FRISCO, Texas (March 6, 2026) — Fifth-seeded Eastern New Mexico rallied late and edged fourth-seeded Lubbock Christian University 62-59 in overtime Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Championships at Comerica Center.
 
Lubbock Christian (23-7) led for much of the contest but was unable to hold off the Greyhounds in the extra period despite a strong performance from Kennedy Chappell. The junior guard finished with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds while going 6-of-12 from the field and drawing nine fouls. Martie McCoy added 14 points and knocked down a career-high four three-pointers, while freshman Meg Meekins scored 12 points before leaving the game midway through the third quarter.
 
Eastern New Mexico (20-9) was led by Chloe Dallas with 14 points and six rebounds, while Aaliyah Smith added 13 points and Toyah Montgomery contributed 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with two three-pointers. Nataya Lockett chipped in eight points and Mekhila Brown added four points and eight rebounds as the Greyhounds overcame 20 turnovers to advance to the semifinal round.
 
LCU opened strong, using a 20-15 first quarter to build an early advantage behind Meekins, who scored all 12 of her points in the opening period. The Lady Chaps extended the lead to nine early in the second quarter before Eastern New Mexico chipped away and closed the half on a 9-2 run to trim the margin to 26-24 at halftime.
 
The Lady Chaps pushed the lead again in the third quarter, outscoring ENMU 19-15 in the period. Chappell led the surge with 11 points in the frame while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, helping LCU take a 45-39 lead into the final quarter.
 
Eastern New Mexico rallied in the fourth, holding LCU to just seven points and tying the game at 52-52 in the final minute. McCoy briefly put LCU ahead with a three-pointer with 53 seconds remaining, but Smith answered with a game-tying three-pointer 20 seconds later to send the contest into overtime.
 
The Greyhounds took control in the extra period, scoring 10 points and converting key free throws down the stretch. Martrice Brooks helped seal the win with a fast-break layup in the closing seconds as ENMU secured the 62-59 victory, closing the game on a 6-0 run.
 
Despite forcing 20 turnovers, Lubbock Christian committed a season-high 25 turnovers of its own. The Lady Chaps also saw their conference postseason run end in overtime for the third consecutive season at the LSC Championships.

How It Happened
The game began with the Lady Chaps establishing an early lead, thanks to a three-pointer by Martie McCoy 31 seconds into the contest, assisted by Kennedy Chappell. Meg Meekins dominated the paint for the Chaps, scoring two layups and a tip-in within the first three minutes, contributing to their 9-2 lead. The Greyhounds responded with Chloe Dallas's jumper, narrowing the gap. Aaliyah Smith's three-pointer at 6:42 brought the Greyhounds closer, making it 9-5. Despite their efforts, the Chaps maintained control, highlighted by Meekins's late three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining in the quarter, extending the lead to 19-15. The quarter ended with Meekins converting a free throw, securing a 20-15 advantage for the Chaps, as she had 12 points in the quarter.
 
In the second quarter, McCoy opened the scoring again and this time with a jumper 19 seconds into the period, assisted by Mattie Dollar. Chappell added two free throws at 8:24, capping an 8-0 run carried over from the first quarter. LCU had a jumper from Mattie Dollar as their only points over the final eight minutes of the half. A 9-2 scoring advantage over the span by ENMU cut LCU's lead to 26-24 at the halftime break. Meekins'12 points and eight points from McCoy led LCU at the break.
 
In the third quarter, the Lady Chaps edged ahead with a 19-15 scoring advantage over the Greyhounds. Tia Johnson contributed significantly with two consecutive layups early in the quarter, putting the Chaps up 30-27. Chappell added to the momentum with a layup and two free throws, extending the lead to 38-34. Eastern N.M.'s Montgomery kept it close with a three-pointer at the 2:53 mark, but Kyndle Cunningham's late layup secured a 44-37 lead for the Chaps. Chappell sealed the quarter with a free throw in the final seconds, ending the period with a 45-39 advantage. She exploded for 11 points in the frame off 4-of-4 shooting from the field.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Greyhounds overcame a deficit to tie the game at 52-52, closing with a 13-7 scoring advantage. Dallas and Martrice Brooks were instrumental, with Brooks assisting Smith's pivotal three-pointer with 33-seconds left. Smith's three-pointer was tallied 20 seconds after McCoy knocked down a three-pointer to give LCU a 52-49 lead. Turnovers and missed opportunities marked the quarter for both teams, as neither could secure the win in regulation. LCU had trouble finding rhythm offensively once Meeks went down midway through the third quarter, as LCU was 5-of-18 (27.8%) from the field in regulation once she left (they were shooting 55.6%, 15/27, prior to her departure).
 
In a tense final quarter, the Chaparrals and Eastern N.M. exchanged leads multiple times. Tia Johnson's two free throws at 3:38 gave the Chaps a brief advantage, 54-52. McCoy then extended this lead with a three-pointer at 3:00. However, Dallas narrowed the gap for the Greyhounds with a tip-in and a free throw, eventually reclaiming the lead with consecutive free throws at 0:27 to make it 60-59. Brooks sealed the game with a fast-break layup, ending the game with ENMU ahead 62-59.

Game Notes
» Kennedy Chappell was 6-of-12 from the field and led LCU with 17 points and 8 rebounds. She drew nine fouls called against ENMU in the process. The 17 points, marked her 26th double-figure scoring effort of the season and the 36th of her Lubbock Christian career.
 
» Martie McCoy knocked down a career high four three-pointers in the game, going 4-of-7 from downtown. She reached double figures in scoring for a 10^th time this season (first since Jan. 15^th against West Texas A&M) and the 13th of her LCU career. While she found success from long-range, the rest of the team was a combined 1-of-13 from outside.
 
» Freshman Meg Meekins produced 12 points before leaving the game midway through the third quarter, and all 12 points were scored in the first quarter. The performance marked her 20th double-figure scoring effort of the season.
 
» LCU dropped to 11-5 all-time in games played at the LSC Championships Of the five times they have been eliminated, LCU's last three losses have been overtime losses (now a third consecutive season). Additionally, LCU, playing the 8:30 p.m. "late game," has had three straight games played in that time slot end in overtime (1-2 in those games).
 
» LCU suffered their first loss this season (12-1) when forcing their opponents into at least 15 turnovers, as ENMU was forced into 20 turnovers. It may be due in part to committing themselves a season-high 25 turnovers. The 45 turnovers combined between both squads is the most in a LCU game since 48 combined turnovers on Mar. 8, 2024, which was a contest LCU had 23 turnovers and forced Texas A&M International into 25 turnovers in a "late game" triple overtime loss, which eliminated LCU from the 2024 LSC Championships.
 
» The overtime game marked LCU's first overtime result of the season. LCU, who played in four overtimes in 2023-2024 has dropped their last three overtime results and all three have been in the LSC Championships.
 
» The Lady Chaps led for 40:52 and only trailed for 51 seconds. A different pace from the prior meeting (Jan. 17) in LCU's win over ENMU in Lubbock, as ENMU led for 14 minutes of the first half before LCU surged in the second half.
 
» LCU and ENMU were squaring off for the first time ever in a postseason contest. The all-time series is now square 25-25, as ENMU's win ended a streak of 10 straight losses to LCU and was their first win over LCU since Jan. 16, 2020.
 
» The Lady Chaps moved to 3-1 in neutral site play, as it was their first loss on a neutral site floor this season.
 
Next Up
The NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Selection Show will air on NCAA.com Sunday at 9:30 p.m., as the Lady Chaps will await their 10^th NCAA postseason berth as an at-large selection for the eight-team single-elimination NCAA Division II South Central Region field.