TIPOFF
Midwestern State takes on rival West Texas A&M as part of the First United Bank Highway 287 Challenge Cup series Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 

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Midwestern State vs. West Texas A&M
Wednesday, Feb. 12 | 7:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (15-6, 7-2 LSC); West Texas A&M (10-11, 2-7 LSC)
Live Video: MSUMustangs.com 
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com 
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com  
On the Air: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls
Season Stat Pack: PDF 
LSC Only Stat Pack: PDF 
Career Stat Pack: PDF  
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES
West Texas A&M claimed its first Lone Star Conference road win taking a 58-51 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday at Steinke Arena. The Buffs will be looking to win consecutive games for the first time since early December Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Senior point guard Drimir Ferguson leads a group of four players who average in double figures for WT. The transfer from North Carolina Central ranks 10th in the league average 13.4 points per game while dishing out 5.3 assists per game to rank second in the LSC. Junior forward Antjuan Bell is efficient in the paint for the Buffs scoring 10.8 points per game and is the conference's top rebounder grabbing 9.2 boards per game. Bell also ranks second in the LSC shooting 63.9 percent from the field. Junior guard Tez Dumars remains one of the top long range shooters in the LSC ranking third knocking in 2.2 treys a game while carrying an 11.8 points per game scoring average. Junior forward David Duncan adds 10.2 points while pulling in 5.7 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Keon Pledger (8.4 points), senior guard David Gibbs (6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds), junior guard Miles Gatewood (6.4 points, 2.1 assists) and junior guard Barry Robertson (3.2 points, 3.3 rebounds) are the only other Buffs who have appeared in more than seven games this season. West Texas A&M scores 69.1 points per game and allows 68.8.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and West Texas A&M meet for the 62nd time on the hardwood Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Buffs own a 34-27 edge in the series which dates back to the 1947-48 season, but the Mustangs have won the last three games and four of the last five. Midwestern State is 14-5 all time against the Buffs in games played at Ligon Coliseum and are 17-8 versus WT all time in Wichita Falls. MSU has won the last five under the dome with West Texas A&M's last win coming by an 86-83 count in overtime on Feb. 13, 2008.
All-Time Series: PDF 
 
FIRST UNITED BANK HIGHWAY 287 CHALLENGE CUP
Midwestern State and West Texas A&M tipped off the beginning of an institutional competition between the two schools earlier this fall in a series known as the First United Bank Highway 287 Challenge Cup. The point-based competition tracks head-to-head matchups and conference championship results in 10 sports with each school accumulating points toward the overall series championship. West Texas A&M holds a narrow 7-6 edge in the series heading into Wednesday night's basketball doubleheader at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Midwestern earned five points on the soccer pitch with three in women's soccer and two on the men's side before earning a single point in men's basketball last month in Canyon. West Texas A&M has claimed two volleyball victories, earned two points for Cross Country, two more for its 19-12 win on the gridiron and one more in women's basketball.
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. WEST TEXAS A&M
Senior guard Monzaigo Williams was brilliant in leading Midwestern State back from a 14-point first half deficit to claim on a 76-70 win on Jan. 8 at First United Bank Center in Canyon. Williams ripped the nets at a 11-for-14 clip including five 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 27 points, while junior forward Xavier Blackburn chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds as the Mustangs claimed consecutive victories over WT in Canyon for the first time in program history. Drimir Ferguson led a pack of six players -- of the seven who appeared in the game -- in double figures for the Buffs finishing with 15 points and eight assists.
 

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ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State can match its best winning streak of the season with a victory over West Texas A&M Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. It would be the Mustangs' fifth straight win after upending No. 2-ranked Tarleton State in Stephenville and Texas A&M-Commerce at home last week to improve to 7-2 in Lone Star Conference play. Senior guard Monzaigo Williams ranks third in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg), 13th in field goal percentage (.476), fourth in assists (4.7 apg), eighth in free throw percentage (.760), second in steals (1.9 spg), seventh in 3-point percentage (.434), fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.0) and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0). Junior forward Xavier Blackburn has come on strong in LSC play averaging 11.9 points and tops the LSC in league play with 9.0 boards a game. Senior guard DeJuan Plummer has struggled in recent games, but remains the only other MSU player than Williams to average in double figures for the season at 10.4 points per game. Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti (8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds) and senior guard Cam Adderley (8.3 points, 5.3 points) continue their strong play, while senior JaMichael Rivers (7.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists) has scored in double figures in two of his five games since returning from injury.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Seniors Monzaigo Williams and Eddie D'Haiti scored 18 points each to paced Midwestern State to a 75-63 win over Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Senior guard JaMichael Rivers scored eight of his 10 points during a 16-5 run over the final 6:44 of the first half which allowed the Mustangs to break out to a 38-30 halftime advantage. Williams added nine assists and snagged four steals on the defensive end, while D'Haiti knocked down 7-of-11 shots mixing in a stellar game on the block with three 3-pointers while pulling down seven rebounds on his way to his career-high point total. Senior guard Cam Adderley buried a career-high four treys to finish with 16 points with 14 coming in the second half. LaDon Carnegie led Texas A&M-Commerce with a game-high 22 points.
 
MSU UNDER NELSON HAGGERTY
Nelson Haggerty is in his third year as head coach of the Mustangs. He boasts a 65-19 mark (.774) while leading MSU to a pair of Lone Star Conference titles. The Mustangs advanced the Elite Eight in 2012 before falling to Metro State in the South Central Region finals last season. Haggerty served the previous two seasons as the top assistant at Midwestern as the Mustangs rolled to the Elite Eight in each of those campaigns.
 
THIS IS OUR HOUSE, THIS IS OUR HOME
Midwestern State has enjoyed one of the best home court advantages in small college basketball over the last 46 seasons at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs have posted an .808 winning percentage with a 540-128 all-time record under the dome.  Midwestern rolled off a facility record 70 consecutive wins from Jan. 5, 1973 to Jan. 24, 1977. And, in more recent times, the Mustangs boasted 41 consecutive wins between the 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons. MSU has posted eight unbeaten seasons under the dome (1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1985-86, 1992-93, 1999-00, 2009-10 and 2011-12). The Mustangs have won at least 10 games at Ligon Coliseum in eight of the last nine seasons. Midwestern State improved to 5-2 on Gerald Stockton Court in D.L. Ligon Coliseum with Saturday's win over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
MSU IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Midwestern State dropped out of the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Top 25 for the first time this season on Dec. 31. The Mustangs carried a ranking for the first six reporting periods reaching as high as No. 6. MSU has carried a national ranking at some point during each of the last five seasons.
 
HITTING THE GLASS
Midwestern State ranks 23rd in NCAA Division in total rebounds (895.0) and is 14th in rebound margin (+8.0). Both of those numbers top the Lone Star Conference as the Mustangs also lead the league in offensive rebounds (15.6 per game) -- ninth in NCAA II, offensive rebound percentage (.391) and defensive rebound percentage (.724). MSU has out-rebounded 14 of its last 15 opponents by an average of 9.9 rebounds a game. The Mustangs have controlled the rebounding edge in 17 out of 21 games this season and are 12-5 when posting a positive rebound margin.
 
SHOOTING 44
Midwestern State is 2-5 this season when the opposition shoots at least 44 percent as a team from the field. The Mustangs have allowed matching season highs of 50 percentage in losses to California State, San Bernardino (29-for-58), Tarleton State (28-for-56) and Angelo State (28-for-56). Harding (Ark.) was 46.2 percent from the field in a 74-70 setback for MSU while Oklahoma Wesleyan booked a 44.8 field goal percentage to beat the Mustangs 80-74. The Mustangs' two wins came against Texas A&M-Kingsville (83-62/44.1) and Texas A&M-Commerce (75-63/44.4). Midwestern is 7-0 in games it shoots 45 percent or better posting a season-high percentage of 50.8 against West Texas A&M.
 
BEST IN TEXAS
Midwestern State has won more games than any other four-year program in the State of Texas since the start of the 2008-09 season. The Mustangs boasts a 147-38 mark (.795) during the stretch which includes five NCAA Division II postseason showings while advancing to the Elite Eight in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Midwestern also claimed Lone Star Conference championships in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.
 
BLACKBURN EARNS THIRD LSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR (2/10/14)
Junior forward Xavier Blackburn notched his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead Midwestern State to a 77-75 win over No. 2 Tarleton State on Feb. 5 at Wisdom Gym. The put a close to the Texans' 18-0 start, its longest winning streak in school history and snapped a 20-game run of wins in Stephenville. The Mustangs held TSU to its second lowest shooting percentage of the season at .379.
 
X-MAN TAKES SECOND LSC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK HONOR (1/13/14)
Midwestern State junior forward Xavier Blackburn earned Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week as the Mustangs rolled to victories over West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico. Blackburn snagged a game-high 11 rebounds with two blocks and a steal as the Mustangs limited Eastern New Mexico to a 19.3-percent shooting night on Jan. 11 which ranks as the second lowest opponent shooting percentage in school history. He scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 67-60 win at West Texas A&M earlier in the week.
 
BLACKBURN TABBED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (1/6/14)
Midwestern State junior forward Xavier Blackburn garnered Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 6 after averaging 16.0 points and 12.5 rebounds a game. The 6-4 forward from New Iberia, La. recorded his first double-double of the season finishing with 17 points and 16 rebounds against Oklahoma Wesleyan. The rebounds were the second most by an LSC player this season and the most for an MSU player since Corbin Thomas had 18 against Texas A&M-Commerce last February. Blackburn closed the week with a 15-point, 9-rebound effort at A&M-Commerce.
 
WILLIAMS SPURS MSU PAST TARLETON TO TAKE SECOND LSC OFFENSIVE HONOR (2/10/14)
Senior guard Monzaigo Williams rose up to hit an 18-footer with 3.8 seconds remaining in overtime to provide the difference in Midwestern State's 77-75 win over Tarleton State on Feb. 5 at Wisdom Gym. The win snapped TSU's 18-game overall winning streak and sent the Texans to defeat at Wisdom Gym for the first time in 20 games. Williams connected on 7-fo-16 shots including three 3-pointers to lead the Mustangs with 18 points against the Texans. He then poured in a team-high 18 points and dished out nine assists to go along with four steals in a 75-63 win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 8 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
RED HOT Z TABBED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (1/13/14)
Midwestern State senior guard Monzaigo Williams poured in a game-high 27 points with five 3-pointers to help the Mustangs' to their second straight win over West Texas A&M in Canyon on Jan. 8, 2014. It was the first time in series history MSU claimed consecutive wins on the Buffs' home floor. The Palmdale, Calif. product finished the week with a 13-point, 5-assist, 4-steal effort in just 26 minutes against Eastern New Mexico. For the week, Williams averaged 20 points while shooting 70 percent from the field (14-of-20) and 75 percent from 3-point land (6-of-8) while averaging 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists with five total steals.
 
THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER ON THE BENCH
Midwestern State's three-headed reserve combination of juniors Tavarion Nix (3.2 rebounds, 3.5 rebounds), Abiodun Adegoke (2.3 points, 3.7 rebounds) and DeVaughn Jones (2.3 points, 2.1 rebounds) combine for a very productive 28.2 minutes per game. MSU's key depth supplements the tandem of Eddie D'Haiti and Xavier Blackburn at the rate of 7.8 points and 9.3 rebounds a game as a trio while shooting 59.8 percent (61-of-102).
 
MSU TAKES TWO STRAIGHT IN CANYON/AMARILLO
Midwestern State claimed its second consecutive victory for the first time in series history with a 76-70 win on Jan. 8. The Mustangs, who rolled to a 55-42 win over the Buffs last season at First United Bank Center, had one win in their first 10 tries at the facility. Midwestern State had never claimed consecutive wins on WT's home court in a series which dates back to the 1947-48 season.
 
MORE ROAD HISTORY
For the first time in school history, Midwestern State claimed road wins over West Texas A&M in Canyon and Tarleton State in Stephenville during the same season.
 
IN THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE
- Tarleton State (8-1) maintains a narrow one-game edge over Midwestern State (7-2) with Angelo State (6-3) and Eastern New Mexico (5-4) lurking close by. Texas A&M-Commerce (3-6), Cameron (3-6), West Texas A&M (2-7) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-7) round out the standings.
- Tarleton State (8-1) had its program-best 18-game winning streak snapped last week by Midwestern State then survived an overtime thriller at Cameron. The Texans face another tough road matchup Wednesday at Angelo State before returning to Stephenville to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.
- Angelo State (6-3) recovered from a home loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville to claim wins at West Texas A&M and against Eastern New Mexico last week. The Rams take on LSC leading Tarleton State Wednesday night at Junell Center before traveling to Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday.
- Eastern New Mexico (5-4) has won six of eight since taking a 25-point whipping at Midwestern State, but is coming off of a 77-75 defeat Saturday at Angelo State. The Hounds travel to Lawton to face Cameron on Wednesday before playing host to Midwestern State on Saturday.
- Texas A&M-Commerce (3-6) has lost six of their last eight. The Lions hit the road to face Texas A&M on Wednesday before playing host to Angelo State on Saturday.
- Cameron (3-6) has lost six straight despite playing Midwestern State and Tarleton State to overtime during the run. The Aggies play host to Eastern New Mexico on Wednesday before taking on West Texas A&M Saturday in Canyon.
- West Texas A&M (2-7) claimed their first LSC road win Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Now the Buffs look to win two consecutive games for the first time since early December. WT takes on Midwestern State Wednesday night in Wichita Falls before playing host to Cameron on Saturday.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-7) has lost seven of its last nine. The Javelinas play host to Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday then hit the road to take on Tarleton State on Saturday.
 
WITH A WIN, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... improve to 16-6 on the season.
... improve to 8-2 in Lone Star Conference play.
... match a season long five-game winning streak. (MSU won 5 from start of season)
... improve to 28-34 all time against West Texas A&M.
... improve to 15-5 all time against the Buffs at Ligon Coliseum.
... match longest winning streak against WT at four games. (1/4/00-11/17/00 and 2/22/06-3/10/07).
... claim its fourth straight win over WTAMU -- last loss 2/22/12 (60-56) in Canyon.
... claim its sixth straight win over WTAMU at Ligon Coliseum -- last loss 2/13/08 (86-83/OT).
... improve to 148-38 (.796) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... improve to 67-19 (.779) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... improve to 15-5 on Feb. 12.
 
WITH A LOSS, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... fall to 15-7 on the season.
... fall to 7-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
... fall to 27-35 all time against West Texas A&M.
... fall to 14-6 all time against the Buffs at Ligon Coliseum.
... lose to WTAMU for first time since Feb. 22, 2012 (60-56) -- a span of three games.
... lose to WTAMU at Ligon Coliseum for first time since Feb. 13, 2008 (86-83/OT) -- a span of five games.
... fall to 147-39 (.790) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... fall to 66-20 (.767) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... fall to 14-6 on Feb. 12.
 
THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
Midwestern State extended its current winning streak to four games with critical South  Central Region and Lone Star Conference wins against Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce... The Mustangs snapped No. 2-ranked Tarleton State's 20-game home court winning streak and program-best 18-game winning streak with a 77-75 overtime win Wednesday night at Wisdom Gym... MSU claimed its second win in five attempts over teams ranked No. 2 in the NABC Division II poll with its win over Tarleton State Wednesday. The other win came over Sam Houston State (81-72) on Feb. 8, 1986... Midwestern improved to 6-4 against nationally ranked opposition during the Nelson Haggerty era... MSU also put an end to Tarleton's unbeaten run in the LSC. The last team to go unbeaten throughout LSC play was Abilene Christian (10-0) in 1985-86... Midwestern improved to 15-11 all time at Wisdom Gym and leads its all time series with the Texans 44-24... The Mustangs claimed their fourth straight win over Texas A&M-Commerce and have won 14 of the last 15 against the Lions dating back to the 2005-06 season... The Mustangs have outrebounded the opposition in each of its last 11 games by an average margin of 10.2 rebounds per game... MSU ranks 10th in NCAA Division II and tops the LSC with 15.6 offensive rebounds per game... The Mustangs rank 16th national and top the LSC with a +8.0 rebound margin... Midwestern also tops the LSC in both defensive (.724) and offensive (.391) rebound percentage... Senior guard Monzaigo Williams ranks third in the LSC in scoring (17.2 ppg), 13th in field goal percentage (.476), fourth in assists per game (4.5), eighth in free throw percentage (.760), second in steals per game (1.9), seventh in 3-point percentage (.434), fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.0) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0)... Williams is averaging 19.5 points and 5.2 assists per game over his last four outings... Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti connected on 7-of-11 of his shots from the field including three 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 18 points while pulling down seven rebounds with three blocked shots Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce... Senior guard DeJuan Plummer is 1-of-13 from the field and has just three total points in his last three games, but his lone made field goal against Tarleton State sent the game to overtime... Plummer scored in double figures in 13 of 17 games from the start of the season... Senior guard JaMichael Rivers scored eight of his 10 points during a 16-5 run in the final 6:44 of the first half Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce... Rivers is averaging 7.6 points and 2.0 assists in five games since returning from injury... Senior guard Cam Adderley knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers on his way to a 16-point effort Saturday night against Texas A&M-Commerce... Junior forward DeVaughn Jones matched a season high by scoring four points at Tarleton State and against Texas A&M-Commerce last week...
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Midwestern State hits the road to take on Eastern New Mexico Saturday night at Greyhound Arena in Portales. The Mustangs have won 13 of its last 14 games against the Hounds, but ENMU broke the Mustangs' 13-0 start in 2011-12 beating MSU 80-72.