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Texas A&M International

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Texas A&M International

2/14/2026 | 1:00 PM


Feb. 14 (Sat) / 1:00 PM


 Texas A&M International

History

LUBBOCK, Texas (February 12, 2026) — No. 23 Lubbock Christian University had to withstand a furious late push after nearly seeing a 19-point advantage disappear, but the Lady Chaps held on for a 57-54 Lone Star Conference home victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Thursday night inside the Rip Griffin Center, a win that also placed head coach Steve Gomez into elite company in Texas women’s basketball history.
 

With the victory, Gomez recorded the 572nd win of his career at Lubbock Christian, moving into fourth place on the all-time list for coaching wins at the same four-year university in women’s basketball in the state of Texas. Gomez passed longtime Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp (571) and now trails only Jody Conradt (Texas, 783), Kim Mulkey (Baylor, 632) and Bob Schneider (West Texas A&M, 585).
 
Lubbock Christian (19-5, 11-4 LSC) built its cushion early, using a 10-0 run in the opening quarter and a dominant second period to take control. The Lady Chaps led 13-12 after one quarter, then erupted for a 22-7 advantage in the second to carry a 35-19 lead into halftime. Tia Johnson knocked down three-pointers in each of the first three quarters, while Kimber Mathews and Kyndle Cunningham added timely scoring during LCU’s decisive second-quarter surge.
 
Despite holding a 51-39 lead entering the fourth, the Lady Chaps endured a cold-shooting final period and went without a field goal over the final 10:45 of the contest. LCU stayed in front by converting at the free-throw line, where it scored all six of its fourth-quarter points and 11 of its final 13 points overall. Kennedy Chappell and Cunningham combined for 16 second-half points, and Chappell sealed the win with a late defensive rebound and steal in the final 1:40.
 
Chappell posted her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, going 11-of-16 at the free-throw line. Freshman Cunningham recorded a career-high 15 points, adding five rebounds and three assists, while Johnson finished with 11 points on a perfect 3-for-3 night from three-point range.
 

Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-16, 5-10 LSC) was led by Kaycee Groves and Jadeyn Perez, who each scored 13 points. The Javelinas shot 40.8 percent from the field and outscored LCU 20-16 in the third quarter and 15-6 in the fourth, trimming the deficit to two points midway through the final period before the Lady Chaps closed the door at the line.

How It Happened

The Chaparrals started the first quarter with a steady performance, resulting in a one-point lead at the end of the quarter, 13-12. Justine Aguilar of Texas A&M-Kingsville opened the scoring with a layup, but the Chaps responded with a jumper from Meg Meekins to even the score. Tia Johnson followed with a three-pointer for the lead, and it highlighted a 10-0 run by the Lady Chaps for a 10-2 lead (occurred as TAMUK opened the game 1-of-8 from the field). The Javelinas responded with a 7-1 run, but Kennedy Chappell’s layup at 0:45 maintained the Chaps’ lead and ended the run. Katy Frost’s three-pointer in the final seconds brought the Javelinas within one, but the Chaps held on to close the first quarter ahead. Chappell led LCU with four points in the quarter.

 

Lubbock Christian took control in the second quarter, fueled by a strong offensive performance. Tia Johnson opened the scoring with a three-pointer at 9:02, assisted by Martie McCoy. Johnson’s three was the start of three straight three-point plays for LCU, as Kimber Mathews hit from deep and then Kyndle Cunningham added to the lead by scoring a layup and completing a three-point play at 7:19. She later hit a three-pointer at 6:43, assisted by Ally Ihler, extending the Chaps’ lead 25-12, as LCU opened the period on a 12-0 run. Ihler produced a layup nearly four minutes into the quarter to place the run at 14-1 and the Lady Chaps with a 27-13 advantage. Despite the Javelinas’ efforts, including a layup by Caitlyn Benally at 5:05, the Chaps maintained their momentum, closing the period with a 22-7 advantage after Ihler had a three-pointer to spark an 8-0 run in the final four minutes. TAMUK was 2-of-12 (16.7%) from the field in the quarter and went a span of 4:22 without a field goal to open the quarter (additionally, they closed the half missing seven consecutive shots). Cunningham (6) and Ihler (5) combined for 11 points for LCU in the quarter, as Cunningham led LCU at the break with eight points.

 

In a competitive third quarter, the Lady Chaps maintained their lead over the Javelinas with a balanced scoring effort. Tia Johnson contributed significantly with a three-pointer 45 seconds into the half and a jumper with 45 seconds left, bringing the home team’s score to 51-39 at the end of the quarter. Johnson’s field goal with 45 seconds left in the third quarter would turn out to be their final made field goal of the game. While TAMUK was 6-of-10 (60%) in the quarter from the field, LCU went 3-of-14 from the field. The Javelinas’ offense was highlighted by Kaycee Groves’ three-pointer at 1:02 and a jumper from Thalia Daniels at the buzzer. Despite the Javelinas’ 20-point surge in the quarter, the Chaps held a 51-39 advantage heading into the final quarter behind five points each from Tia Johnson, Chappell (5-of-6 from the free-throw line) and Cunningham. LCU was 8-of-10 from the free-throw line in the game, as their 16 points in the quarter was split with eight points from the line and eight from the field.

 

Lubbock Christian maintained its lead in the fourth quarter despite a scoring push from the Javelinas. Kennedy Chappell contributed crucial free throws, extending the margin and securing the defensive rebound late at 1:38. Kyndle Cunningham also added two free throws at 2:06, which helped preserve the lead. The Javelinas narrowed the gap with consistent scoring in the paint, closing within two points at 4:46 (rallying back from a 19-point deficit). However, the Chaps capitalized on turnovers and defensive stops, including a late steal by Chappell with 20 seconds remaining, to fend off the comeback. The game concluded with the Chaparrals ahead 57-54. LCU won despite not producing a field goal in the quarter and for the game’s final 10:45. The Lady Chaps, shooting 3-for-21 (14.3%) from the field in the second half, scored all six of their points in the fourth quarter from the free-throw line and 11 of their final 13 points tallied in the game from the free-throw line. They had a sequence of eight consecutive missed field goals in the third quarter and it was part of stretch in which LCU ended the game 1-of-16 from the field. Chappell (9) and Cunningham (7) combined for 16 points in the second half.  

Game Notes

» With the victory, head coach Steve Gomez recorded the 572nd win of his career at Lubbock Christian, moving him into fourth place on the all-time list for coaching wins at the same four-year university in women’s basketball in the state of Texas. Gomez now trails only Jody Conradt (Texas, 783), Kim Mulkey (Baylor, 632) and Bob Schneider (West Texas A&M, 585), and moved past Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech, 571).

 

» Kennedy Chappell recorded her fourth double-double of the season and of her career, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The junior went 11-of-16 from the free-throw line, with the 16 free-throw attempts falling one shy of tying the Rip Griffin Center record of 17 held by Mamy N’Kolomoni (Mar. 1, 2002). The 16 attempts were LCU’s second-most in a single game in their NCAA era and the most since Nicole Hampton tied the program record of 17 on Jan. 14, 2016 at Rogers State. The 11 points from the line matched a career high and a season high, as she made 11 on Nov. 22, 2025 against Southern Arkansas. Chappell’s 13 points marked her 20th double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 30th of her career, continuing to anchor the Lady Chaps on both ends of the floor.

 

» Freshman Kyndle Cunningham recorded the third double-figure scoring performance of her career (and season), pouring in a career-high 15 points. Cunningham scored eight of her points in the first half, including six in the second quarter, and added five rebounds and three assists (matching a career high). She was perfect at the free-throw line (5-for-5) and knocked down two three-pointers (2-of-5) in the outing.

 

» Tia Johnson had a three-pointer in the first, second and third quarters, going 3-for-3 from downtown to match a career high with three trios. The performance led to Johnson’s ninth career double-digit scoring game at Lubbock Christian and her seventh of the season, as she finished with 11 points. 

 

» LCU forced TAMUK into 18 turnovers, while committing 14, but outscored TAMUK 21-9 in points off turnovers.

 

» LCU claimed their sixth consecutive win in the all-time series against the Javelinas, and LCU improves to 7-1 all-time against TAMUK, including a 3-0 mark at home. All eight games are with Gomez as LCU’s head coach and Michael Madrid as TAMUK’s head coach (Madrid is a former assistant coach for LCU under Gomez).   

 

» The Lady Chaps improved to 8-1 at home on the season.

 

Next Up

LCU remains home Saturday to host Texas A&M International at 1 p.m. in a game LCU will be recognizing members of the 2015-16 NCAA Div. II National Championship squad as part of Homecoming Weekend and a reflection of the 10-year anniversary of the championship season.

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