TIPOFF
Midwestern State concludes a two-game Lone Star Conference homestand by hosting 14th ranked Tarleton State on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

Midwestern State vs. Tarleton State
Wednesday, Jan. 15 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (10-5, 2-2); Tarleton State (12-1, 3-0)
Live Video: MSUMustangs.com
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com

SCOUTING THE TEXANNS
No. 14 Tarleton State enters the game at 12-1 overall and 3-0 in Lone Star Conference action after downing Texas A&M-Kingsville 80-61 Saturday in Kingsville.  Coach Ronnie Hearne's TexAnns are led by senior All-America center Kiara Wright of Pittsburg, Texas, who leads Division II in field goal percentage at 67.9 as she leads the LSC with 21.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals a game. Senior guard Brianna Bledsoe of Stephenville, Texas adds 12.8 points (eighth in the LSC) and 4.4 rebounds, while hitting 1.9 treys a game (fifth in the LSC) and leading the league in free throw percentage (36-of-42, 85.7).  Junior guard Kathy Thomas of Flint, Mich./Hamady, a transfer from the University of Iowa, adds 11.9 points and 3.4 boards to go with her 2.0 treys an outing (fourth in the LSC) and 3.2 assists (sixth in the LSC). Tarleton is averaging 83.0 points a contest, while allowing opponents 58.6 points a game.

ABOUT THE SERIES
This is the 61st meeting between Midwestern State and Tarleton State, with MSU holding a 33-27 series lead.  MSU is 17-10 at Ligon Coliseum, 13-14 in Stephenville, 2-0 on neutral floors and 1-3 at unknowns sites against the TexAnns. Midwestern has won the last four meetings against Tarleton, sweeping the four contests played last season.  MSU defeated TSU 91-78 on March 15, 2013 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Grand Junction, Colo., and won 100-83 on March 8, 2013 in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament in Allen, Texas.  MSU downed the TexAnns 71-63 in Stephenville on Feb. 23, 2013 and won 78-71 in overtime at Ligon Coliseum on Jan. 12, 2013.  The January win snapped a 14-game Tarleton State win streak that had followed an eight-game MSU win streak.

LAST TIME OUT VS. TSU
The Mustangs won their first ever NCAA Division II Tournament game with a 91-78 victory over Tarleton State on March 15, 2013. MSU allowed a 17-point second half lead to evaporate, but answered in the clutch. MSU went on a 13-2 run from the 5:49 mark to the 1:16 spot to put away the TexAnns. Andrea Carter posted her 16th double-double of that season and tied a career-high with her 23 points to go with 16 rebounds to go with two blocked shots. Dianna Jones chalked up 19 points with three rebounds as well. Kirsti Degelia posted 14 points with three boards and two assists, while Ashley Rush posted 12 points with a team high three assists. MSU shot 53.6 percent from the fl oor, connecting on 30 fi eld goals of 56 attempts, and hitting 5-of-9 3-pointers (55.6 percent). MSU also buried 26-of-32 from the foul line (81.3 percent).

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State is at 10-5 on the season, 2-2 in Lone Star Conference action. Coach Noel Johnson's Mustangs started the season at number 10, but early season troubles scuttled the ranking. The Mustangs are led by junior All-America forward Andrea Carter who is averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds to rank third in the LSC in both categories with 1.9 steals (fourth in the LSC) and 0.5 blocks per game (seventh in the LSC). Senior guard Kirsti Degelia adds 10.9 points (12th in the LSC) with 1.3 three-pointers a game, to go with 3.3 assists (fifth in the LSC) and 1.5 steals. Junior guard Dianna Jones adds 10.6 points a game (14th in the LSC) to go with her 4.4 assists (second in the LSC), 1.7 steals (fifth in the LSC) and 1.68 assist-turnover ratio (third in the LSC). Junior guard Shatoia Gober chalks up 7.7 points a contest, as she pulls down 5.1 rebounds with 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals. MSU averages 71.2 points a contest, while allowing 66.4.

LAST TIME OUT
The Mustangs snapped a two-game losing skid with a resounding 75-44 trouncing of Eastern New Mexico.  MSU allowed ENMU the first field goal of the game, then ripped off a 12-0 run and never looked back.  The 31-point winning margin was the third-largest victory margin by MSU in the Noel Johnson era.  Kirsti Degelia scored 18 points with six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Lisa Hampton also scored 18 points, connecting on four 3-pointers with three assists as well.  Andrea Carter played only 22 minutes in scoring 13 points with seven boards, a block and four steals.  The Mustangs shot 43.9 percent from the floor (25-of-57), including 7-of-18 from the arc (38.9 percent) and were even on the boards with the Zias 38-38.

MSU UNDER NOEL JOHNSON
Noel Johnson is 82-70 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 early losses dropped them to the first team receiving votes for the next three weeks. The Mustangs are currently not receiving votes in the poll.

THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
The Mustangs snapped a two-game losing skid with Saturday's 75-44 win over Eastern New Mexico at Ligon Coliseum … MSU recorded its largest win over the season, 31 points, and the Mustangs eighth double-digit victory margin of the year … The Mustangs 31-point win was the largest margin of victory since downing Texas A&M-Commerce by 37, 81-44, on Nov. 30, 2011 and the pair are the largest against NCAA Division II competition in the Noel Johnson era … Eastern New Mexico's 44 points are the fewest allowed by MSU this season as the Mustangs held the Zias to a season-low for scoring in 2013-14 … The Mustangs have now held opponents to less than 60 points five times this season and to less than 70 eight times … The win over ENMU came after the Mustangs had their second-worst margin of defeat this season after losing at West Texas A&M 71-54, a 17-point difference … MSU broke out of a 2-for-33 drought from the 3-point arc against ENMU by hitting 7-of-18 (38.9 percent).  The seven treys equaled the amount of triples in the previous three games and was the second-most in a game for MSU this season … The Mustangs face a Top 15 team for the third time this season.  MSU is 0-2 in games against nationally ranked teams in 2013-14, losing on the road in both contests to No. 4 Emporia State 77-55 on Nov. 23, 2013 and at No. 7 West Texas A&M 71-54 ... Next up for MSU is meeting Texas Woman's for the second time this year next Sunday … Senior Kirsti Degelia of Denton, Texas/Krum became Midwestern State's 10th woman to score 1,200 career points.  Degelia currently has 1,229 points and needs 20 points to pass Shannon Boase (1995-98) with 1,248 in ninth all-time at MSU … Degelia also ranks eighth at MSU win 290 career assists … Junior forward Andrea Carter of Angleton, Texas remains third in scoring and rebounding in the Lone Star Conference, averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds a game, while ranking fourth in the LSC in steals (1.9), seventh in field goal percentage (54.5 percent), seventh in blocked shots (0.5) and eighth in free throw percentage (73.8 percent) … Carter became MSU's 10th woman to grab 600 career rebounds and moved into ninth at MSU all-time with 624 boards.  She needs six rebounds to move into eighth ahead of Emily Dill (1990-94) with 629 … Junior guard Lisa Hampton of Kennedale, Texas/Nolan Catholic connected on 4-of-7 3-point field goals against Eastern New Mexico, her third game of three-or-more treys in a contest …
  

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