TIPOFF
Midwestern State travels to Kansas to face No. 4 Emporia State Saturday afternoon at White Auditorium in Emporia. Tip off is set for 4 p.m., moved back from the original start time because ESU is also in the NCAA II Football Playoffs.
 

Midwestern State vs. Emporia State
Saturday, Nov. 23 | 4 p.m.
Slaymaker Court/White Auditorium | Emporia, Kan.
Records: Midwestern State (3-2); Emporia State (5-0)
Live Video: None
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com
Live Stats: ESUHornets.com

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is ranked fourth this week in the WBCA's USA Today Sports Division II Top 25. The Hornets of coach Jory Collins has his team off to a 5-0 start this season and is coming off their home-opening win over Tabor (Kan.) 107-58. ESU is led by junior Merissa Quick, a 6-3 forward who is averaging 14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots a game. Senior Laura Patrick, a 5-10 senior guard, adds 13.4 points with 6.8 rebounds and averages 2.8 three-pointers a game. Senior Kionna Kellogg, a 6-1 forward, adds 11.0 points and 6.4 boards and outing. The Hornets have just nine active players on the roster at the present time, and all have scored in double figures in a game once this season. ESU is averaging 77.8 points a contest, while allowing opponents 54.0 points a contest.

ABOUT THE SERIES
This is the second meeting between Midwestern State and Emporia State with ESU holding a 1-0 series lead. The only meeting came on Nov. 28, 2005 when Emporia downed MSU 80-73 in overtime in Islamorada, Fla.

LAST TIME OUT VS. ESU
MSU's Stacy Staten hit a 3-pointer with one second left in regulation that sent the game between Midwestern and Emporia to overtime in the Holiday Isle Classic hosted by Nova Southeastern (Fla.) in Islamorada, Fla. However the Hornets took advantage of some missed MSU shots in the final three minutes to take the game 80-73 in overtime. Angie Faurot led Midwestern with 24 points, while Kelly Cleavinger added 17. ESU's Michelle Stueve led the Hornets with 19 points, while Denisa Svarova added 15 points with 13 rebounds.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State is at 3-2 on the young season. Coach Noel Johnson's Mustangs fell from their number 10 preseason ranking to being the first team receiving votes after dropping a pair of games in the first week of play. The Mustangs are led by All-America junior forward Andrea Carter who is averaging 15.2 points and 8.2 rebounds with 1.6 steals and 1.2 assists per game. Senior guard Kirsti Degelia adds 11.2 points with 1.6 three-pointers a game, to go with 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals. Junior guard Lisa Hampton adds 10.0 points a game, hitting 2.2 treys a contest. Junior guards Dianna Jones and Shatoia Gober each score 8.8 points a contest, with Jones dishing out 5.2 assists an ounting, while Gober pulls down 5.0 rebounds with 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals. MSU averages 73.8 points a contest, while allowing 71.4.

LAST TIME OUT
The Mustangs built up a 23-point lead with 15:42 to play, then had to hold on to beat Southeastern Oklahoma State 79-72 to claim the Asbrook Classic presented by Comfort Inn last weekend at Ligon Coliseum. Kirsti Degelia led the way for the Mustangs pouring in 18 points, while Shatoia Gober posted 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists with three steals. Andrea Carter added 12 points with four boards while playing through foul trouble. MSU never trailed in the game and held the lead continuously after a Degelia three that broke a 6-all tie. MSU shot 47 percent from the floor (28-of-60) and 7-of-23 from the arc (30 percent).

MSU UNDER NOEL JOHNSON
Noel Johnson is 75-67 in her sixth year as the head coach of the Mustangs. She was the Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year in 2012 after turning the program around with a 19-8 season, then earned the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Small College Coach of the Year award for leading MSU to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 with a 26-6 record and the Lone Star Conference Championship.

MSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Midwestern State started the season at number 10 in the WBCA's USA Today Sports Division II Top 25, but losses at Adams State and to Texas A&M International dropped the Mustangs from the poll ... though not far. MSU was one point away from the 25th spot this week as the top team receiving votes in the poll. It's the 19th time MSU has received votes in the WBCA poll.

THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
Midwestern has won two straight since suffering back-to-back defeats in games two and three...MSU is shooting 43.3 percent from the floor this season (129-of-298) and has shot better than 40 percent in all but one contest (Adams State) this year...MSU has a +6.8 turnover ratio this season, turning the ball over just 11.2 times a contest while collecting 18.0 takeaways...After getting off to a slow start, senior Kirsti Degelia has posted 15 points or better in each of the last three games, with her best the 18 against Southeastern Oklahoma State last Saturday night...Junior Andrea Carter has scored in double-digits all five games this season and collected MSU's only 20-point game of the season with her 21 points against Southern Nazarene...This game starts a stretch of three straight road contests for the Mustangs...
  

-- MSUMustangs.com --