WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State knew the defending National Champions were going to make a run. What the Mustangs did not expect was to provide an assist with a cold shooting fourth quarter that doomed their chances against No. 2 Lubbock Christian.

MSU shot 2-of-15 from the floor in the final frame as LCU outscored the Maroon and Gold 22-10 en route to a 67-54 win on Saturday afternoon inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

"I should have called timeouts," Head Coach Noel Johnson said. "We do a drill in practice where we go score, stop, score, and when we were not scoring, I should have called a timeout."

Things started well for the Mustangs, as they jumped out to a 10-6 lead after the opening quarter. The six points scored by Lubbock Christian was their lowest first quarter output of the season. 

Frances King, who sparked MSU to a win over Angelo State earlier in the week, scored five of her seven points in the second quarter to help MSU to a 25-23 halftime lead. 

Hannah Reynolds scored 10 of her game-high 19 points in the third quarter. MSU led by as much as nine in the frame before the Lady Chaps closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to grab a one point edge. 

MSU tied the game at 47-47 with 8:35 remaining in regulation after Erin Alexander converted a three point play. That was the last point the Mustangs would score in nearly four minutes. LCU parlayed MSU's shooting troubles into a game-changing 10-0 run.

"You cannot play two and a half quarters against a team like Lubbock Christian," Johnson said. "You have got to put four quarters together and follow the gameplan and keep that attacking mentality." 

Elizabeth Cathcart notched her second double-double of the season with a 12-point, 12-rebound night.

Maddi Chitsey scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and recorded six blocks. Ashton Duncan also scored 16 points for the visiting Lady Chaps. 
 
GAME NOTES
- MSU suffered their first loss of the season when leading after the first quarter (3-1)
- The loss dropped the Mustangs to 4-4 (2-2); Lubbock Christian improved to 11-0 (5-0)
- The Mustangs shot just 2-of-14 from deep while Lubbock Christian finished 5-of-20
- Corbriyana Wingfield played a season-high nine minutes

UP NEXT
Midwestern State ushers in 2020 with a Lone Star Conference clash against UT Tyler on Thursday, January 2. Tipoff from the Louise Herrington Patriot Center in Tyler, Texas is set for 5:30 p.m.