MSU Men's Basketball Weekly

Midwestern State hits Dr. Gerald Stockton Court at D.L. Ligon Coliseum for the first time this season Wednesday night as the Mustangs take on rival West Texas A&M. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 

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ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

LAST WEEK: Midwestern State rolled to a pair of road wins to start Lone Star Conference play with a 2-0 mark. The Mustangs recovered from a 16-point first-half deficit to upend Incarnate Word 74-69 Thursday in San Antonio then climbed out of a 10-point first half hole to take a 67-64 decision Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
ROAD WARRIORS: The Mustangs came out of the second longest road stretch at the start of the season with a 5-2 mark. It was the longest road trip at the start of the season the 1995-96 posted a 1-4 mark in five away contests. MSU struggled to a 1-8 in mark in the longest road run to start a season in 1995-96.
 
DOME, SWEET, DOME: Midwestern State makes its debut in front of the home crowd at D.L. Ligon Coliseum where the Mustangs experience one of the best home court advantages in the national. The Mustangs own NCAA Division II's fifth longest home court winning streaks at 18 games and have won 59 of 60 games under the dome dating back to the 2008-09 season. Only Kansas and West Liberty (W. Va.) own better one-loss home streaks at 66-1.
 
MUSTANGS AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED OPPOSITION: Midwestern State has experienced a great deal of success against nationally ranked teams on its home floor at D.L. Ligon Coliseum where the Mustangs have claimed wins against seven of the last eight teams who lugged national rankings into the dome. MSU is 4-2 against teams ranked in the NABC Top 25 under current coach Nelson Haggerty including a run of four-straight wins with the first two coming against Tarleton State (No. 5, No. 7) before beating No. 19 Washburn and No. 15 Arkansas Tech. The Mustangs are 7-3 in their last 10 meetings against nationally ranked teams dating back to the 2010-11 season.
 
WIZARD TABBED LSC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore guard Keith Spellman earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors averaging 17 points while leading the Mustangs to a pair of conference road wins last week over Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Spellman scored 19 points including a pair of 3-pointers while going 7-of-12 from the free throw line Thursday against Incarnate Word then hit 10-of-12 from the free throw line Saturday in a 67-64 win at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
NEXT TIME OUT: Midwestern State enjoys a 10-day respite for Finals Weeks before returning to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for a rematch of the 2012 NCAA II South Central Region championship game against Arkansas Tech. Tipoff against the Wonderboys on Saturday, Dec. 15 is set for 6 p.m.
 

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SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
   
#25 WEST TEXAS A&M
// Wednesday, 12.05.2012 // 7:30 p.m. // D.L. Ligon Coliseum // Wichita Falls, Texas 
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West Texas A&M (7-1, 1-1) bounced back from its lone loss of the season with a 73-44 thrashing of Angelo State Saturday in San Angelo. The Buffs, who are now 3-1 in games decided by three points or less, hit game winning shots with seconds remaining in three consecutive games to claim wins over Colorado State-Pueblo, Oklahoma Christian and Missouri Southern, but senior Darnell Jackson's shot was off the mark at the buzzer to allow Abilene Christian to come away with a 59-58 win last Wednesday in Canyon. Senior forward Donald Sims paces WT averaging 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds a game while sophomore guard Tez Dumars adds 10 points a contest. Senior forward Mason White (9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds), Jackson (8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds) and senior guard Kennon Washington (7.9 points, 4.1 rebounds) round out a balanced Buffaloe attack. West Texas A&M boasts the LSC's top scoring defense allowing 55.1 points a game.

About the Series:  Midwestern State and West Texas A&M meet for the 59th time on the hardwood Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Buffs own a 34-24 edge in the series that dates back to the 1947-48 season and are the only team in the Lone Star Conference to boast a winning record over the last 10 games against the Mustangs at 6-4. Midwestern has won the last four games against WT under the dome including a 66-60 overtime last season. MSU is 13-5 all time against the Buffs at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.