LUBBOCK, Texas - Playing minus two of its top scorers and rebounders, the McMurry University women's basketball team had no answer for Lubbock Christian University, falling 76-45 at the Rip Griffin Center.
 
The loss dropped the War Hawks to 1-8 on the season. It was also the seventh-straight setback for McM coach William Milton's crew.
 
Milton was forced to take on the perennially-strong Lady Chaps (6-2) minus juniors Taylor Neal (13.4 p.p.g./5.8 r.p.g.) and Taylor Russell (9.4 p.p.g./5.4 r.p.g.), who were both injured in the War Hawks' loss at Angelo State last Tuesday evening. That fact – combined with LCU's height advantage – made for a long afternoon for McMurry.
 
The Lady Chaps had 11 blocked shots in the game and tripled McM's points in the paint (36-12). A depleted War Hawks' bench was out-scored 54-9, as well. LCU, not surprisingly, shot nearly 52 percent (30-58) from the field, while McM was at 25 percent (16-64).
 
Lubbock led the game wire-to-wire, after opening matters with a 11-0 run.  After missing on its first nine field goal attempts of the game, McMurry finally got on the board thanks to a jumper by senior Adijatu Disu.
 
And the War Hawks didn't stop there. McMurry would go on a 7-0 run to make it 11-7 after Haley Welch drained a trey with 12:48 left in the opening half. Ashley Hesseltine's jumper in the paint three minutes later cut the deficit to 13-11.
 
Unfortunately for the visiting McM squad, that would be as close as they would get the rest of the day. The Lady Chaps extended the cushion and built their halftime bulge to 18 points, 38-20.
 
LCU out-scored McMurry by 13 in the second stanza en route to the 76-45 final score.
 
Disu led McMurry in scoring with 13 points. Disu also pulled down nine rebounds, had two assists and a block.
 
Keesha Bracy also hit double figures for McM with 11 points, making good on 4-of-9 field goal tries. Hesseltine finished with nine points, five boards and two assists off of the War Hawks' bench.
 
Mishae Roper had her top rebounding day in the Maroon & White, pulling down 10 caroms. Roper added six points and a block in the loss.