LUBBOCK, Texas (February 28, 2026) — Lubbock Christian University closed the regular season in commanding fashion Saturday during Senior Day, defeating Sul Ross State 73-44 inside Rip Griffin Center to secure the No. 4 seed for next week's Lone Star Conference Championship.
 
The Lady Chaps (23-6, 15-5 LSC) never trailed, leading for more than 39 minutes and extending their winning streak in the series to 30 straight games. LCU will face No. 5 seed Eastern New Mexico in the LSC quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Comerica Center in Frisco.
 
Kennedy Chappell led LCU with 16 points, marking her 25th double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 35th of her career. The junior added at least four assists, two steals and two blocks, becoming just the second Lady Chap in the NCAA era to post 16-plus points, four-plus assists, two-plus steals and two-plus blocks in a game.
 
Tia Johnson scored eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter, while freshman Meg Meekins added 13 points for her 19th double-digit effort of the season.
 
LCU used depth and defensive pressure to control the game, forcing a season-high 22 turnovers and converting them into a 23-5 advantage in points off turnovers. The Lady Chaps dominated the paint (38-12), owned a 21-5 edge in second-chance points and finished with a 67-47 advantage in shot attempts — their highest total since attempting 70 shots against St. Mary's on Jan. 22, 2022. The +20 shot differential was their largest since that same contest.
 
Senior Deja Johnson made her first career start and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds as LCU honored Johnson, Tia Johnson, Martie McCoy and Taylor Thomas. The Lady Chaps closed the season 11-1 at home.
 
Sul Ross State (3-23, 2-18 LSC) was led by Sophiya Bustillos with 15 points, including two three-pointers. Alianna Colon added nine points, and Itzel Caro scored eight. The Lobos shot 34 percent from the field and committed 22 turnovers in their season finale.
 
The win improved LCU to 42-12 all-time against Sul Ross State and capped the Lady Chaps' home slate with their 24th victory in the past two seasons inside Rip Griffin Center.

How It Happened
The game opened with the Lady Chaps taking an early lead, courtesy of a layup by Deja Johnson at 9:40. Kennedy Chappell extended that lead with another layup shortly after. Martie McCoy added to the momentum by draining a three-pointer at 6:15, following an assist from Chappell. The Lobos missed their first four shot attempts and did not score until 6:32 remained in the quarter, which was their lone field goal over a seven-minute span to open the game (opened 1-of-7 from the field). SRSU's Daisy Fernandez nailed a three-pointer with 1:23 left in the quarter to help the Lobos close the quarter on a 6-0 run. Chappell led LCU with four points in the quarter to take a 15-10 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Lobos had another dry spell to open the second quarter, as they did not score for the first four minutes of the quarter. Meg Meekins contributed significantly with two early free throws 20 seconds in to spark a 6-0 run to open the frame. The Lady Chaps' defense also excelled, with Chappell and Ally Ihler each recording a steal that led to a fast-break layup, allowing the home team to go on a 10-1 run for a 31-15 lead just inside the final minute of the half. Despite a late three-pointer from Sophiya Bustillos at the buzzer, SRSU trailed 33-20 at the end of the quarter. Meekins and Chappell each had six points in the period for LCU. Chappell had 10 points at the break.
 
The Chaparrals extended their lead in the third quarter, driven by strong performances from Meekins and Chappell. Meekins opened with a jumper at 9:42, assisted by Chappell, who later added a three-pointer and a layup, contributing to the team's 18 points in the quarter. Chappell also assisted Taylor Allen for a three-pointer at 5:22, enhancing the home team's advantage to 44-28. The Lobos managed to score 15 points, with Ariana Escalante adding free throws late in the quarter, but they struggled to close the gap. The quarter concluded with the Chaps leading 51-35 after Meekins' jumper with 41 seconds left. Meekins (7) and Chappell (6) combined for 13 points in the quarter.
 
The Lady Chaps maintained control in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Maddie Moyers that extended the lead to 57-35 early. Chappell contributed defensively with a block, and Kyndle Cunningham added to the scoring with a jumper in the paint. Tia Johnson was instrumental, converting consecutive free throws and finishing a layup after a SRSU foul, which was part of a 10-2 run. The Chaps' strong rebounding effort, led by Raegan Lee and Deja Johnson, limited the Lobos' second-chance opportunities, securing a 22-9 scoring advantage in the final quarter. Tia Johnson had eight points, three boards and two assists in the period (she led LCU in the half with the eight points).

Game Notes
» Kennedy Chappell delivered a complete performance to lead LCU with 16 points, marking her 25th double-figure scoring effort of the season and the 35th of her Lubbock Christian career. Chappell also finished with at least four assists, two steals and two blocks, becoming just the second Lady Chap in the program's NCAA era to record 16-or-more points, four-or-more assists, two-or-more steals and two-or-more blocks in the same game. The only other occurrence came March 8, 2020, when Maddi Chitsey posted 17 points, four assists, four steals and four blocks against Texas A&M-Commerce (now East Texas A&M).
 
» Tia Johnson scored eight points in the final quarter and finished with 10 points, leading to Johnson's 12th career double-digit scoring game at Lubbock Christian and her 10th of the season.
 
» Freshman Meg Meekins produced 13 points, adding a +20 plus/minus to her stat line. The performance marked her 19th double-figure scoring effort of the season.
 
» With it being Senior Day, seniors Deja Johnson, Tia Johnson, Martie McCoy and Taylor Thomas were recognized at halftime of the men's game. Deja Johnson took advantage of her first career start, producing a career high eight rebounds. Thomas, who is limited, appeared in a game for the first time since Jan.17 and played one minute in the fourth quarter.
 
» Lubbock Christian finished with a 67–47 advantage in shot attempts, marking the program's highest single-game total (67) since attempting 70 shots on Jan. 22, 2022 against St. Mary's. The +20 differential in shot attempts is the Lady Chaps' largest margin since posting a +28 edge (70–42) in that same Jan. 22, 2022 meeting with St. Mary's.
 
» LCU forced SRSU into 22 turnovers, which is the most by an LCU opponent this season. It led to a 23-5 scoring advantage in points-off turnovers.
 
» The Lady Chaps had six field goals in the opening quarter and they were tallied by six different Lady Chaps. Their first eight field goals in the game were by eight different players.
 
» The game was the fourth game this season in which LCU never trailed in the contest.
 
» The Lady Chaps defeated SRSU for a 30^th consecutive time in the all-time series and improved to 42-12 all-time against the Lobos.  
 
» The Lady Chaps closed the books on their home slate for the 2025-26 campaign with an 11-1 record inside Rip Griffin Center. They are 24-1 over a two-season span at home and are 174-10 (94.6%) since becoming full-time NCAA members (2015-16 season being the first season) at home.
 
Next Up
The Lone Star Conference will host their awards social Wednesday night in Friday and the LSC Championships get underway with the men's bracket play Thursday and the women's bracket beginning Friday. LCU's first game is a quarterfinals contest scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at Comerica Center against Eastern New Mexico.