DURANT, Okla. - It wasn't an easy feat and it sure didn't come easy, but Midwestern State coach Jeff Ray became the third basketball coach in school history to record 200 wins.

Nolan Richardson followed a driving layup by hitting one of two free throws in the closing seconds as the Mustangs came away with a 54-50 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon at Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium.

Richardson, who finished the night with a game-high 21 points, produced just enough heroics to give Ray something more imporant - a win going into South Division play starting Wednesday night against Tarleton State at home.

"(Getting to 200) is not that big of a deal," Ray said. "It's just another game. I just want the guys to have fun and win games."

Ray joins legendary MSU coaches Gerald Stockton (492-328) and Dennis Vinzant (246-156) in the Midwestern State 200-win fraternity.

Ray admits its nice to follow in the footsteps of a great coaching legacy, but he quickly put it in perspective.

"I followed the Division I dream to North Texas, then came back," Ray said. "I can't find a better place for me and my family. I love Midwestern and Wichita Falls, and there's more to it than just basketball."

But the Mustangs had to survive a late scare from the Savage Storm as they saw a 51-40 lead with 6:49 to play dwindle to a three-point advantage when Kyric Rambo canned a running trey from the left wing to pull SOSU to 51-48 with 2:19 to go.

Richardson responded with a driving layup on the right baseline despite being fouled by Javin Daniels.

He failed to complete the three-point play before Southeastern's Ken Reed connected on a runner in the paint to close to 53-50 with 1:18 remaining.

That would be the last the Savage Storm managed to score as Richardson put away the contest by making one of two shots with 11.8 seconds to play.

Reed recorded a double-double for the Savage Storm with 18 points and 12 boards, while Rambo finished with 13 points.

Midwestern State improved to 8-6 on the season, while Southeastern Oklahoma dropped its fifth-straight to fall to 3-12.

How he got there

Year	Record	Pct.
1994-95	19-11	.633
1995-96	17-11	.607
1996-97	17-11	.607
1997-98	11-15	.423
1998-99	27-5	.844
1999-00	27-7	.794
2003-04	16-12	.571
2004-05	18-11	.621
2005-06	16-11	.593
2006-07	24-7	.774
2007-08	8-6	.571
Totals (11 years)	200-107	.651

Ray among MSU coaching greats

Coach	Tenure	Record	Pct.
Gerald Stockton	1970-94	492-328	.600
Dennis Vinzant	1955-70	246-156	.612
Jeff Ray	1994-00, 2003-present	200-107	.651
D.L. Ligon	1937-43, 44-46	84-75	.528
Dallas Clynch	1952-56	73-40	.646

Jeff Ray also compiled a 50-14 (.781) record while leading the women's program to a pair of NAIA Tournament appearances in 1992-93 and 1993-94.

Ray's Milestone Wins

Win	Opponent	Score	Location	Date
1	Wayland Baptist	108-74	Plainview, Texas	11/18/94
50	Tarleton State	79-72	Stephenville, Texas	2/15/97
100	National Christian	107-62	Abilene, Texas	12/31/99
150	Angelo State	93-84	San Angelo, Texas	2/24/05
200	Southeastern Oklahoma	54-50	Durant, Okla.	1/12/08