TIPOFF
Midwestern State hits the road for a crucial Lone Star Conference matchup Saturday night when the Mustangs take on Eastern New Mexico at Greyhound Arena in Portales. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
 

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Midwestern State vs. Eastern New Mexico
Saturday, Feb. 15 | 7 p.m.
Greyhound Arena | Portales, N.M.
Records: Midwestern State (16-6, 8-2 LSC); Eastern New Mexico (13-9, 6-4 LSC)
Live Video: None
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com  
Live Stats: GoEasternAthletics.com  
On the Air: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls
Season Stat Pack: PDF  
LSC Only Stat Pack: PDF  
Career Stat Pack: PDF  
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico has won six of its last eight games since dropping a 66-41 decision to Midwestern State last month in Wichita Falls. ENMU also boast a 6-1 record this season at Greyhound Arena. Senior guard Rodney Blackmon leads a group of four players averaging in double figures for the Hounds as he ranks sixth in the LSC at 15.3 points per game and is eighth in assists at 3.4 a contest. Senior guard Rafael Love connects at a 44.2-percent clip from the 3-point arc to average 12.6 points while pulling down 4.3 rebounds a contest. Senior forward Cornelius Cammock adds 11.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while senior guard Devone Davis scores 10.6 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists a game. Senior forward Phil Henry (7.3 points, 5.2 rebounds) and sophomore forward Lawrence Domingo (5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds) are also significant contributors for ENMU. The Greyhounds rank fourth in the league scoring 74.5 points a game and are fifth in scoring defense giving up 69.5 points a contest.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 41st time on the hardwood Saturday night at Greyhound Arena. The Mustangs own a 25-15 edge in the series which dates back to the 1948-49 season. The Mustangs have won the last four and 13 of the last 14 meetings dating back to the 2006-07 season. Midwestern is 10-9 all time against ENMU at Greyhound Arena.
All-Time Series: PDF  
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. EASTERN NEW MEXICO
Midwestern State turned up the defensive pressure to limit Eastern New Mexico to a 19.3-percent shooting performance to come away with a 66-41 win on Jan. 11 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Senior guard Cam Adderley led a group of four MSU players in double figures with 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Monzaigo Williams chipped in 13 points to go along with five assists and four steals. Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti and senior guard DeJuan Plummer added 10 points each for the Mustangs. Rafael Love paced ENMU with 13 points.
 

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ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State rolled to its fifth straight win taking a 74-63 decision over West Texas A&M Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum and remains a game back for LSC leading Tarleton State. Senior guard Monzaigo Williams continues to lead the way for the Mustangs ranking third in the conference in scoring average (16.9 ppg), 14th in field goal percentage (.475), fourth in assists per game (4.5), seventh in free throw percentage (.771), third in steals per game (1.9), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.431), sixth in 3-pointers made per game (2.0) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9). Senior guard DeJuan Plummer adds 10.6 points per game off of the bench, while junior forward Xavier Blackburn adds 10.0 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti (9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds), senior guard Cam Adderley (8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds) and senior guard JaMichael Rivers (7.0 points, 1.7 rebounds) also add scoring punch for the Mustangs. MSU ranks fifth in the LSC in scoring at 74.2 points a game and is second in scoring defense allowing 67.5 points a game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti went 8-for-11 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers to finish with 18 points and five rebounds while leading Midwestern State to a 74-63 win over West Texas A&M Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs closed the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 30-24 edge into intermission then led by as many as 19 points in the second half. Senior guard DeJuan Plummer was 6-for-9 from the field to finish with 15 points off of the bench for the Mustangs while Xavier Blackburn notched his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Monzaigo Williams pitched in 10 points and dished out five assists. West Texas A&M senior Drimir Ferguson had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists to lead the Buffs.
 
MSU UNDER NELSON HAGGERTY
Nelson Haggerty is in his third year as head coach of the Mustangs. He boasts a 66-19 mark (.776) 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.
 
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 (15.3 per game) -- ninth in NCAA II, offensive rebound percentage (.389) and defensive rebound percentage (.720). MSU has out-rebounded 15 of its last 16 opponents by an average of 9.4 rebounds a game. The Mustangs have controlled the rebounding edge in 18 out of 22 games this season and are 13-5 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 8-0 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 148-38 mark (.796) 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 (3.3 rebounds, 3.5 rebounds), Abiodun Adegoke (2.4 points, 3.5 rebounds) and DeVaughn Jones (2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds) combine for a very productive 28.4 minutes per game. MSU's key depth supplements the tandem of Eddie D'Haiti and Xavier Blackburn at the rate of 8.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a game as a trio while shooting 58.2 percent (64-of-110).
 
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 (9-1) retains a one-game lead over Midwestern State (8-2) for the Lone Star Conference title. Angelo State (6-4) and Eastern New Mexico (6-4) are now two games back of the Mustangs, while Texas A&M-Commerce (3-7), Cameron (3-7), Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-7) and West Texas A&M (2-8) fill out the standings.
- Tarleton State (9-1) bounced back for a pair of wins over Cameron and Angelo State since falling to the Mustangs last week in Stephenville. The Texans play host to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday before welcoming West Texas A&M to Wisdom Gym on Wednesday.
- Angelo State's (6-4) comeback effort fell short as the Rams dropped a 72-64 decision to Tarleton State Wednesday night at Junell Center/Stephens Arena. ASU hits the road to face Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday before making its way to Wichita Falls to take on Midwestern State on Wednesday.
- Eastern New Mexico (6-4) has won six of its last eight game. The Greyhounds play host to Midwestern State on Saturday before taking on Texas A&M-Commerce Wednesday night in Commerce in their final road game of the regular season.
- Texas A&M-Commerce (3-7) has dropped three of its last four and six of the last eight. The Lions look to rebound with a pair of home games against Angelo State on Saturday and Eastern New Mexico on Wednesday.
- Cameron (3-7) has lost seven straight since opening LSC play at 3-0. The Aggies hit the road to face West Texas A&M Saturday night in Canyon before taking on Texas A&M-Kingsville Wednesday night in Lawton.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-7) snapped a two-game skid with a 75-74 win over Texas A&M-Commerce Wednesday at Steinke Arena. The Hoggies face Tarleton State Saturday and Cameron on Wednesday for their final two road contests this season.
- West Texas A&M (2-8) has lost eight of 12 games since returning from Christmas Break. The Buffs play host to Cameron Saturday in Canyon before facing league leading Tarleton State Wednesday night in Stephenville.
 
WITH A WIN, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... improve to 17-6 on the season.
... improve to 9-2 in Lone Star Conference play.
... improve to 6-2 in road contests this season.
... win six consecutive games for the first time since posting a 6-game winning streak from Jan. 26-Feb. 13, 2013.
... improve to 26-15 all time against Eastern New Mexico.
... improve to 11-9 all time against ENMU at Greyhound Arena.
... claim its fifth straight win over ENMU -- last loss 1/14/12 (80-72) in Portales.
... improve to 149-38 (.797) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... improve to 68-19 (.782) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... improve to 12-8 on Feb. 15.
 
WITH A LOSS, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... fall to 16-7 on the season.
... fall to 8-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
... fall to 5-3 in road contests this season.
... lose first game since falling 83-68 at Angelo State on Jan. 22 -- five games.
... fall to 25-16 all time against Eastern New Mexico.
... fall to 10-10 all time against ENMU at Greyhound Arena.
... lose to ENMU for first time since Jan. 14, 2012 (680-72) -- a span of four games.
... fall to 148-39 (.791) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... fall to 67-20 (.770) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... fall to 11-9 on Feb. 15.
 
THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
Midwestern State matched a season-best five-game winning streak after claiming a 74-63 victory over West Texas A&M Wednesday night at Ligon Coliseum... It was MSU's fourth regular season sweep of the Buffs since MSU entered the LSC in 1996-97... The Mustangs have beaten West Texas A&M for the fourth straight time for the second time in series history matching the most consecutive wins against the Buffs... Senior guard Monzaigo Williams has scored 10-or-more points in each of his last five games and in 21 of 22 games this season... Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti matched a career high with 18 points Wednesday night against West Texas A&M... D'Haiti has scored 18 points in each of his last two games... D'Haiti has connected on 12-of-23 shots from the 3-point arc (.522) over his last seven games... Senior guard DeJuan Plummer snapped out of a scoring slump to score 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting Wednesday against West Texas A&M. He was 1-of-13 for three total points over his previous three games after netting double figures 13 times in the first 18 games of the season... Junior guard Kevin Wagner played a season-high 21 minutes while matching a campaign best five assists Wednesday night against West Texas A&M... Junior forward Tavarion Nix swatted a season-high five shots Wednesday night against West Texas A&M and is averaging 1.2 blocks in 12.0 minutes per game this season... Junior forward Xavier Blackburn notched his fifth double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday against West Texas A&M...
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Midwestern State returns to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for the final time this season as the Mustangs play host to Angelo State for Senior Night on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.