SAN ANGELO, Texas - Midwestern State and Angelo State meet in a pivotal Lone Star Conference South Division tilt Wednesday night at Junell Center/Stephens Arena.
Catch all of the action live on 100.9 BOB FM in Wichita Falls or via live streaming audio on MSUMustangs.com.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. or 25 minutes after conclusion of the women's game which begins at 6.
About the Mustangs
Midwestern State (19-6, 8-2) has won its last three games and six of its last seven.
The Mustangs have won its last two games on the road and are 5-5 this season on the opponents' home floor.
MSU has been victorious in 16 of 18 games since starting the season at 3-4.
About the Rams
Angelo State (20-5, 8-2) has won seven of its last eight games since dropping consecutive games to Central Oklahoma and Midwestern State.
The Rams have posted a 10-1 mark at Junell Center/Stephens Arena and have won their last seven since falling to Incarnate Word 72-63 in San Angelo.
Angelo State can clinch a share of the Lone Star Conference South Division with a win Wednesday night against Midwestern State, but also need a win at Tarleton State on Saturday to clinch the No. 1 seed in next week's Lone Star Conference Championships in Bartlesville, Okla.
Postseason scenarios for Midwestern State
Outright LSC South title: Beat Angelo State AND Texas A&M-Kingsville.-OR - Beat Angelo State and Tarleton State defeats BOTH Texas A&M-Kingsville AND Angelo State.
No. 1 seed: MSU secures No. 1 seed with any threeway tie with Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Threeway tie occurs if Midwestern State beats Angelo State, Texas A&M-Kingsville defeats Tarleton State and Midwestern State AND Angelo State defeats Tarleton State. - OR - Angelo State defeats Midwestern State and loses to Tarleton State AND Midwestern State defeats Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Bottom line, Midwestern State clinches No. 1 seed with win over Angelo State. Would hold tiebreaker with two wins over Angelo State. In the event MSU beats Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville defeats Tarleton State and Midwestern AND ASU loses to Tarleton, the Mustangs would split with Javelinas but hold the tiebreaker with a sweep of the third place team - ASU.
If MSU loses to ASU and beats TAMUK, then ASU loses to Tarleton, Tarleton beats TAMUK and WTAMU beats ACU, it will force a two-way tie for first between Angelo State and Midwestern State at 9-3 and a threeway tie for third between TAMUK, WT and TSU at 7-5. In this scenario, MSU and ASU would have split the season series and be 4-2 against teams locked in the threeway tie and own season sweeps of ACU and ENMU. The next tiebreaker is crossover record against the LSC Nroth in which both teams are 5-2. The last tie breaker is record in descending order against the LSC North. Both teams lost to UCO while MSU lost to NSU and ASU lost CU. Both CU and NSU are currently tied at 5-5, but since Cameron owns a season sweep of NSU, the Aggies need match NSU this week to secure a playoff berth. Cameron plays SOSU and ECU this week while NSU plays SWOSU and TAMUC. By securing a playoff berth, the Aggies would also clinch a No. 1 seed for MSU in this scenario. If NSU wins once and CU loses twice or if CU wins once and NSU wins twice, NSU would advance to Bartlesville and make ASU the No. 1 South seed and MSU the No. 2.
The threeway tie for third would shake out in this fashion: IFASU gets the No. 1 seed, then WT is eliminated as TAMUK and TSU would own wins over Angelo State. TSU would be No. 3 seed with a win over MSU while TAMUK would be No. 4. IF MSU gets the No. 1 seed, TAMUK is eliminated as WT and TSU own wins over MSU. TSU would be No. 3 by virtue of a win over ASU while WT would be No. 4.
No. 2 seed: Midwestern State secures No. 2 seed with loss to Angelo State and a win over Texas A&M-Kingsville if Angelo State beats Tarleton State. If Tarleton State defeats ASU in that scenario, the Mustangs would be No. 1 seed by virtue of a sweep of TAMUK IF TAMUK beats Tarleton State on Wednesday.
The Mustangs can also be the No. 2 seed in the scenario listed about with the two-way tie for first place with Angelo State and the threeway tie for third including TAMUK, WT and TSU. See above.
No. 3 seed: MSU loses twice and TAMUK wins twice.
Look out for
Midwestern State's Nolan Richardson keeps adding clips to his All-America resume.
The 6-2 senior from Tulsa, who dropped 30 points in three-straight games for the first time in 55 years earlier this season, has scored at least 20 points in his last seven-straight.
It's the first time a Midwestern player has achieved the feat since NAIA All-America Tony Forch notched at least 20 points in seven-straight games back in 1979-80.
Richardson is the first Lone Star Conference player to notch as many straight 20-point performances since former West Texas A&M standout Damien Lolar strung together 11-straight begin the 2006-07 season.
Richardson, how has tallied 26 points in each of his last two games, passed Southwestern Oklahoma State's Kenneth "Redd" White for the conference scoring lead and is now averaging 20.6 points per game.
Richardson is averaging 23.1 points while shooing 40.7 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from 3-point range during the streak.
Angelo State's Malik Motnii has received Lone Star Conference South Division Player of the Week honors in two of the last three weeks.
Over the last three weeks, the 6-9 senior from Moscow, Russia has averaged 14 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 65.9 percent (29-for-44) from the field yet has been honored after scoring a season-high 23 points against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Feb. 4 at Junell Center.
Motnii topped the Rams in scoring in each game last week with 16 points in a 65-63 win over West Texas A&M on Feb. 18 and notched 17 in a 73-63 win over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday.
Motnii managed eight points in 11 minutes against Midwestern State on Jan. 14 despite committing just one foul.
The top threats for Angelo State are two-time LSC South Division Player of the Week Lionel Brown, two-time LSC South Player of the Week Ryan Bennett and one-time honoree Shavar Burch.
Brown, a 5-10 senior transfer guard from North Texas, leads Angelo with 17.4 points per game and tops the Rams with 55 3-pointers. He also averages 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds a game.
Bennett, a 5-11 senior transfer guard from Sam Houston State, contributes 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range.
Burch, a 6-6 senior forward transfer from San Jacinto Central, scores 11.3 points and tops ASU with 7.1 rebounds per game. Burch hits 54.5 percent from the field.
About the series
Midwestern State and Angelo State meet for the 57th occasion on the hardwood Wednesday night at Junell Center/Stephens Arena. The Mustangs hold a 37-19 edge in the series and have won the last two and 12 of the last 14 games in the series.
MSU owns a 4-2 record against the Rams at Junell Center/Stephens Arena since the facility opened on Jan. 17, 2002, but Angelo State has claimed the last two on their home floor including an 89-88 upset on Feb. 10, 2007 and a 78-70 victory on Jan. 30, 2008 as the teams battled to a split in the each of the last two season series.
Midwestern is 11-16 all time against the Rams in San Angelo.
On this date (Feb. 25)
1947 - Abe Lemons nets 12 points in his last game at Hardin College, but the Indians fall to Abilene Christian 54-36 at Hardin Gym. Lemons would transfer to Oklahoma City University the following season and go on to a Hall of Fame coaching career. Hardin College completes its first year competing as a four-year instituation with a 5-15 mark.
1949 - Johnny Ozee scores 12 points while Wayne Brockman and Ronald Servies finish with 11 points each to lead Hardin College to a 54-50 win in its season finale over Austin College at Hardin Gym. The Indians close the season at 8-16.
1953 - Gene McKibben paces Midwestern with 15 points while Gene "Hoot" Gipson pitches 11, but the Indians fall 74-57 to North Texas in front 3,500 fans in Denton. The win clinched a Gulf Coast Conference championship for the Eagles.
1954 - Ray "Pops" Shumann pours in 33 points and pulls in eight rebounds to lead Midwestern to a 76-72 win over rival North Texas at Hardin Gym. Gene Gipson adds 14 points and snags 11 rebounds while Jimmy Browning adds 11 points and seven rebounds for the Indians, who clinched a berth in the NAIA Zone 8 Playoffs.
1955 - Cotton Fitzsimmons scores 22 points while Ray "Pops" Schumann adds 21 more with 16 rebounds as Midwestern rocks North Texas 85-73 in Denton. Freddie Whillock adds 19 points and eight rebounds and O'Neal Weaver pitches in 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Indians roll to an 8-0 Gulf Coast Conference mark and a league championship
1957 - Roy Kieval erupts for 25 points to lift Midwestern to a 95-77 win over McMurry in Abilene. The Indians close the campaign at 13-13, but claim a Gulf Coast Conference title.
1958 - Charles Horton and Bob Myers prove too much for Wayland Baptist as Midwestern overwhelms Wayland Baptist 79-61 at Hardin Gym. Horton goes for 24 points while Myers notches a double-double with 22 points and 18 rebounds. The Indians close the season at 10-18.
1959 - Wayne Davis, Charles Horton and Bill Myers score 15 points each to lead Midwestern to a 91-79 win over Texas Luthern at Hardin Gym.
1960 - Don Shearmire scores a team-high 19 points while Wayne Davis and Bobby Cash go for double-doubles to help Midwestern to a 66-58 win over Wayland Baptist in Plainview. Davis finishes with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Cash scores 11 points and pulls in 12 rebounds.
1961 - Al Lee leads a pack of six Midwestern players in double figures as the Indians roll to a 95-86 win at Texas Wesleyan.
1964 - Lonnie Nichols scores a team-high 19 points and John Henry Young adds 16 more as Midwestern tops Texas A&M-Commerce 67-62 at Coyote Fieldhouse. Nichols was ushered into the Cameron University Hall of Fame in 2009 after coaching the Aggies to an NAIA national championship in 1980.
1965 - John Henry Young turns in a monster game with 28 rebounds and 14 rebounds to lift Midwestern to a 71-66 tiebreaking win over McMurry in Fort Worth to give the Indians a berth in the NAIA District 8 playoffs. Jim Castledine adds 12 points while Earl Beechum pitches in 10 more for MSU which improved to 24-5 on the season.
1969 - Gary Suiter tallies 21 points and pulls down 16 rebounds while Herman Cofer adds 19 points and seven rebounds to lead Midwestern to an 82-72 win over Angelo State in San Angelo. Benny Reed, Larry Pitre and Lance Spruiell score 10 points each.
1974 - Bob Murphy scores 29 points as Trinity edges Midwestern 72-71 at Rose Gym in San Antonio. Isaac Devore scores 25 points and grabs 10 rebounds for the Indians while Jesse King finishes with 14 points and eight rebounds.
1978 - Tim Hibbard scores 25 points while John Fincher has 19 points and 14 assists to lead Southern Nazarene to an 88-63 win over Midwestern in Bethany, Okla. Bo Lanter and Henry Crawford score 15 points each to lead the Indians.
1984 - Dallas Baptist gets 20 points from Raphael Dirden in a 63-61 win over Midwestern to win a Texas Collegiate Conference title in Dallas. Frank Rainer (11 points and 13 rebounds) and Mike E. Smith (10 points and 12 rebounds) each net double-doubles for the Indians who advance to the NAIA District 8 Tournament.
1985 - Robert Jordan drops in 18 points and pulls in nine rebounds to lead Midwestern to an 85-65 romp over Dallas Baptist in its season finale at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. It was the sixth-straight win for MSU which improved to 19-9.
1988 - Michael Rhinehart, Edward Johnson and James Burkhalter combine for 53 points to pace Midwestern to an 84-62 win over Texas Wesleyan at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Rhinehart scores a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds while Johnson finishes with 18 points and eight rebounds. Burkhalter hits 7-of-14 from the field for 16 points.
1989 - Anthony Davis tallies 20 points to lead Midwestern to an 87-74 win over Dallas Baptist at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
1995 - Jerry Perry hits five 3-pointers and scores a team-high 20 points to lift Midwestern to its eighth-straight win by overcoming Cameron 89-88 in overtime at Aggie Gym.
1999 - Six players score in double figures as Midwestern State builds a 13-point halftime lead before holding off Texas A&M-Commerce 86-84 in front of 3,055 fans in the Lone Star Conference semifinals at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Richard Johnson hits three 3-pointers to pace the Indians with 17 points.
2006 - Eastern New Mexico's Joshua Jackson hits a buzzer beater to send the game to over time then beats Midwestern with a runner in the lane with three seconds left in overtime as the Greyhounds steal an Lone Star Conference tournament berth with an 84-82 win at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Jackson's heroics spoil a career-best 32-point outburst by Chad Rickett while Eric Dawson finishes with 21 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks for MSU.
Midwestern State is 15-7 all time on Feb. 25.
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