WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Midwestern State opened the second half with a 12-0 run and went on to bury Texas A&M International 98-76 in its season opener Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

"Our press did a good job of getting us back into the game and getting us back to our tempo," MSU coach Noel Johnson said.

The Mustangs (1-0) take on Newman (Kan.) Tuesday night in Wichita. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MSU plays host to the Comfort Inn/Ashbrook Classic Friday and Saturday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

Savannah Carver poured in a game-high 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the floor including three 3-pointers and an 8-of-12 effort from the charity stripe.

Texas A&M International (0-2) led by as many as five points when Rosebud Guthrie hit a driving layup with 5:36 remaining in the opening half.

But the Mustangs went on a slow run hitting 7-of-8 free throws over a 53-second stretch before freshman Shatoia Gober's layup at the 1:03 mark before halftime gave the Mustangs a 43-36 advantage.

Gober (13 points) and fellow freshman forward Andrea Carter (7 points) combined for 20 points .

"Our freshmen are the catalysts for what we do with our pressure," Johnson said. "I'm proud of them."

The Mustangs forced the Dustdevils into 25 turnovers that produced a 27-17 edge in points off of those miscues.

But it was the veteran combination of Carver and Kirsti Degelia that scored each point of a 12-0 run to start the second half to put the game away.

The Mustangs would lead by as many as 27 points in the second stanza.

"Our press did a good job of getting us back into the game and getting us back to our tempo," Johnson said. "Now we need to build on this momentum Tuesday at Newman."

Degelia used an efficient 6-of-9 shooting night from the floor to finish with 18 points, while senior forward Cierra Thompson notched 10 points and six rebounds.

Angie Villanueva paced Texas A&M International with 15 points.