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| 2022 LSC CHAMPIONSHIPS – QUARTERFINALS No.5-seed No.10 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (25-5) vs. No.4-seed ANGELO STATE (15-12) March 4, 2022 • 8:30 p.m. Frisco, Texas • Comerica Center (4,000) TICKETS: Click Here LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH ONLINE: LSC Digital Network (Online or via OTT apps including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku devices by searching “LSC Digital Network.”) LCU Social Media: |
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ANGELO STATE BELLES (15-12) Location: San Angelo, Texas Conference: Lone Star Head Coach: Alesha Ellis (Texas Tech, 2007) Roster | Stats | Preview |
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LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN LADY CHAPS (16-3, 5-2) Location: Lubbock, Texas Conference: Lone Star Head Coach: Steve Gomez (LCU, 1988) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF) |
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MARCHING INTO FRISCO
No.10 Lubbock Christian University rolls into Frisco, Texas, where the remaining eight teams of the Lone Star Conference Championship continue the single-elimination tournament. Coming off an 84-67 win over No.12-seed Arkansas Fort Smith, the No.5-seed Lady Chaps advance to Friday’s Quarterfinals to face No.4-seed Angelo State. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. inside Comerica Center.
THE “IF’s”
IF LCU WINS: If the Lady Chaps defeat ASU, they will improve to 26-5 on the season, 8-0 all-time in LSC Championship play, and will advance to the tournament Semifinals to face either No.1-seed West Texas A&M or No.9-Texas A&M International Saturday at 6 p.m. in Frisco.
IF LCU LOSES: If the Lady Chaps fall to the Belles, their record will drop to 25-6, they will be eliminated from the tournament and will await an at-large bid for the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament (eight-team tournament). The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Selection Show will air Sunday, Mar. 6 at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com.
CHAP NOTES
- > Allie Schulte, who actively ranks third in NCAA Division II in career games played (150 games played in her career), leads the squad in scoring with an average of 12.0 points per game. She also leads the team is assists (87) and steals (82). Her 87 assists ranks 12th in the conference, with a pace of 3.2 per game (14th in the LSC), and her 82 steals is seventh in the nation (ranks 10th nationally in steals per game at 3.0). She had 51 steals in conference play (had her with 3.6 steals per conference game), with a career-high eight steals on Jan. 2 at Texas A&M International. The 82 steals also has her with 311 career steals, which is the second active leading mark in career steals in NCAA Division II (second highest mark in program history and 20 away from the program’s all-time career mark). Feb. 3 (against Midwestern State), Schulte became the 32nd active Division II player to reach 1,500 career points and became the first Lady Chap to hit the plateau since Tess Bruffey (2014-2018).
- > Ashton Duncan leads LCU with 78 three-pointers, averaging 2.6 per game (fourth in the conference). The 78 three-pointers ranks eighth in the nation and leads the LSC (she is 13 three-pointers away from the LCU single-season record owned by Kelsey Hoppel with 90 during the 2015-16 season). She needs two three-pointers for a single-season career high, which would be the second-highest single season mark in program history. Duncan, who became the second active 1,000-point member on the LCU roster, is second on the team averaging 11.0 points per game. She matched a program single-game record with eight three-pointers on Jan. 22 against St. Mary’s (second time in her career). She has 264 three-pointers, which ranks her second in program history, and she is nine three-point attempts from having the top mark in LCU record books. Duncan’s 264 career three-pointers ranks ninth actively in NCAA Division II for career three-pointers.
- > The Lady Chaps have claimed the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor in six times this season. Juliana Robertson and Allie Schulte have received the honor twice, with teammate Grace Foster also receiving the award. Overall for Offensive and Defensive, LCU has claimed six LSC honors issued this season (five defensive and one offensive).
- > LCU opened the season making their first 14 free-throw attempts and are 79.0% (372/471) from the free-throw line, which ranks 11th nationally. From their game against Tampa (Nov. 7) to their game at Colorado Christian (Nov.12), in which they made 13 consecutive free-throws to start the game, LCU made a sequence of 17 consecutive free-throws. They topped that mark in their opening homestand of the season, making 43 consecutive free-throws (They made 28 straight free-throws in their game against Lander as part of the sequence). Schulte, who is 27-of-27 on the season from the line in the fourth quarter of games, is 61-of-68 (89.7%) from the free-throw line on the season, which is ninth nationally.
- > Grace Foster and Juliana Robertson have provided LCU strong defensive play inside the perimeter. Robertson ranks fifth in the LSC in rebounds (222) and sixth in defensive rebounds per game (5.6). She joins Foster co-leading LCU in blocks with 25 (ninth in the LSC).
- > LCU is seventh nationally in turnovers…or lack thereof, as they average 12.0 per game. The stat has Allie Schulte second in the LSC in assist/turnover ratio at 2.42. As a team, LCU ranks 18th nationally and leading the LSC for team assist/turnover ratio (1.14). They are also 19th in turnover margin (5.37 advantage per game).
D-UP!
LCU defensively has held opponents to an average of 52.1 points a game, which ranks fourth nationally. Lady Chap opponents have been held to under 50 points in 15 of their 30 games this season.
TOURNEY TALK
With wins last season in the 2021 LSC Championship, over St. Mary’s, Cameron and Texas A&M-Commerce, inside Rip Griffin Center, LCU became the sixth program to claim multiple tournament titles in the LSC. The 2021 LSC Championships tournament title punched LCU’s fifth ticket to a NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament. The Lady Chaps improved to 6-0 all-time in LSC Championship tournament games. They defeated TAMUC for a second consecutive season in the title game last season, as the Lady Chaps also topped the Lions for the 2020 tournament title in Frisco, Texas.
This season, LCU’s win Tuesday in the First Round over Arkansas Fort Smith, improved LCU’s all-time LSC tournament mark to 7-0. LCU shot 55.1% from the field Tuesday for their second-highest shooting mark in a LSC Championship contest. Allie Schulte led LCU Tuesday with 17 points. She averages 13.4 points a game in seven all-time LSC Championship games played, which leads the Lady Chaps for players that have played at least two games in their career at the event. Grace Foster made her postseason debut with LCU, posting 15 points Tuesday.
LCU’s ALL-TIME LSC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
2019-2020
Caitlyn Cunyus (MVP)
Allie Schulte
Maddi Chitsey
2020-2021
Emma Middleton (MVP)
Channing Cunyus
Allie Schulte
SPEAKING OF HONORS
The Lone Star Conference recognized six Lady Chaparrals with conference honors for this season:
Allie Schulte – First Team All-LSC, LSC All-Academic Team
Ashton Duncan – Second Team All-LSC, LSC All-Academic Team
Channing Cunyus – Third Team All-LSC
Laynee Burr – Honorable Mention All-LSC
Juliana Robertson – Honorable Mention All-LSC, All Defensive Team
Grace Foster – All-Freshman Team
NEUTRALITY
LCU is 3-1 this season on a neutral floor. Allie Schulte leads LCU on a neutral court, averaging 13.3 points a game. Ashton Duncan is also averaging double figures in neutral site contests (11.8 points). LCU is holding opponents to a 35.3% shooting percentage in the category. Schulte is averaging 5.3 assists per game in four neutral site games.
SWEET HOME (ON) CHICAGO
LCU went 13-0 at home last season, culminating with the LSC Championships and becoming the first team since 2007 to win the LSC Championship tournament on a campus venue. They are 13-0 at home this season, which has their active home win streak sitting at 104 games (it is the active and all-time leading mark in NCAA Division II women’s basketball). LCU’s last home loss came on Jan. 1, 2015 against Oklahoma City University. LCU, who also has a 7-0 mark in NCAA postseason play in Lubbock in the mix (not including a 4-0 mark in LSC postseason play), has also won 82 consecutive home conference games, with their last conference home loss occurring Jan. 10, 2013 (against Oklahoma City). They completed a 49-0 all-time mark in Heartland Conference home games (they are 29-0 in LSC home games).
NCAA DIVISION II’S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS
104 – Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 –>
87 – Neb.-Kearney Jan. 31, 1995-Nov. 24, 2001
85 – West Tex. A&M Jan. 9, 1987-Dec. 6, 1991
NCAA’S ACTIVE-LEADING HOME WIN STREAKS
104 – LCU (Division II)
38 – Stephen F. Austin (Division I)
30 – BYU (Division I)
NCAA DIVISION LONGEST HOME WIN STREAKS
BY DIVISION
Division I – 99 – UConn 2006/07 – 2011/12
Division II – 103 – Lubbock Christian Jan. 1, 2015 –>
Division III – 121 – Amherst Jan. 31, 2009-Feb. 6, 2016
EYE-OPENING
The 2021-22 season marks LCU’s ninth since leaving the NAIA, and heading into Thursday’s action, LCU is 239-34 in that span (87.5%). In NCAA postseason play, the Lady Chaps are 20-1 all-time.
NATIONALLY KNOWN
The Lady Chaps claimed the No.1 spot in the WBCA’s National Top-25 Preseason Poll for the first time in program history this year, and also for the first time they were the favorites in both the WBCA and D2SIDA preseason polls. LCU fell to CSU Pueblo in Lakewood, Colo., which ended their 39-game win streak and knocked them out of the No.1 spot. For three consecutive polls, LCU was not in the No.1 spot, but they worked their way back to the top spot in the WBCA poll. Their return to No.1 status lasted through two WBCA and one D2SIDA poll before their loss at Texas A&M-Kingsville resulted in them showing up at No.6 (WBCA) and No.7 (D2SIDA) in the following week’s polls. They worked back up to No.2 (D2SIDA) and No.4 (WBCA),but have since fallen and are currently No.14 in WBCA and No.10 in D2SIDA. Overall this season, LCU has been No.1 in three WBCA polls and two D2SIDA polls.
On Dec.14, both LCU women’s and men’s basketball programs were each No.1 in their respective polls, marking the first time in LCU history in which LCU’s men’s and women’s basketball programs were each ranked No.1 at the same time.
SO ARE SOME OTHERS
On Jan. 13, LCU fell at No.6 Texas A&M-Commerce, which was their first loss of the season against a Top-25 nationally ranked opponent (it has been their only road game against a nationally ranked opponent this season). LCU went 6-0 against nationally ranked programs last season and 4-2 in 2019-20 against the nations ranked foes. This season, LCU is 3-1 against ranked opponents, as they have defeated No.11 Tampa (Nov. 7 in Billings, Mont.), No.1 Lander (Nov. 19 in Lubbock) and No.20 Daemen (Nov. 20 in Lubbock).
OFF THE COURT SMARTS
Lubbock Christian University’s Allie Schulte was selected as an Academic All-District Six (NCAA Div. II) recipient by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Schulte, a graduate guard from Nazareth, Texas, holds a 3.87 GPA, as she completed a degree in Humanities and is currently completing a second degree with a bachelors in Exercise Science. In order to be selected to an academic all-district team, a student-athlete must demonstrate success on the playing field and in the classroom, with academic and athletic achievements taken into consideration. The student-athlete must possess a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA and be at least a sophomore in academic standing. The honor is the second All-District academic honor for Schulte, and it gives LCU eight Academic All-District selections in women’s basketball at the NCAA Div. II level in program history. LCU has received an All-District selection in all but one season in which they have been eligible to receive recognition. Schulte is nominated for Academic All-America accolades.
SENORITY
LCU celebrated Senior Night Feb. 24 during halftime of the men’s basketball contest against Western New Mexico by recognizing Laynee Burr and Channing Cunyus. Both members, in their fourth season with the Lady Chaps, will not exercise their additional season of eligibility made available via COVID. Burr, who surpassed 600 career points (603), has appeared in 109 career contests. Cunyus, who also has over 500 career points (540), has played in 104 career games as a Lady Chap.
FIVE THINGS ABOUT ASU
1 > The Belles head into Friday 15-12 on the season. They went 12-4 mark in LSC play,going 10-2 in their last 12 games played.
2 > ASU, who entered the season No.15 in the LSC Preseason Poll, has Blakely Gerber leading the squad averaging 12.0 points per game.
3 > Angelo State has a 10-3 record at home, but outside Junell Center, the Belles are 5-9 (4-5 on the road and 1-4 in neutral site games).
4 > Payton Brown leads the LSC in minutes played with 948:16 of court time this season.
5 > The Belles rank 19th nationally and leading the LSC in assists per game (16.5). Payton Brown is second in the LSC with 4.4 assists per game. She also ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (2.35).
THE SERIES AGAINST ASU
LCU leads the series with a 15-4 all-time mark. Angelo State won the regular season meeting in Jan. 27 67-63 in San Angelo, Texas for ASU’s first win over LCU since Dec. 29, 2000 (ended an 11-game series win streak). The two teams have met 11 times since 2012, but had not met since Nov. 30, 2001 prior to that. The teams are 1-1 all-time in neutral site meetings and LCU owns a 4-0 all-time meeting in postseason games against ASU. The only prior meeting in the LSC Championship was in 2020, with LCU winning a quarterfinal meeting 91-65 for the Lady Chaps first-ever LSC Championship win.
ACTIVE LADY CHAP LEADERS VS. ASU
Here is a look at LCU’s top three active leaders career vs. ASU:
Allie Schulte 8gp – 13.9 pts/g, 11/25 3-pt fg (44.0%), 2.4 stl/g
Ashton Duncan 7gp – 9.6 pts/g, 15/36 3-pt fg (41.7%)
Channing Cunyus 6gp – 7.5 pts/g, 8/15 3-pt fg (53.3%)
PRIOR MEETING VS. ASU
SAN ANGELO, Texas (January 27, 2022) – Despite 21 points from Allie Schulte and Channing Cunyus recording her first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds), No.8 Lubbock Christian University was unable to overcome a dismal outside shooting performance and fell 67-63 at Angelo State in Lone Star Conference play inside Junell Center.
LCU was 1-of-14 from three-point range, missing their last 13 attempts of the game. It was LCU’s lowest three-point total in a game since making one on Mar. 16, 2019 at Colorado Mesa (1/8), and the 7.1% shooting mark from outside was their lowest outside performance since shooting 4.5% (1/22) on Mar. 5, 2017 against St. Edward’s (in Tulsa, Okla.).
The lone LCU three-pointer was drained by Cunyus 1:35 into the game on their first attempt of the game, which also capped a 7-1 LCU run to open the game. LCU built the lead to 10 in the first quarter, as Audrey Robertson scored eight consecutive points as part of an 8-0 run for a 16-6 lead with 3:04 left in the quarter. ASU closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to cut LCU’s lead to 18-15 at the quarter’s close.
LCU’s Grace Foster tallied five points in the second quarter, and they all came in less than a minute span midway through the quarter to help LCU build the lead to 30-22 (4:33 left in the half). As they did in the opening quarter, ASU had a strong finish to the quarter. The Belles went on a 7-0 run and outscored LCU 9-2 in the final 3:53 of the half to cut LCU’s lead to 32-31 at the break.
Schulte and Robertson each co-led LCU at the half with eight points each. The two were 7-of-9 from the field (Schulte 4-of-5), while the rest of the Lady Chaps were a combined 5-of-22 (22.7%) from the field. ASU’s Blakely Gerber led all scorers with nine points through the opening half.
ASU took their first lead of the game 50 seconds into the second half off a jumper from Payton Brown, but LCU quickly regained the lead by responding with a 5-0 run started by a three-point play by Schulte for a 37-33 LCU lead (2:04 into the half). Trailing 42-41, ASU went on a 6-0 run to take a 44-42 advantage. Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant had five points in the final four minutes of the third quarter for ASU, which helped the Belles take a 52-50 lead into the final frame. LCU had 18 points in the third quarter, with Schulte (7) and Cunyus (5) combining for 12 of the points.
There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter and all four were in the opening six minutes of the quarter. Ashton Duncan’s layup with 4:29 remaining put LCU up 59-58, but it would be the last time they would lead in the game. Brown responded with a jumper for ASU, which led to the Belles outscoring LCU 9-4 in the final 4:12 of the game. LCU trailed by one point on two occasions in the span, but Juliana Robertson’s bucket with 1:25 remaining would be LCU’s final field goal of the game.
Angelo State shot 56.5% (13/23) in the second half, with Brown leading the team with 11 of her 13 points scored in the half (she finished with 10 rebounds to complete a double-double). Gerber led the Belles with 14 points. The Belles claimed their fifth consecutive home win and improve to 6-10 on the season and 3-2 in LSC play.
LCU was led by Schulte, who finished with 21 points. She posted a career-high mark of 10 field goals in the game and was 10-of-13 from the field. Cunyus was the only other Lady Chap in double figures. Her double-double performance (of 10 points and 10 rebounds) including a career-high rebound total. Juliana Robertson matched a career high with four steals.
The game featured nine lead changes overall.
