Lady Chaps underdog to LSC rival in D-II NCAA Tournament opener
Lubbock Christian University's Lady Chaps find themselves in the unusual role of underdog going into the Division II NCAA Tournament.
That's implied when you're a No. 7 seed in a first-round game against a No. 2 seed, even more so when it's a rematch of a rout six days before. Texas Woman's (26-5) and LCU (22-10) square off at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the NCAA South Central Region tournament at the Junell Center in San Angelo.
In its previous six NCAA Tournament appearances, all since 2016, LCU was a No. 1 seed four times, a No. 3 seed twice and won three national championships.
"This time of year, there's only 64 teams playing," Lady Chaps coach Steve Gomez said, "so you really don't think about where you're sitting. You're just glad to keep playing."
Texas Woman's beat LCU 84-49 on Saturday at the Lone Star Conference tournament in Frisco, dealing the Lady Chaps the program's worst loss since 2010. TWU is ranked No. 10 by the Division II sports information directors panel (D2SIDA) and No. 19 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
The Pioneers shot an LSC tournament record 72.2 percent from 3-point range, making 10 of their first 11 and 13 of 18 for the game.
The first meeting of the season — a 75-69 Pioneers victory in Denton — was considerably closer, so the Lady Chaps (22-10) don't see the outcome of the third meeting as a foregone conclusion.
"This year at home, we beat Cameron by 51," Gomez said, referring to an 85-34 victory, "and then we played them there and it was a two-point game (54-52) in the fourth quarter (of a 68-56 LCU victory). That's just sports. Sometimes a game goes in a strange way.
"Hopefully, they won't shoot it as good, and hopefully we'll shoot it better and maybe those little possessions early in a game that can make a big difference will fall our way."
Angelo State edged TWU 63-62 in Sunday's conference tournament championship and, later that night got the nod as the No. 1 seed and host of the South Central regional.
The TWU-LCU winner will play a semifinal at 5 p.m. Saturday against the winner of No. 3 seed Regis (25-6) and No. 6 seed Black Hills State (22-7).
DIVISION II NCAA TOURNAMENT
South Central Region
Seeds, records in parentheses
WOMEN
at Junell Center, San Angelo
Friday's first-round games
Regis (3) (25-6) vs. Black Hills State (6) (22-7), noon
Texas Woman's (2) (26-5) vs. Lubbock Christian (7) (22-10), 2:30 p.m.
Colorado School of Mines (4) (24-6) vs. UT Tyler (5) (24-7), 5 p.m.
Angelo State (1) (25-6) vs. West Texas A&M (8) (21-10), 7:30 p.m.
MEN
at First United Bank Center, Canyon
Saturday's first-round games
Colorado School of Mines (3) (26-5) vs. Black Hills State (6) (25-5), noon
Fort Lewis (2) (28-3) vs. Lubbock Christian (7) (19-11), 2:30 p.m.
West Texas A&M (1) (25-6) vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (8) (21-11), 5 p.m.
Angelo State (4) (25-6) vs. Colorado Mesa (5) (24-7), 7:30 p.m.
NJCAA REGION V TOURNAMENT
at The Tiger Pit, Wolfforth
Note: Conference affiliation, seeds, records in parentheses. A "W" denotes teams from the Western Junior College Athletic Conference. An "N" denotes teams from the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference.
MEN
Wednesday's First-Round Results
Ranger College 76, South Plains College 73
Weatherford College 65, Clarendon College 62
Midland College 77, McLennnan Community College 40
Odessa College 80, Hill College 40
Friday's Semifinals
Ranger (N1) (25-6) vs. Weatherford (N3) (23-7), 1 p.m.
Odessa (W1) (29-2) vs. Midland (W3) (25-6), 3 p.m.
WOMEN
Thursday's First-Round Results
Collin College 80, Clarendon College 72
New Mexico Junior College 76, Grayson College 49
McLennan Community College 67, Odessa College 50
South Plains College 59, Hill 50
Friday's Semifinals
Collin (N1) (29-1) vs. New Mexico JC (W2) (23-5), 5 p.m.
South Plains (W1) (19-9) vs. McLennan (N2) (27-3), 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lady Chaps underdog to LSC rival in D-II NCAA Tournament opener
