MSU Men's Basketball Game Day

Midwestern State opens the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament Wednesday night against Texas A&M-Commerce for the third straight year.

It will be the fifth postseason meeting between the teams as the Mustangs claimed wins in each of the previous contests including opening round victories in 2001, 2011 and 2012 and a semifinal win in 1999.

The Mustangs boast a 13-1 mark in their last five LSC Postseason Tournament appearances.

Tipoff at Allen Event Center is set for 8:30 p.m.
   

---

MUSTANGS FAST BREAK

LAST TIME OUT:  Midwestern State senior forward Corbin Thomas notched his third straight and 10th double double of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead a group of six Mustangs in double figures in a 105-77 win over Paul Quinn Sunday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Junior guard Cam Adderley added his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 boards while Kevin Grayer and Conner Geiser added 12 points each. Junior forward Derek Kaster pitched in 11 and Keith Spellman had 10. It was MSU's 47th consecutive win against non-NCAA D1/D2 competition as the Mustangs reached the century mark for the first time since scoring 100-63 win over Mid-America Christian on Nov. 11, 2012. It was the seventh time this season the Mustangs enjoyed a +20 rebounding margin.

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Texas A&M-Commerce):  Midwestern State's Corbin Thomas poured in a season-high 27 points and pulled down 18 rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a dominating 85-67 win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 20 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. MSU pulled away for a 46-32 halftime advantage and led by as many as 26 in the second half. Thomas drew primary defensive responsibilities for A&M-Commerce leading scoring Preston Whitley, who tallied a season-high 28 points against the Mustangs earlier in the season. Whitley was held to four points on just four field goal attempts with four fouls in 16 minutes. MSU senior forward Jeff Grayer knocked down a season-high four 3-pointers to join sophomore guard Keith Spellman with 13 points while Cam Adderley chipped in 12. Devondrick Walker paced the Lions with 17 points.

IN THE RANKINGS:  Midwestern State is receiving votes in the latest NABC Division II Coaches' Poll, but heads into the LSC Postseason Tournament carrying a No. 3 ranking in the NCAA Division II South Central Region Rankings behind Metro State (Colo.) and Newman (Kan.).

LSC CHAMPIONS X7:  Midwestern State has claimed the Lone Star Conference championship for the fifth time in the last seven seasons (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) 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 58-16 (.784) 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 53-21 mark (.716) trailed by West Texas A&M at 42-32 (.568).

MUSTANGS RUN WILD IN LSC POSTSEASON:  Midwestern State owns the highest all-time winning percentage in Lone Star Conference postseason history with a 21-6 mark (.778) over 12 appearances. The Mustangs are 9-3 in opening round games including wins in their last six first round contests. MSU boasts a 6-3 record in the semifinal rounds and is a perfect 6-0 in the postseason championship round. The Mustangs are going for an LSC record seventh postseason title.

MUSTANGS RARING TO GO IN SECOND HALF:  Midwestern State has outscored or matched the opposition in 22 out of 26 games in the second half this season and is averaging 38.6 points while outscoring its foes by 5.8 points a game. The Mustangs have used the second-half rallies of overcome halftime deficits in 11 times this season. MSU has trailed by 10-or-more points in the first half on nine occasions this season.

JUST GIVE ME A SECOND CHANCE:  Midwestern State has out-rebounded or matched the opposition in 24 of 26 games this season as the Mustangs rank third in NCAA Division II and lead the Lone Star Conference in rebound margin (+11.1) while leading the LSC in offensive rebounds per game (16.6) and offensive rebound percentage (45.4). MSU has converted 431 offensive rebounds into 426 second chance points, which accounts for an astounding 22.8-percent of its total scoring output.

HAGGERTY ON A ROLL:  Midwestern State coach Nelson Haggerty goes for his 49th 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 and now seventh Lone Star Conference title along the way. Haggerty, who is 48-11 (.814) 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.

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.

ALL-WINDEX TEAM:  Midwestern State ranks third in NCAA Division II and leads the Lone Star Conference with a +11.1 rebound margin. The Mustangs have outrebounded the opposition by at least 20 boards on seven occasions this season including a +32 effort at Angelo State. Only one other Lone Star Conference team has achieved such a feat against NCAA competition this season as West Texas A&M controlled a +20 rebound edge at home against Angelo State. Abilene Christian and Cameron also controlled a +20 rebound edge against York (Neb.) and Southwest Adventist, respectively.

@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.

THOMAS THE TERROR:  Midwestern State senior forward Corbin Thomas has been named LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times while earning and a top offensive nod in another week. Thomas has notched double-doubles in four of his last five games to up his season averages to 14 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. He owns 10 double-doubles this season.

GIBBS...BOTTOM!:  Sophomore guard Derrell Gibbs has connected on a 3-pointer in each of his last 11 games matching a season high with three treys against Cameron (1/26), Abilene Christian (2/13) and Tarleton State (2/23). Gibbs has knocked down 19-of-36 shots (52.8 percent) from beyond the arc during the stretch.

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 13 or 16 games as a starter to raise his scoring average from 4.8 to 9.0 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 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game as a starter.

NEXT TIME OUT:  With a win, Midwestern State takes on the victor of Thursday's opening round matchup between Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville in the semifinal round Friday night at 8:30 p.m.
  

---

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE
// Wednesday, 03.06.2013 // 8:30 p.m. // Allen Event Center // Allen, Texas
Live Stats | Audio Streaming (BOB-FM) | Video Streaming | Game Notes (PDF)

Texas A&M-Commerce (14-14) slide into the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament on a four-game skid including losses to Midwestern State, Cameron, West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. A&M-Commerce is led by senior forward Preston Whitley who averages 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. Senior guard Stefon Carson pitches in 10.9 points, 2.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds a game while junior guard Devondrick Walker (9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds), senior forward Andrew Davis (9.0 points, 7.1 rebounds), junior guard Tyrie Wooten (8.9 points, 3.6 assists) and senior guard Jason Smith (8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists) give the Lions multiple quality scoring options.

About the Series: Midwestern State meets Texas A&M-Commerce for the 79th time on the hardwood Wednesday night at the Allen Event Center. The Mustangs own a commanding 47-31 edge in the series that dates back to the 1947-48 season. The Mustangs have won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the teams with A&M-Commerce's lone victory coming by a 74-66 count earlier this season in Commerce. Midwestern has won each of its four meetings with the Lions in LSC Postseason Tournament play including first round wins in 2001, 2011 and 2012 and semifinal victory in 1999. It's the third straight year the Mustangs and the Lions tangle in the LSC Postseason Tournament's first round.