Box Score WICHITA – The Newman women's basketball team fell, 73-68, to Heartland Conference leading Lubbock Christian on Thursday (Jan. 23) at Fugate Gymnasium. The Lady Jets dropped to 9-9 and 6-6 in the Heartland Conference. The Lady Chaps improved to 16-1 and 11-0 in the Heartland Conference.
 
After an Alexandra Ciabattoni layup tied the score at 56-56 with 6:53 left in the contest, LCU went on a quick 5-0 run to take a 61-56 lead. The Lady Chaps made a layup at 6:37 then hit a 3-pointer at the 5:49 mark for a 61-56 score.
 
Cierra Tjaden cut the deficit to two, 61-59, with a 3-pointer at the 5:27 mark. After a LCU layup, Brianna Caldwell knocked down a 3-pointer to pull NU to within one, 63-62, with 3:56 remaining.
 
The Lady Chaps went up three with 3:23 left after a layup made it 65-62. The Lady Jets once again cut the margin to one point, 65-64, on a basket from Shakira Raynor.
 
Only 15 seconds later, LCU's Haley Burton hit a 3 at the 2:41 mark to put the Lady Chaps in front, 68-64. LCU went up six, 70-64, at the 2:06 mark after a made layup.
 
Ciabattoni made a basket to cut the deficit to four points, 70-66, with 1:46 remaining. The Lady Jets missed back-to-back 3-pointers in their next two possessions and were forced to foul with 23 seconds remaining. LCU made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch for the 73-68 final score.
 
Ciabattoni scored a game-high 24 points of 11-of-15 shooting. She added nine rebounds, and a game-high four steals. Copeland added 16 points, and Brianna Caldwell went 3-of-4 from 3-point range for nine points in only 15 minutes.
 
LCU's Kesley Hoppel hit six 3s, going 6-of-7 from behind the arc, for 22 points. She was 7-of-8 from the field. Three other Lady Chaps hit double figures.
 
The Lady Jets take on Texas-Permian Basin, last season's Heartland Conference champion, on Saturday (Jan. 23)