndle Cunningham contributed significantly with a fast-break layup at 7:09, assisted by Chappell, and later added a three-pointer at 5:57. The quarter closed with Maddie Moyers hitting a free throw with 32 seconds remaining to cap a 12-4 scoring surge to end the quarter, finalizing the score at 59-38. Cunningham led LCU with seven points in the period.
 
In the final quarter, the Chaps maintained their lead to secure the victory over the Mustangs by a final score of 73-54. Despite a strong effort from WNMU, who outscored LCU 16-14 in the quarter, the home team consistently held the advantage. Sapien of the Mustangs contributed significantly with eight points in the quarter, including a three-pointer at 7:06. Tia Johnson's three-pointer at 4:08 helped LCU maintain their lead, and Kaelie Massenburg's layup and free throw in the last two minutes solidified the final score. Tia Johnson finished with seven points in the quarter to fuel her team-leading 12 points.

Game Notes
» Kennedy Chappell finished with 10 points, with eight tallied in the opening half. Her 10 points also represented her 24th double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 34th of her Lubbock Christian career.
 
» For a second consecutive game, Tia Johnson led LCU in scoring, as she posted 12 points and the performance led to Johnson's 11th career double-digit scoring game at Lubbock Christian and her ninth of the season.
 
» Freshman Raegan Lee matched a career high with three steals, marking her third game with three steals this season. She also finished with 10 points for her fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season.
 
» Lee wasn't the only freshman tallying double-figures in scoring, as Kyndle Cunningham recorded the fourth double-figure scoring performance of her career (and season), pouring in 10 points. She also posted 7 rebounds (all in the first half).  
 
» LCU produced a season high 11 steals, as six different Lady Chaps had at least one steal. Tia Johnson and Lee each had three steals, with Johnson setting a new career high and Lee matching her career high mark.
 
» LCU improved to 21-10 all-time against WNMU, as the Lady Chaps claimed their 18^th consecutive win in the all-time series. Additionally, LCU improved to 12-2 all-time against WNMU in Lubbock.   
 
» The Lady Chaps improved to 10-1 at home with the victory.
 
Next Up
LCU close out the regular season at home Saturday at 1 p.m. with Senior Day as they host Sul Ross State inside Rip Griffin Center.