DENTON, Texas (March 13, 2026) — Third-seeded and No. 3-ranked Colorado Mesa used a dominant second half, outscoring LCU 39-14 in the second half, to defeat No. 6-seed Lubbock Christian University 80-45 in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Friday afternoon inside Kitty Magee Arena.
 
The loss ends the season for Lubbock Christian (23-8), which was making its 10th NCAA postseason appearance in the program's 11 seasons of NCAA Division II eligibility.
 
Colorado Mesa (34-1) never trailed after opening the game with a three-pointer 18 seconds into play and built momentum throughout the first half. The Mavericks closed the opening quarter on a 7-0 run, capped by a buzzer-beating jumper from Cayden King to take a 21-11 lead.
 
Lubbock Christian trimmed the deficit to four late in the second quarter after an 8-3 run, highlighted by a three-point play from Kennedy Chappell with 2:23 remaining before halftime. However, Colorado Mesa answered with a 6-0 run to carry a 41-31 advantage into the break.
 
The Mavericks seized control in the third quarter, outscoring LCU 23-6 to push the lead to 64-37 entering the final period. Colorado Mesa shot 53.3 percent in the frame and knocked down three three-pointers while the Lady Chaps endured multiple scoring droughts, including the final five minutes of the quarter.
 
Colorado Mesa, which extended its winning streak to 31 games, was led by D2CCA Region Player of the Year, Olivia Reed Thyne,  with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Mason Rowland added 19 points and four three-pointers, while Hallie Clark finished with 13 points and four assists. Tamryn Blom chipped in six points with two three-pointers, and Brooke Eyre contributed eight points and 16 rebounds as the Mavericks outrebounded LCU 50-28 and held a 19-2 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Kennedy Chappell led the Lady Chaps with 11 points and 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season and the 13th NCAA postseason double-double in program history. Freshman Meg Meekins added 13 points and paced LCU at halftime with 11, while Tia Johnson finished with seven points.
 
Colorado Mesa finished 13-of-33 from three-point range and committed just six turnovers in the contest.
 
The loss matched LCU's earliest NCAA tournament exit since 2024 and matched the program's largest margin of defeat in postseason play. It also concluded the collegiate careers of seniors Deja Johnson, Tia Johnson, Martie McCoy and Taylor Thomas.

How It Happened
The game began with Colorado Mesa's Hallie Clark adding a little foreshadowing by draining a three-pointer 18 seconds into play. The Chaps responded with a jumper from Kennedy Chappell at 8:39 to make it 3-2. Meg Meekins contributed significantly for Lubbock Christian, hitting a fast-break jumper at 6:04 to narrow the gap to 8-6. However, the Mavericks' perimeter shooting, highlighted by Mason Rowland's three-pointer at 5:20, helped it maintain a lead. Neither team scored consecutive buckets until the Mavs closed the quarter strongly with a buzzer-beating jumper by Cayden King, assisted by Rowland, for a 7-0 run to secure a 21-11 lead for CMU. Kyndle Cunningham led LCU with five points in the period.
 
Meg Meekins opened the second quarter with a three-pointer for the Lady Chaps, narrowing CMU's lead. Olivia Reed countered with a jumper in the paint, extending CMU's advantage. LCU and CMU traded off the scoring the first half of the quarter, but the Lady Chaps' Tia Johnson and Chappell contributed crucial points, with Chappell's layup and free throw pulling them within four points at 2:23 off an 8-3 run (first portion featured a 5-0 LCU run). Despite the Lady Chaps' efforts, CMU offset the Lady Chaps efforts with a 6-0 run to take 41-31 lead into the half. Meekins posted seven points in the quarter and led LCU at the half with 11 points.
 
CMU asserted its dominance in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Chaps 23-6. Tamryn Blom hit two three-pointers early, including one at 8:20, boosting CMU's lead to 49-31. Moore contributed with a well-timed tip-in at 7:08, extending their advantage. Reed was instrumental for CMU, notching seven points in the quarter, including two free throws at 0:21 to cap the scoring. The Lady Chaps struggled offensively, as they were scoreless the opening two minutes of the quarter and did not score in the final five minutes of the quarter (a span that would last 6:05). LCU missed their final six shot attempts of the quarter.
 
Colorado Mesa secured the victory over the Lady Chaps with a strong fourth-quarter performance. Maddie Moyers opened the period for Lubbock Christian with a three-pointer off an assist from Martie McCoy at the 8:56 mark, and Kennedy Chappell followed with a layup after a steal to cut the deficit to 64–42. However, the Mavericks responded with steady scoring from Mykaela Moore and Mason Rowland, while Olivia Reed Thyne controlled the glass, highlighted by a defensive rebound at 5:45. Colorado Mesa outscored LCU 16–8 in the quarter, as the Lady Chaps went nearly eight minutes without a field goal—missing 11 consecutive shots—during a decisive 13–0 Mavericks run.

Game Notes
» Another big performance in the NCAA postseason for Kennedy Chappell, who was part of last season's Regional All-Tournament  Team, as she completed the season with seven double-doubles  with her 11 points and 10 rebounds, which was LCU's 13^th NCAA postseason double-double performance (10^th in a NCAA Regional appearance, and she is the seventh different Lady Chaps member to record a NCAA postseason double-double). She was 5-of-8 from the field and led LCU with 17 points and 8 rebounds. The 11 points marked her 27th double-figure scoring effort of the season and the 37th of her Lubbock Christian career.
 
» The games marked the final games for LCU seniors Deja Johnson (130 points in 65 games), Tia Johnson (376 points in 91 games), Martie McCoy (410 points in 106 games) and Taylor Thomas (183 points in 75 games).
 
» Freshman Meg Meekins led LCU with 13 points, with 11 tallied in the opening half. She produced a career-high with a team individual-high (for this season) 18 field goal attempts, which was a shot attempt shy of matching the program's record for field goal attempts (by an individual) in a NCAA regional appearance. Her 13-point performance marked her 21st double-figure scoring effort of the season and she led LCU in scoring in 11 games this season.
 
» LCU was making their 10^th NCAA postseason appearance in their 11^th season with NCAA postseason eligibility (previously, LCU was members of NAIA). The quarterfinals loss matched their earliest NCAA postseason exit, which was also in Denton and also against Colorado Mesa (2024). LCU and CMU move to 2-2 all-time head-to-head and both LCU losses have been postseason losses in Denton (LCU drops to 1-2 against CMU in postseason play). CMU is the first team that has defeated LCU twice in NCAA postseason play and LCU's all-time records in postseason play drops to 27-6 (18-4 in NCAA regional play).
 
» The Lady Chaps fell by a 35-point deficit, which was their worst loss margin in a NCAA postseason game and matched their worst postseason loss, as the last time LCU fell by 35 points (overall and postseason) was Mar. 4, 2023, as they fell 84-49 to Texas Woman's at the LSC Championships in Frisco, Texas.
 
» Talk about a well-played performance by Colorado Mesa, as the Mavericks, who extended their win streak to 31 and have won 20 consecutive games by a double-figure margin, drained 13 three-pointers on 33 attempts (most attempts by an LCU opponent since Cameron flung up 35 three-point attempts on Dec. 19, 2019). CMU had a 19-2 scoring advantage in second-chance points, as they had a 50-28 rebound advantage with 16 offensive board. The 50 rebounds was the highest total by an LCU opponent since St. Mary's had 52 against LCU on Dec. 31, 2016. CMU also committed just six turnovers, which were a season low by an LCU opponent and the fewest since Midwestern State had six on Jan. 6, 2024.
 
» The game was only the second game in LCU's NCAA era in which they attempted less than five free-throws, as LCU was 2-of-4 from the line. Two of the four free-throws were on and-one attempts (each by Chappell and Kimber Mathews, who were each 1-of-1 from the line).
 
» This season's NCAA South Central Regional field of teams features three programs ranking inside the top-six in the WBCA Top-25 national rankings (No.1 Texas Woman's, No.3 Colorado Mesa and No.6 West Texas A&M).