MSU Men's Basketball Game Day

Midwestern State opens a four-game homestand Saturday when it plays host to Eastern New Mexico.

The Mustangs have already clinched a spot in the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament set for March 6-9 in Allen, Texas and clinch the No. 1 seed and a share of the its seventh LSC title with two wins. MSU can clinch an outright championship with a combination of three wins of its own or losses by Incarnate Word.

Eastern New Mexico rides a four-game winning streak into Saturday's contest and is coming off a 74-72 win over Cameron.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
   

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MUSTANGS FAST BREAK

LAST TIME OUT:  Junior guard Cam Adderley scored a game-high 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Kevin Grayer pitched in 10 points to lead Midwestern State to a 55-42 win over West Texas A&M Wednesday night at First United Bank Center in Canyon. It was just the Mustangs' second win ever at the FUBC and it was the largest victory for an MSU team in Canyon since 1960. The Mustangs limited WT to 22.6 percent shooting while holding the Buffaloes to 11 first-half points. Kennon Washington had 11 points and seven rebounds to lead West Texas A&M.

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Eastern New Mexico):  Midwestern State's Corbin Thomas matched a season high with 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a dominating 82-53 win over Eastern New mexico on Dec. 31, 2012 in Portales. Senior guard Kevin Grayer added 17 points while Derrell Gibbs knocked down three 3-pointers on his way to 11 points. The Mustangs used a 13-0 run midway through the second half to break away from the 'Hounds. Kyle Lantz paced ENMU with 11 points.

MUSTANGS ON VERGE OF SEVENTH LSC CROWN:  Midwestern State (11-2) needs three wins to clinch its seventh Lone Star Conference championship or a combination of three wins and losses by Incarnate Word. The Mustangs carry a two-game lead over Incarnate Word (8-4). Cameron (8-5) sits alone in third followed by Tarleton State (6-5), Eastern New Mexico (7-6), West Texas A&M (6-7), Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-7), Abilene Christian (5-8), Texas A&M-Commerce (4-7) and Angelo State (2-11). Midwestern State has claimed league championship in four of the last six seasons (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) after claiming back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000.

5 SEASONS, 50 LSC WINS:  Midwestern State claimed its 50th Lone Star Conference victory since the start of the 2008-09 season on Jan. 5 at Angelo State. The Mustangs are a cool 55-14 (.797) during the time span which includes three Elite Eights (2010, 2011, 2012) and three Lone Star Conference titles (2009, 2010, 2012). Tarleton State is second with a 49-18 mark (.731) trailed by West Texas A&M at 39-30 (.565).

ROAD WARRIORS TURNING TO DOME DOMINANCE:  Midwestern State boasts a 6-2 road mark during Lone Star Conference play. The Mustangs must hit the road just one more time against Tarleton State, but close out the season with seven of its last nine LSC contests under the dome beginning on Jan. 26 against Cameron. MSU is 23-1 on its home floor under coach Nelson Haggerty and 65-3 (.956) since the start of the 2008-09 campaign which includes 42- and 21-game winning streaks. Midwestern boasts a 536-125 mark (.811) since the coliseum opened in 1969.

MUSTANGS RARING TO GO IN SECOND HALF:  Midwestern State has outscored or matched the opposition in 17 out of 20 games in the second half this season and is averaging 39.2 points while outscoring its foes by 7.4 points a game. The Mustangs have used the second-half rallies of overcome halftime deficits in 11 of 18 games this season. MSU has trailed by 10-or-more points in the first half seven times this season.

JUST GIVE ME A SECOND CHANCE:  Midwestern State has out-rebounded or matched the opposition in 19 of 20 games this season as the Mustangs rank third in NCAA Division II and lead the Lone Star Conference in rebound margin (+10.8) while leading the LSC in offensive rebounds per game (15.9) and offensive rebound percentage (44.0). MSU has converted 318 offensive rebounds into 306 second chance points, which accounts for an astounding 21.4-percent of its total scoring output.

HAGGERTY ON A ROLL:  Midwestern State coach Nelson Haggerty goes for his 45th win since taking over the helm of the Midwestern State program in 2011-12. Haggerty led the Mustangs to their third consecutive NCAA II South Central Region championship last season winning the school's sixth Lone Star Conference title along the way. Haggerty, who is 44-9 (.830) in two seasons at MSU, has been a part of Elite Eights in each of the last four seasons and five of the last six serving as an assistant at Central Missouri (2007, 2009) before moving to MSU as Grant McCasland's top assistant (2010, 2011) and moving into his first head coaching role in 2011-12.

BETTER STARTS:  Midwestern State has flipped the script in the first half. The Mustangs trailed at the half in 10 of their first 13 games, but their first halves have had much more of a defensive flair as of late. MSU has held its last six opponents 30 points or fewer before the intermission and have taken a halftime edge into the locker in each of the last seven games. The opposition is averaging 20.8 points in the first half over the last six games including defensive stalwarts allowing 12 points to Tarleton State (1/12/13) and 11 at West Texas A&M (2/6/13).

FORCING HISTORIC LOWS:  The count of pages flipped in opponents' record books is higher than points put on the scoreboard at times this season for Midwestern State. The Mustangs held Tarleton State to an all-time low scoring output in a 50-34 win on Jan. 12 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. MSU then held West Texas A&M to their second lowest output since entering NCAA Division II in 1986-87 in a 55-42 win on Feb. 6, 2013 at the First United Bank Center.

@DUNKEMC AT #8!!:  Midwestern State senior forward Corbin Thomas' alley-oop off of an inbound pass from Kevin Grayer on Jan. 12 against Tarleton State became the first MSU highlight to make ESPN's Top Plays of the Day countdown. The dunk has made Thomas a nominee for the State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships to be hosted at the site of the Final Four in Atlanta.

AND EVEN MORE CORBIN:  Midwestern State senior forward Corbin Thomas has scored in double figures in nine of his last 13 games including five double-doubles dating back to a home win over West Texas A&M on Dec. 5. The transfer from Missouri State ranks third in the Lone Star Conference and ranks 70th in NCAA Division II with 7.9 rebounds a game and rates fifth in the league and 50th nationally with a 54.5 field goal percentage. Thomas leads the Mustangs in scoring at 12.7 points per game.

CAM GETS IT STARTED IN HERE:  Midwestern State junior Cam Adderley has picked up the scoring pace after moving into the starting lineup nine games ago at Eastern New Mexico (12/31). The transfer from Northeastern CC (Colo.) has scored in double figures in each of his last nine games to raise his scoring average from 4.8 to 8.8 points per game during his run as a starter which includes a season-high 17-point, 5-rebound performance on Feb. 2 against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Adderley is averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game as a starter.

KG POINTS IT UP:  Senior guard Kevin Grayer has responded well since taking over primary point guard duties on Jan. 12 against Tarleton State. In the six games since, Grayer tallied 5.2 assists per game including top games of eight against Cameron and seven against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He is also maintaining his all-around game with 11.8 points and 3.2 rebounds a contest during the stretch.

NEXT TIME OUT:  Midwestern State continues its four-game homestand next week with games against Abilene Christian and Angelo State.
  

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SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

EASTERN NEW MEXICO
// Saturday, 02.09.2013 // 6 p.m. // D.L. Ligon Coliseum // Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats | Audio Streaming (BOB-FM) | No Video Streaming | Game Notes (PDF)

Eastern New Mexico (10-11, 7-6) eeked out a pair of close wins at home over Abilene Christian and Cameron to extend its season long winning streak to four games last week. Junior Rodney Blackmon has come on strong to lead the 'Hounds in scoring in six of the last seven game including five 20-point efforts. The 5-11 transfer guard from West Los Angeles College tops the LSC in scoring at 16.9 points per game while pulling down 3.1 rebounds a dn dishing out 4.9 assists a game. Junior guard Rafael Love gives ENMU a second double figure scorer at 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game while junior forward Dennis Hardwell (8.0 points, 5.6 rebounds), freshman forward Lawrence Domingo (7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds), junior guard Kyle Lantz (6.6 points, 2.7 rebounds) and junior guard Jordan Romero (6.5 points, 2.5 assists) add scoring depth for the Greyhounds. ENMU averages 69.7 points a game while allowing 72.3.

About the Series: Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 39th time on the hardwood Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs own a 23-15 edge in the series that dates back to the 1948-49 season. MSU has won 11 of its last 12 meetings with the Greyhounds with ENMU's only win coming by an 80-72 last season in Portales. The Mustangs had won straight of Eastern from Feb. 22, 2007 through Feb. 9, 2011. MSU boasts a 12-5 mark in games played at Ligon Coliseum and has victories in the last five meeting between the programs under the dome.