Story Links


NO. 25 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (4-0) vs.
COLORADO MESA (1-1)
Friday, Nov. 21 – 5 p.m. MT / 6 p.m. CT
Whalen Gymnasium – Durango, Colorado
 
TIPOFF
After a successful two-game homestand against a pair of Colorado teams, the Lubbock Christian University men’s basketball team will make their own trip to the Centennial State, taking on Colorado Mesa and Fort Lewis this weekend. The Chaparrals have started the season 4-0, which is their best start to a season since the 2021-22 campaign. They have won their four games by an average of 26.3 points per game.
 
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
LCU exploded for 105 points in Sunday’s win against Regis, reaching triple digits for the first time this season after doing so only once last season (11/26 vs. UT Dallas). Of the 13 players on the Chap roster, 12 scored in the game, including the first collegiate points for Devin Baccas and Emerson Juhasz. Four different LCU players finished in double-figures, including season-highs from Kendall Dow (20), Lucas Mercandino (16) and Jett McCasland (10). They shot a whopping 60.6 percent. Last season, there were only two games all season that the team shot better than 60 percent.
 
SHARP-SHOOTERS
The 60.6 percent shooting raised an already impressive field goal percentage for the Chaps to .540. That number ranks 12th in all of Division II and leads the LSC. Lubbock Christian is ranked even higher – seventh 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. LCU has a .631 effective field goal percentage. Amondo Miller Jr. is shooting 61.4 percent from the field to lead the team, and Dow is also shooting 60 percent.
 
PROTECT THE ROCK
Through four games, LCU is averaging just 9.8 turnovers per game, which ranks third in the LSC and 21st in the nation. Meanwhile, they lead the league with 17.8 assists per game, giving them an assist to turnover ratio of 1.8, which is No. 10 nationally. Four different Chaparrals have already reached the double-digit mark in assists, led by Leo Nordberg’s 17. Dow has 11, and Miller and Mercandino have 10 each. Nordberg ranks fourth individually in the LSC with an assist to turnover ratio of 4.3.
 
BOARD GAMES
So far this season, Lubbock Christian is averaging 39.0 rebounds per game, which is about six boards a game better than last year’s average. They have out-rebounded all four of their opponents so far with an average margin of 7.3 per game. Antonio Pusateri is the team leader on the glass, averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, with two double-doubles under his belt already. Alex Anamekwe is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game and Miller Jr. is at 7.0.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Almost half (49.6 percent) of the 800 total minutes of court time accrued by Chaparral players has come from people not on the team last season. Eight players on the LCU roster this season are new, including four freshmen and four transfers. The transfer class includes Leo Nordberg (Longwood), Lucas Mercandino (LaSalle), Ignacio Garcia (NMMI) and Antonio Pusateri (College of S.F.). Freshman on the team are Lee Van der Westhuizen, Jett McCasland, Emerson Juhasz and Adam Varadi. The group is a veritable United Nations, featuring only two Americans along with players from Finland, Argentina, Australia and Hungary.
 
NATIONALLY KNOWN

The Chaps are ranked No. 25 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll, which was released prior to the start of the season. It is the first time they have been ranked in a preseason poll since the 2022-23 season. The first regular season ranking will come out on Tuesday, Nov. 25 after the first two full weekends of play have been completed. Colorado Mines is ranked No. 10 in the same poll, making Friday night’s contest a top-10 matchup. Reigning national champion Nova Southeastern leads the national poll. The only Lone Star Conference team besides LCU currently ranked is DBU at No. 3, but St. Mary’s and West Texas A&M also received votes in the poll.
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS


CMU has started the season 1-1 with a buzzer-beater win against Dallas Baptist and a loss to St. Edward’s
The Mavericks are led by head coach Mike Dunlap, who is in his second season at Mesa, but is already a member of the RMAC Hall of Fame for winning two national titles at MSU-Denver
Cohenj Gonzales leads the Maverick offense, averaging 17.5 points per game on 48 percent shooting
CMU was picked third in the RMAC Preseason Poll, with Ty Allred and Harvey White on the All-Conference Preseason Team
The Mavericks are averaging a whopping 22 turnovers per game, which is the fifth-highest mark in all of Division II

 
THE SERIES WITH THE MAVERICKS
The Chaparrals are looking for their first-ever win against Colorado Mesa. The two programs have only ever met twice on the hardwood. The first meeting came in 1978 in Grand Junction, Colorado, where CMU won 92-81. The more recent meeting was in 2022 in Lubbock in the semifinals of the NCAA South Central Super Regional, where the Mavericks upset the Chaps 63-62.