TIPOFF
Midwestern State seeks to hand No. 5 West Texas A&M its first Lone Star Conference loss of the season when the Lady Buffs come to the Dome on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls.
Midwestern State vs. West Texas A&M
Wednesday, Feb. 12 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (14-8, 6-5); West Texas A&M (19-1, 10-0)
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Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com
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SCOUTING THE LADY BUFFS
West Texas A&M enters the game ranked fifth in the WBCA's USA Today Sports Division II Coaches Poll with a record of 19-1, and leads the Lone Star Conference at 10-0. Coach Mark Kellogg is in his first season on the bench of the Lady Buffs who are led by senior forward Devin Griffin of Lubbock, Texas/Coronado who is fourth in the Lone Star Conference in scoring at 14.3 points a game and is ninth in the LSC rebounding with 6.2 rebounds a game, while ranking sixth in the league by shooting 51.3 percent from the floor (1-2-of-199). Junior forward Chontiquah White of Dallas, Texas/Life School Oak Cliff is fifth in the LSC with 13.0 points, is tied with Griffin for ninth in boards with 6.2 rebounds and ranks third in field goal percentage at 55.5 (86-of-155). Senior guard Casey Land of Canyon, Texas chips in 10.9 points (13th in the LSC) and averages 2.0 3-point field goals a game (fifth in LSC) with 2.7 assists (12th in LSC) and 2.2 steals (third in LSC), while junior forward Lacee Logan of Sudan, Texas provides 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds an outing. WTAMU leads the LSC averaging 81.3 points a contest, while ranks second in the loop allowing opponents 58.7 points a game.
ABOUT THE SERIES
This is the 58th meeting between Midwestern State and West Texas A&M with WT holding a 41-16 series lead. MSU trails 9-17 at Ligon Coliseum, but leads the series 1-0 on neutral floors and in unknown locations 2-1. MSU trails in the series 4-23 in Canyon, including a 2-10 record at the First United Bank Center. The 71-54 WT win on Jan. 8, 2014 in Canyon snapped a three-game MSU winning streak, all last season, including a 74-55 win on Dec. 5, 2013 in Wichita Falls, a 58-55 win on Feb. 6, 2013 in Canyon and the 85-83 triumph in overtime to claim the Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship in Allen.
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 Ligon Coliseum. Midwestern's six points are one in men's basketball and the other five on the soccer pitch with three in women's soccer and two on the men's side. 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 in women's basketball.
LAST TIME OUT VS. WT
The Mustangs never led at the First United Bank Center as West Texas A&M claimed a 71-54 victory at home. MSU trailed by three with 2:30 to play in the first half before a 7-4 WT ended the frame for a seven-point halftime lead. The Lady Buffs and Mustangs stayed close in the second half until a 10-3 run sealed the decision for West Texas A&M. MSU was paced by Andrea Carter's 15 points with nine rebounds and four blocked shots, while Taylor Dowd added 12 points (shooting 6-of-8) and Kirsti Degelia scored 10 with three boards. The Lady Buffs got 19 points with five rebounds from Chontiquah White and 14 points with five boards, two blocks and four steals from Devin Griffin. MSU outrebounded WT 37-30, but shot only 37.1 percent from the floor (23-of-62), including 1-of-13 from the 3-point arc (7.7 percent) and 7-of-11 from the free throw line (63.6 percent). WT fired 51.2 percent from the field (22-of-43), including 3-of-12 from the arc and 24-of-30 from the foul line (80.0 percent).
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State is 14-8 on the season, 6-5 in Lone Star Conference action. Coach Noel Johnson's Mustangs are led by junior All-America forward Andrea Carter who is second in the LSC averaging 15.5 points and third in the conference with 8.9 rebounds, to go with 2.0 steals and shooting 51.8 percent (fifth in the LSC in both). Senior guard Kirsti Degelia adds 11.8 points (11th in the LSC) with 1.4 three-pointers a game (12th in the LSC), to go with 3.0 assists (10th in the LSC) and 1.4 steals (14th in the LSC). Junior guard Dianna Jones adds 10.1 points a game (18th in the LSC) to go with her LSC leading 4.9 assists and 2.04 assist-turnover ratio and 1.5 steals (10th in the LSC). Junior guard Shatoia Gober chalks up 7.4 points a contest, as she pulls down 5.0 rebounds (18th in the LSC) with 2.5 assists (15th in the LSC) and 1.1 steals. MSU averages 71.7 points a contest, while allowing 66.1.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mustangs never trailed as they got some revenge for an earlier overtime loss at Texas A&M-Commerce by blitzing the Lions 100-67. The 33-point win was the largest of the season for MSU and was the largest against an LSC opponent since beating A&M-C by 37 (81-44) on Nov. 30, 2011. MSU opened the game with a 13-0 run and never allowed the Lions to get inside of double-digits after the 16:20 mark in the second half, eventually closing the game on a 22-6 run. Kirsti Degelia scored a season-best 25 points (tying the third best scoring output of her career), while nailing 10-of-15 from the floor (66.7 percent), with 4-of-7 from the 3-point arc (57.1 percent). Andrea Carter just missed a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Shatoia Gober double-doubled with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Mustangs shot 54.3 percent from the floor (38-of-70), including 6-of-12 from the arc (50.0 percent), but shot 69.2 percent from the foul line (18-of-26). TAMUC connected on 35.0 percent from the floor (21-of-60), with 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) from the arc and 21-of-33 (63.6 percent) from the charity stripe. MSU outrebounded A&M-Commerce by 21, 51-30.
MSU UNDER NOEL JOHNSON
Noel Johnson is 86-73 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.
MUSTANGS HONOR PLAY 4 KAY WEEK
Midwestern State joins other members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in calling attention to breast cancer during Play 4 Kay Week, the initiative to fight breast cancer in honor of the late North Carolina State coach Kay Yow. The Mustangs will wear pink shooting shirts for this game against West Texas A&M, along with pink shoes and other pink secondary apparel. A silent auction for those shooting shirts concludes on Wednesday, along with a raffle for various gift packages with the proceeds going to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and local cancer fighting charities.
THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
The Mustangs had their three-game win streak snapped on Wednesday night with the 78-75 overtime loss at Tarleton State, but made it four wins in the last five games with the 100-67 triumph over Texas A&M-Commerce … The TSU contest was the second overtime loss of the season, and marked the first time since the 2005-06 campaign that MSU had lost multiple overtime games in a year … It was just the eighth time this season a team has scored more than 70 against MSU, with two games breaking the mark in overtime. MSU is 3-5 when allowing more than 70 points … MSU then held A&M-C to 67 meaning the Mustangs have held 11 of their last 14 opponents under 70, with 13 of the last 14 staying under 70 during the regulation 40 minutes … Midwestern has still limited opponents' scoring over the last eight games, holding their opponents to an average of 62.9 points over that span … MSU outrebounded A&M-Commerce 51-30, marking the first time in eight games the Mustangs won the rebound war in a game. The Mustangs are 8-1 when having a rebounding advantage, 4-5 when being outrebounded by opponents and 2-2 when both teams have an equal number of rebounds … Junior Shambreka Jones of Mesquite, Texas/Poteet tied the MSU single-game record for blocked shots when she swatted seven against A&M-Commerce. She now has 10 on the season and is ranked 12th in the LSC averaging 0.5 per game … Senior Kirsti Degelia of Denton, Texas/Krum became just the seventh Midwestern State women's player to score 1,300 points after her 11 points at Tarleton and 25 vs A&M-Commerce to amass 1,326 career points – seventh all-time. She is 69 points away from Lounette Adkins Decker (1978-79, 80-81, 93-95) with 1,395 points in sixth … Degelia is now seventh at MSU with 307 career assists, passing J.J. Anderson (1997-2001) with 303 in seventh. She needs eight to reach Mandy Clueley (1994-98) with 315 in sixth … Degelia is 13th on the MSU career steal's list with 149 passing the 147 of J.J. Anderson (1997-2001) and Stacey Staten (2004-08) … Junior forward Andrea Carter of Angleton, Texas is second in the Lone Star Conference in scoring, third in rebounding and fifth in steals, averaging 15.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game. She also ranks sixth in field goal percentage (51.8 percent), sixth in free throw percentage (75.0 percent) and 11th in blocked shots (0.5) … Carter moved into seventh in career rebounds at MSU after her 13 boards at Tarleton and nine vs A&M-C. She now has 685, passing Rulinda Vogtsberger (1978-81) with 666. Carter needs 46 boards to tie Shannon Boase (1995-99) in sixth with 731 … Carter is also 12th in career steals at MSU, with 164 and needs three more to pass Jennifer Butler (1994-99) with 166 in 11th … Junior Diana Jones of Hewitt, Texas/Midway leads the Lone Star Conference with 4.9 assists per game and leads the league with a 2.04 assist/turnover ratio. Jones is fourth in the LSC with a 78.4 free throw percentage (69-of-88) and 11th in steals (1.5 per game) … Jones is now 12th in MSU career assists with 226, passing Dee Wood (1987-91) with 222. Jones needs seven to tie Meosha Walker (2002-04) with 233 in 11th …
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