WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Midwestern State made another positive step towards a postseason berth claiming a 71-60 Lone Star Conference South Division win over Incarnate Word Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The short-handed Mustangs placed four player in double figures to improve to 8-13 on the season and to 4-5 in division. MSU is now one game back of Angelo State and Abilene Christian for the fourth and final South Division berth in next months LSC Championship in Bartlesville, Okla.

Midwestern continues a stretch of four out of five games on the Dr. Gerald Stockton Court Wednesday night when the Mustangs play host to Texas A&M-Kingsville. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

Senior forward Nolisha Markham tallied 13 of her team-high 17 points in the first half as MSU led by as many as 17 points in the opening before Incarnate Word clawed back to within 35-29 at the intermission.

Led by a game-high 21-point effort by freshman Ifunanya Mora, the Cardinals clawed back to within a point of the Mustangs on two occasions in the second half, but were never able to wrest the lead away from MIdwestern who led from tip to buzzer.

Junior forward Cierra Thompson connected on 6-of-10 shots to finish with 14 points and joined Markham with a game-high nine rebounds to lead a great board effort for the Mustangs who owned a 41-26 rebounding margin resulting in a 22-9 edge in second-chance points.

Senior guard Katiya Jackson added 13 points and six rebounds while junior forward Savannah Carver pitched in 12 points and five assists in 33 minutes.

Junior point guard Karissa Lang added a solid all-around game with five points, eight assists and four rebounds in 37 minutes as Midwestern's primary ball handler in the absence of Kirsti Degelia and Rebekah Cluley who each was held out of the contest due to injury.

Incarnate Word fell to 7-14 on the season and 3-6 in LSC South Division play.