MSU Men's Basketball Game Day

Midwestern State squares off with Arkansas Tech in a rematch of the 2012 NCAA Division II South Central Regional championship game Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. 

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MUSTANGS FAST BREAK

LAST WEEK: Midwestern State used a pair of double-double performances by senior Corbin Thomas (14 points, 10 rebounds) and junior Eddie D'Haiti (13 points, 10 rebounds) to upend No. 25 West Texas A&M 65-62 in overtime. The Mustangs improved to 6-2 on the season and stand alone atop the Lone Star Conference standings with a perfect 3-0 mark.
 
DOME, SWEET, DOME: Midwestern State efforts to extend its home court winning streak to 20 games for just the third time in school history. MSU claimed 70 consecutive victories from Jan. 5, 1973 to Jan. 24, 1977 and won 41 straight games from Nov. 18, 2008 to Feb. 21, 2011. The Mustangs own the fourth longest active home court winning streak in Division II trailing Shorter (26), Bellarmine (22) and Newman (22). MSU also possesses the third-best one-loss home streak in all NCAA divisions at 60-1 trailing only West Liberty (69-1) and Kansas (67-1).
 
GO TIME: Midwestern State has trailed at halftime in six of its eight games this season. On top of that, the Mustangs have stared down at least 10-point deficit in each of their last four outings. MSU, however, has owned the second half by outscoring the opposition by an average of 9.9 points per game.
 
WINDEX MEN: Midwestern State has out-rebounded the opposition in all eight games this season and leads the Lone Star Conference with a +9.1 rebounding margin. The Mustangs average a league-best 15.3 offensive rebounds a game and are 32-3 when controlling an edge on the glass since the start of the 2011-12 season. The Mustangs average 15.9 second-chance points a game accounting for 21.5 percent of their scoring.
 
THOMAS NABS HONOR: Midwestern State senior forward Corbin Thomas garnered Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week accolades after swatting a season-high five shots including a key block in the closing seconds of overtime to preserve a 65-62 win over No. 25 West Texas A&M last week at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The senior transfer from Missouri State notched his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
NEXT TIME OUT: Midwestern State takes on Mid-America Christian Monday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum before heading out for Christmas Break. Tipoff against the NAIA opponent and Sooner Athletic Conference member is set for 7 p.m. 

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SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

ARKANSAS TECH
// Saturday, 12.15.2012 // 6 p.m. // D.L. Ligon Coliseum // Wichita Falls, Texas
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Arkansas Tech snapped a two-game skid with a 60-44 win at East Central (Okla.) Saturday in Ada to improve to 3-4 on the season and to 2-1 in Great American Conference play.
 
The Wonder Boys return six letter winners and added four Division I transfers to last season's inaugural GAC regular season and postseason tournament champion. ATU posted a 26-6 mark in 2011-12 advancing to the NCAA Division II South Central Region final.
 
Arkansas Tech is paced by senior guard Willie Kirkland who nets 10.7 points off of the bench while senior forward Will Paul adds 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.
 
Senior guard Jared Williamson pitches in 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds a game while sophomore forward Tyler Friedel (7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds) and junior guard Bobby Hatchett (7.0 points, 1.8 assists) give the Wonder Boys solid scoring options.
 
Arkansas Tech averages 61 points per game and allows 67.1. The Wonder Boys sport a -2.2 rebounding margin. 

About the Series: Midwestern State and Arkansas Tech meet for the fourth time on the hardwood Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. ATU holds a 2-1 edge in the series, but this will be the first time the programs meet in regular season play.
 
The Wonder Boys edged MSU 60-58 in the opening round of the 1995 NAIA National Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. ATU then claimed a 76-71 win over Midwestern in the 1996 NAIA Southwest Region Independents Tournament played in Wichita Falls.
 
The Mustangs claimed their first win over ATU rolling to a 77-61 decision in last season's NCAA II South Central Region championship game to advance to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive year.