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


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NO. 9 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (24-4, 15-3 LSC)
vs. WESTERN NEW MEXICO (21-5, 14-4 LSC)
Thursday, February 26 – 7:30 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
 
TIPOFF

Lubbock Christian University begins their final homestand of the regular season on Thursday as they host Western New Mexico at 7:30 p.m. at the Rip Griffin Center. It is the final week before the madness of March begins, and Thursday’s game is as important as they come. The Mustangs come in with a 14-4 league record, just behind the Chaps, who are currently tied with Eastern New Mexico for second place. DBU leads the league and will need wins against Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Kingsville to lock up the No. 1 seed and their second-straight Lone Star Conference title.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN
Lubbock Christian moved up another spot in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top-25 poll and is now ranked No. 190. 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. 12 after a loss last week and DBU has moved into the rankings at No. 23. St. Edward’s and Western New Mexico are the first two teams out in the poll. The Chaps have played seven games this season against ranked opponents and are 5-2 in those contests.
 
BOARDING SCHOOL
The Chaps out-rebounded their 20th opponent of the season on Saturday, ending the game against UT Permian Basin plus-nine in that category. They are 19-1 in those games. LCU is averaging 36.75 rebounds per game, which is the fourth-most in the conference. More than half of those rebounds come from just two players – Antonio Pusateri and Amondo Miller Jr. Pusateri is sixth in the nation in rebounds per game (10.8) and third nationally in double-doubles (18). He is on pace for 324 rebounds this season, which would be the fourth-most by a Chap in single-season history. Miller actually out-does him on the defensive glass, and his 7.59 defensive rebounds per game are the seventh-most in Division II.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
As a team, LCU now shooting 50.6 percent on the season, which ranks eighth in the nation and second in the conference. Lubbock Christian is also ranked sixth 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 .579. Pusateri leads the team and is third in the LSC in field goal percentage at .597, 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 43.2 percent from deep and is 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.
 
IRON MEN
Three of the top five players in the Lone Star Conference in minutes per game are starters for LCU. Dow leads the way, ranking second in the league and 39th nationally with 35.7 minutes per game. Miller and Pusateri are not far behind at third and fifth, 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.
 
PROTECT THE ROCK
Lubbock Christian comes into the final week of the season with the sixth-best assist to turnover ratio in all of Division II basketball. Their mark of 1.6 is the best by a Chaparral team since the 2021-22 season, when they had a ratio of 1.7. LCU is averaging 16.3 assists per game, which is the second-best mark in the LSC. Mercandino leads the way in that category with an average of 3.6 helpers per game. Meanwhile, the team is turning the ball over just 10.3 times per contest, which leads the conference and is 13th nationally. They have recorded single-digit turnovers in four straight games and seven out of their last eight contests.
 
IN THEIR DEFENSE
The Chaparrals have held six of their last nine 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 67.5 points per game this season, which gives them the third-best defense in the Lone Star Conference. Chap opponents shoot just 42.1 percent from the field, including 31 percent from behind the arc.
 
WHERE THE HEART IS
This will be the 11th home game of the season for the Chaps, who are 9-1 inside the Rip Griffin so far this year. Including Thursday’s matchup with WNMU, they have three more games on their home court. In their nine home games so far this season, they are averaging 82.8 points per game on 53.6 percent shooting, while limiting opponents to 61.7 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting. In their only home loss against ENMU, the Chaps shot 57.1 percent from the field, which is their highest shooting percentage in a loss since March 16, 2021. Officially dedicated on October 9, 2000, the Rip Griffin Center seats 1,950 fans for sporting events.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS


Western New Mexico have had one of their best seasons in program history, despite rank seventh in the LSC in both offense and defense
The Mustangs have four players averaging double-figures, led by Cortaviaus Seales at 14.6 points per game
WNMU is one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, averaging 37.3 rebounds per game
Mustang forward Andre Harris is the reigning LSC Defensive Player of the Week and ranks third in the conference in blocks per game with 1.2
WNMU also leads the conference in blocked shots per game as a team, averaging 4.54

 
THE SERIES WITH THE MUSTANGS
Lubbock Christian and Western New Mexico met sparingly in the 20th century and only started facing off regularly in 2019, when the former joined the Lone Star Conference. The Chaps lead the all-time series 14-11. LCU won the first six meetings after joining the LSC, but in the last five matchups, WNMU has been the winner three times, including a victory in the Rip Griffin Center last season.