LUBBOCK, Texas (Feb. 8, 2014) – Lubbock Christian (Texas) is hard enough to beat when it plays an average game. When the Chaparrals shoot lights-out on their home court, forget it.
LCU, the best women's basketball team in the Heartland Conference, shot 51.5 percent from the field – including 59.3 percent from 3-point range – and completed a season sweep of Oklahoma Christian with a 108-79 win on Saturday afternoon at the Rip Griffin Center.
LCU (20-1, 15-0 Heartland) maintained its two-game lead in the conference standings over second-place Texas A&M International, with five games remaining. OC (11-10, 7-7) remained in sixth place, with a critical three-game homestand set to start on Monday against McMurry (Texas).
The Chaparrals posted a season high in points while breaking a program record with their 18th straight win. That is the third-longest active streak among NCAA Division II programs.
"Lubbock is a great shooting team," OC coach Stephanie Findley said. "We gave them too many open 3s. That's a recipe for disaster. We got outcoached by miles and miles today. I did not have us prepared but thankfully we did score a little more today and we are rebounding well."
After shooting just 25 percent on Thursday in a loss at Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday, the Lady Eagles connected on 32.9 percent of their shots (23 of 70) at LCU. Sydney Hill had 18 points and four assists and the Lady Eagles outrebounded LCU 50-39 – led by Roz Hamilton's nine rebounds – but OC couldn't overcome the Chaparrals' offensive flurry.
Emily Pool went 5-of-7 from 3-point range and led five Chaparrals in double figures with 25 points. The Chaparrals recorded assists on 28 of their 35 baskets.
OC fell behind 11-1 before the Lady Eagles' first basket, by Jasmine Hinton more than 3½ minutes into the game. It didn't get any better for the Lady Eagles after that, as LCU pushed its lead to 66-34 by halftime. The Chaparrals hit 12 of their 16 3-pointers in the first half.
The Lady Eagles cut the deficit to 69-44 with 17:58 left on a 3-pointer by Hamilton but came no closer in the second half.
Logan McKee added 12 points for OC and Emma Gade hit both of her 3-point attempts and finished with eight points. Jordan Gorham also scored eight points for OC.
For LCU, Kelsey Hoppel went 5-of-5 from the field – all from 3-point range – and scored 15 points to go with six assists.
