LCU made the trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to pay in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament—their fifth appearance in just nine years of being eligible to compete. In fact, since joining DII, LCU has finished among the top eight programs in the nation more often than not, and that streak has included three national titles and two undefeated seasons. Head Coach Steve Gomez is no stranger to this stage, and LCU’s team boasted a talented roster from top to bottom.

Their opponent, Pittsburg State, based in Pittsburg, Kansas, has been a force in the NCAA this season, winning the Central Regional including a victory over the defending national champion Minesota State. The Gorillas feature one of the top offenses in the country, elite rebounding, and the Central Region’s Most Outstanding Player: Karenna Gerber.

A sizeable contingent of LCU faithful made the 1,500-mile trip from Lubbock to Pittsburgh for the tournament, the second furthest of any team behind only the California-based Cal State Dominguez Hills. LCU Cheer also came to support the Lady Chaps, and the atmosphere in the Cooper Fieldhouse was electric as players were introduced, the teams took the court, and the game began.

LCU lost the tipoff but held the Gorillas to a quick stop on defense answered with an equally fast score on offense. Another stop, and LCU’s 3-time All-American Grace Foster hit a 3-pointer to start hot out the gate. Pitt answered back with a 10-point run, and going into the first media timeout, LCU had fallen behind 10-7—as everyone knew, it was going to be a battle.

LCU is no stranger to tough games this postseason—their prediction-defying takedown of TWU included coming back from an 11-point third quarter deficit. They’d need every bit of grit they’d shown for every win.

At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Chaps were down by a score of 17-11, but Grace Foster started LCU off with a quick goal, and the two teams traded buckets. Halfway through the second quarter, LCU had cut the lead to three points, largely due to forcing turnovers, and the momentum began to swing in the Lady Chaps’ way—and then the lead was cut to just one with just 30 seconds left in the half. LCU poured on some stout defense, but a foul as the shot clock buzzer rang out sent Pitt State’s Campbell to the free throw line. Senior Maci Maddox’s halfcourt heave at the halftime buzzer bounced off the rim, and the Lady Chaps went into the locker room down by only two—a tight, manageable deficit.

LCU out-rebounded the Gorillas in the first half, but the Lady Chaps’ shooting wasn’t as sharp as they’d hoped. One of LCU’s central threats, senior Audrey Spurgin, was also in foul trouble, and having to save her size down low would make the rebounding battle tougher in the second half. However, this was where the Lady Chaps had been just one game before—LCU fans hoped that this was where halftime adjustments would bring a strong third quarter surge.

As the teams returned to the court to warm up for the second half, the determination in the air was palpable—nothing about this season had been easy. As Pitt got the first possession, LCU seniors Audrey Robertson and Reese Schumann blocked both of their opponents first shots, but a quick turnover by the Lady Chaps gave Pitt the ball back. The Gorillas drained a 3-pointer pushed the deficit to five, and another two free throws their next time down the floor expanded it to seven. Another turnover for LCU and an and-one for the Gorillas ballooned the lead to double-digits—every time the Lady Chaps began a run, Pitt seemed to have an answer. 

After the first media timeout of the third quarter, Foster hit a bucket, but Pitt answered with a three-pointer, which only served to drive home LCU’s own three-point drought—since Grace’s first triple in the opening minutes of the game, the Lady Chaps had not made one of their eight additional attempts. LCU had relied heavily on the three-ball all year, shooting nearly 40% to lead the Lone Star Conference, but even as they found open shots, the ball seemed determined to find its way out of the bucket.

With 30 seconds left in the half, Maci Maddox nailed a 3-pointer to bring the deficit back within five, and the LCU fans erupted—perhaps that luck was changing. As the standing crowd’s chants of “D-fence!” filling the loud arena, the Lady Chaps held off a Pitt answer attempt and went into the fourth quarter down 46-41.

As the final period of play began, LCU had a chance to cut the lead to just a single bucket, but a hard miss by Foster on a physical contested shot gave Pitt back the ball. On the other end of the court, LCU’s Marty McCoy collided with a Pitt player as she fought for a rebound, and the foul was upgraded to a technical on review. Pitt made one of the free throws and then added a bucket on the following possession, and the lead was back to eight. LCU answered with their own three-point play via a made shot and foul, but again, Pitt’s offensive answered back to balloon the lead to 10 with just four and a half minutes to play—if the Lady Chaps were going to come back to claim victory, this was make-or-break time.

After the team missed several more three-point attempts, Maci Maddox finally got the team’s third three of the game to fall. LCU called a quick timeout, and after a bucket and fast break steal by Audrey Robertson, sophomore Kennedy Chappel chipped in two more points off another steal, and the lead was back to five. As had been the story all game, however, Pitt answered with a quick three pointer, and LCU turned the ball over with under two minutes to go.

The LCU faithful stood as their team took the floor following the timeout, and after a tough defensive battle and a review, Pitt turned the ball over on a shot clock violation. Foster made a quick bucket, but Pitt responded with one of their own—time was running out. As the final minute ticked off the clock, LCU’s shots continued to fail to fall, and they were unable to do what they had done so many times in this postseason—the Lady Chaps’ deep postseason run ended in the round of eight by a score of 66-55.

As the players left the floor, the crowd from Lubbock who had followed their team across the country gave them a rousing cheer—even in defeat, LCU’s season was still one for the books, and the fans sporting blue wanted their team to know how proud they were of these players and coaches.

The Lady Chaps racked up 32 wins and only five losses, including a takedown of the top team in the country enroute to the national tournament. They claimed a share of the Lone Star Conference Crown, the regional title, and were one of the eight top teams in the country. Seniors Grace Foster and Maci Maddox claimed All-America honors, Senior Audrey Robertson was named the top academic player in the country, earning the prestigious Elite 90 award while also holding the NCAA Division II’s record for active games played.

Foster also cemented her name in the LCU books as the program’s all-time scoring leader—her 23 points in the national quarterfinal brought her career total to 2,056, and the only player in program history to eclipse 2,000 points. Her 896 rebounds are third best in program history, and she also set the program record for most points in a postseason game with 32.

Audrey Robertson ended her career with 1,407 points, and Maxi Maddox also finished with a total of 1,304—the first time the program has ever had a trio of players with over 1,000 points each since the 2016 national championship team.

For the LCU Lady Chaparrals, the 2024-25 season is one to be proud of.