By: Everett Corder (everett.corder@lcu.edu)


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NO. 10 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (23-4, 14-3 LSC)
vs. UT PERMIAN BASIN (10-15, 6-11 LSC)
Saturday, February 21 – 3 p.m.
Falcon Dome (Odessa, Texas)
 
TIPOFF
Lubbock Christian University won their third straight game on Thursday night and will wrap up their slate of road games for the 2025-26 regular season on Saturday, when they take on UT Permian Basin at 3 p.m. at the Falcon Dome. LCU already beat the UTPB once this season, in each team’s first Lone Star Conference game of the year. The Chaps won 79-58, using a 12-point run at the end of the first half to pull away. They shot 71.4 percent from the field in the second half.
 
AWARD CENTRAL
Lubbock Christian senior forward Amondo Miller Jr. was named to the 2026 Bevo Francis Top 50 Watch List, Small College Basketball announced on Sunday. The award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within small college basketball. This is the 10th season for Small College Basketball to present the prestigious award, although a winner was not named in 2021. The Bevo Francis Awards Committee, which is made up of 20 coaches, will consider season statistics, individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements when they eventually select a winner.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
As a team, LCU now shooting 50.7 percent on the season, which ranks eighth in the nation and leads  the conference. Lubbock Christian is also ranked fifth nationally in Effective FG%, which is a statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points, while all other field goals only count for two points. Their EFG% so far this season is .581. Pusateri leads the team and is third in the LSC in field goal percentage at .599, and Miller Jr. and Lucas Mercandino are all shooting better than 47 percent as well.
 
BEYOND THE ARC
LCU’s efficiency extends all the way out past the three-point line, where their 39.7 percent shooting ranks sixth in all of Division II and leads the LSC. Kendall Dow leads the team and is second in the league, shooting 41.9 percent from deep after hitting on 6-of-8 on Thursday night. Dow is also second in the conference with 2.9 made three-pointers per game. LCU matched a program record with 20 made three-pointers – including 12 in the second half – earlier this season against Fort Lewis. The Chaps have shot better than 50 percent from behind the arc three times this season, including a season-high 64.7 percent on Nov. 2 against Augusta.
 
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
The Chaparrals have held six of their last eight opponents below the 70-point mark and four of those opponents to below 40 percent shooting. LCU has played 17 games this season where they limited an opponent to less than 70 points, winning all 17 times. Lubbock Christian opponents are averaging just 67.1 points per game this season, which gives them the third-best defense in the Lone Star Conference. Chap opponents shoot just 41.7 percent from the field, including 30.5 percent from behind the arc.
 
BOARDING SCHOOL
The Chaps won on Thursday despite being out-rebounded 34-29 in the game. It is just the seventh time they have been out-rebounded this season, and they are now 5-2 in those contests. Miller had a double-double in the game, his ninth of the season. Pusateri missed out on a double-double and stayed at 17 for the season – which ranks third nationally. He is averaging 10.7 boards per game, which is sixth nationally and puts him on pace for 327 this season. That would be the fourth-most by a Chap in a season in program history. LCU is averaging 37.1 rebounds per game, and they have out-rebounded their opponents 19 time this season, going 18-1 in those contests.
 
IRON MEN
Three of the top five players in the Lone Star Conference in minutes per game are starters for LCU. Miller Jr. leads the way, ranking second in the league and 39th nationally with 35:22 minutes per game. Dow and Pusateri are not far behind at third and sixth, respectively. Dow has played the full 40 minutes in seven games this season. Only Leo Nordberg (22.9) and Reagan Fielder (10.5) are averaging double-digit minutes off the bench, although Nordberg has moved into the starting lineup since Alex Anamekwe was injured in the game against West Texas A&M and Fiedler has since been injured himself.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Lubbock Christian moved up a in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top-25 poll and is now ranked No. 10. The Chaps have been nationally ranked every week this season, and they are one of just three Lone Star Conference teams in the rankings this week. Eastern New Mexico is at No. 9 and St. Edward’s is No. 14. The Chaps have played seven games this season against ranked opponents and are 5-2 in those contests.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
This is Lubbock Christian’s final road trip of the regular season, where they have been fairly successful so far this year. The Chaps are just 7-2 in true road games, and 6-1 at neutral sites. In the nine true road games, they are averaging 78.3 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting. LCU opponents on the road average 70.3 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting. The two true road losses the Chaps have suffered came at Cameron and at DBU.
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS


UTPB allows 82.1 points per game, which is the second-most of any team in the LSC
Falcon forward Tash Lunday is the conference leader in minutes per game, playing more than 36 minutes a night
Four of the Falcons’ 10 wins this season have come outside of regulation, including three in double-overtime
The Falcons are currently 11th in the LSC standings and need to keep winning in order to make the league’s postseason tournament
Lunday ranks in the top five in the LSC in both scoring and rebounding

 
THE SERIES WITH THE FALCONS
Lubbock Christian and UT Permian Basin have been meeting on the hardwood since 2002, which was the first season the Falcons competed in men’s basketball. The two teams have met 28 total times, with LCU leading the all-time series 23-5. The Chaps have been winners in 10 straight matchups, dating back to the 2020-21 season. UTPB’s last win came on Feb. 27, 2020, which was in Odessa.