TIPOFF
Midwestern State plays host to Angelo State in a Senior Night battle Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.  The Mustangs honor seniors Monzaigo Williams, Eddie D'Haiti, DeJuan Plummer, JaMichael Rivers and Cam Adderley in a pregame ceremony.
 
The Mustangs can clinch at least a No. 2 seed in next month's Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament with a win.
 

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Midwestern State vs. Angelo State
Wednesday, Feb. 19 | 7:30 p.m.
Records: Midwestern State (17-6, 9-2 LSC); Angelo State (16-7, 6-5 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 RAMS
Angelo State has dropped its last two games and has struggled to a 4-5 mark on the road this season. The Rams are led by senior forward Kenny Williams, who leads the Lone Star Conference in scoring at 17.7 points per game. The 6-7 transfer from McMurry also ranks second in the league pulling down 8.3 boards per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field with 30 steals and 21 blocked shots. Senior guard Bryan Hammond is the only other Ram averaging in double figures with 11.6 points game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and dishing out 4.6 assists a contest. Sharpshooting junior guard Tommy Wooldridge pitches in 9.6 points a game while connecting a 42.2-percent clip from the 3-point line. Senior forward Chris Talkington (7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds) and junior guard Daniel Skinner (7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds) are also key offensive options for Angelo State. The Rams rank third in the LSC in scoring at 74.8 points per game and are sixth in scoring defense allowing 70.4 points a contest.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and Angelo State meet for the 68th time on the hardwood Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs own a 43-24 edge in the series that dates back to the 1966-67 season. The Rams have won the last two games between the programs after snapping a 20-game losing streak against MSU at D.L. Ligon Coliseum with a 53-50 win under the dome last season. It was their first win in Wichita Falls since taking an 86-76 victory on Jan. 7, 1988. Still, Midwestern State is 27-4 against the Rams all time at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Angelo State claimed the first meeting between the teams this season by an 83-68 score on Jan. 22 in San Angelo.
All-Time Series: PDF 
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. ANGELO STATE
Angelo State shot 50 percent from the field and got an 18-point, 9-rebound effort from Kenny Williams to take a convincing 83-68 win over Midwestern State on Jan. 22 at Junell Center/Stephens Arena. The Rams used an 11-2 run late in the first half to extend the advantage to 15 points on Bryan Hammond 3-pointers with 3:43 to go in the half. The Mustangs would close to within six points, but Angelo State would stretch the lead to as many as 20 points in the second half. ASU's Tommy Wooldridge connected on three treys to join  Chantz Chamber with 12 points both in reserve roles. MSU senior forward Eddie D'Haiti was the lone MSU player in double figures finishing with 17 points as the Mustangs shot 39.7 percent from the field.
 

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ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State rides a season-best six-game winning streak into Wednesday night's showdown with Angelo State at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Senior guard Monzaigo Williams leads the team ranking second in the Lone Star Conference in scoring (17.0 ppg), 11th in field goal percentage (.478), fifth in assists per game (4.4), seventh in free throw percentage (.774), fourth in steals per game (1.8), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.430), sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.0) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9). The Mustangs are 11-2 when Williams leads the team in scoring this season. Senior guard DeJuan Plummer provides scoring punch off of the bench dropping 10.7 points per contest while shooting 40 percent from the field. Junior Xavier Blackburn pitches in 10.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, but has come on strong in LSC play to up the averages to 11.8 points and 9.2 rebounds a game. Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti (9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds) has also upped his play during the league slate pouring in 10.6 points and pulling down 5.4 rebounds a game while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from the arc. Senior guard Cam Adderley (8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds), senior guard JaMichael Rivers (6.1 points) and junior guard Derrell Gibbs (4.1 points, 4.3 rebounds) are also key offensive cogs for the Mustangs. MSU ranks fifth in the LSC in scoring at 74.5 points per game, but are second in the conference allowing 68 points a contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior guard Kevin Wagner went coast-to-coast to beat the overtime buzzer to lift Midwestern State to an 81-79 win Saturday night at Eastern New Mexico. The Greyhounds had overcome a seven-point OT deficit to tie the game on Rodney Blackmon's 3-pointer with 6 seconds remaining before Wagner raced down the middle of the floor for the game winner. The Mustangs came back from eight down with 5 minutes to play in regulation to tie the game on a pair of Xavier Blackburn free throws with 13 seconds to play. MSU senior guard Monzaigo Williams fought through foul trouble to net a team-high 19 points while Eddie D'Haiti and DeJuan Plummer chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively. ENMU senior guard Rodney Blackmon poured in 24 points fueled by five 3-pointers to lead all scorers.
 
MSU UNDER NELSON HAGGERTY
Nelson Haggerty is in his third year as head coach of the Mustangs. He boasts a 67-19 mark (.779) 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 a .809 winning percentage with a 541-128 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 20th in NCAA Division in total rebounds (978.0) 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) -- eighth in NCAA II, offensive rebound percentage (.390) and defensive rebound percentage (.722). MSU has out-rebounded 16 of its last 17 opponents by an average of 9.6 rebounds a game. The Mustangs have controlled the rebounding edge in 19 out of 23 games this season and are 14-5 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 9-0 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 149-38 mark (.797) 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 COPS FOURTH LSC DEFENSIVE HONOR (2/17/14)
Midwestern State junior forward Xavier Blackburn notched his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a 74-63 win over West Texas A&M then followed with a 11 points, eight rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal in an 81-79 overtime victory at Eastern New Mexico. He averaged a double-double with 11.5 points and 10 rebounds a game to help MSU extend its season long winning streak to six games.
 
BLACKBURN EARNS THIRD LSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD (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 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 (3.1 rebounds, 3.5 rebounds), Abiodun Adegoke (2.5 points, 3.6 rebounds) and DeVaughn Jones (2.2 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 7.8 points and 9.1 rebounds a game as a trio while shooting 57.3 percent (67-of-117).
 
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 (10-1) clings to a one-game lead over Midwestern State (9-2) with three games to play in the Lone Star Conference race.  Angelo State (6-5) and Eastern New Mexico (6-5) are tied for third followed by Texas A&M-Commerce (4-7), Cameron (4-7), Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-8) and West Texas A&M (2-9).
- Tarleton State (10-1) has recovered to win three straight since falling to Midwestern State at home. The Texans play host to West Texas A&M on Saturday before hitting the road to play Eastern New Mexico in Portales on  Wednesday.
- Angelo State (6-5) has dropped two straight. The Rams travel to Wichita Falls to take on Midwestern State on  Wednesday before playing host to Cameron on Saturday.
- Eastern New Mexico (6-5) has dropped two of its last three after winning six of seven. The Hounds hit the road to take on Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday before playing host to Tarleton State next Wednesday.
- Texas A&M-Commerce (4-7) snapped a two-game skid by thumping Angelo State 99-78 Saturday night at The Fieldhouse. The Lions play host to Eastern New Mexico Wednesday before playing West Texas A&M Saturday in Canyon.
- Cameron (4-7) snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 63-58 win Saturday at West Texas A&M. The Aggies play host to Texas A&M-Kingsville Wednesday before traveling to Angelo State Saturday.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-8) has dropped three of its last four. The Hoggies face Cameron Wednesday night in Lawton before playing to Midwestern State on Saturday.
- West Texas A&M (2-9) has lost four of its last five. The Buffs take on league leading Tarleton State Wednesday night in Stephenville before playing host to Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday.
 
WITH A WIN, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... improve to 18-6 on the season.
... improve to 10-2 in Lone Star Conference play.
... improve to 9-2 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum this season.
... win seven consecutive games for the first time since posting a 7-game winning streak from Feb. 25-March 13, 2012.
... improve to 44-24 all time against Angelo State.
... improve to 28-4 all time against ASU at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
... stop a two-game skid against the Rams -- last win 1/5/13 (65-55) in San Angelo.
... improve to 150-38 (.798) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... improve to 69-19 (.784) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... improve to 14-10 on Feb. 19.
 
WITH A LOSS, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... fall to 17-7 on the season.
... fall to 9-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
... fall to 8-3 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum this season.
... lose first game since falling 83-68 at Angelo State on Jan. 22 -- six games.
... fall to 43-25 all time against Angelo State.
... fall to 27-5 all time against ASU at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
... lose third-straight game to ASU -- last win 1/5/13  (65-55) in San Angelo.
... fall to 149-39 (.793) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... fall to 68-20 (.773) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... fall to 13-11 on Feb. 19.
 
THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
Midwestern State claimed a pair of Lone Star Conference wins over West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico to extend its season-best winning streak to six games... The Mustangs can clinch no worse than a No. 2 seed in the LSC Postseason Tournament set for March 5-8 in Allen, Texas with a win in of their final three games of the season... MSU is one game behind Tarleton State in the race for its eighth Lone Star Conference championships... The Mustangs own a three-game edge over Angelo State (6-5) and Eastern New Mexico (6-5) and are in sole possession of second place... Midwestern State needs three wins to post 20 wins for the fifth straight season... It would be just the second time in program history the Mustangs have won 20 games in five consecutive season and first time since Midwestern performed the feat from 1973-74 season through 1980-81 under Hall of Fame Coach Gerald Stockton... MSU has won the rebound battle in each of its last 13 games by an average margin of 9.8 boards per game... The Mustangs have claimed three overtime wins during their current six-game winning streak... Senior guard Monzaigo Williams ranks second in the LSC in scoring (17.0 ppg), 11th in field goal percentage (.478), fifth in assists per game (4.4), seventh in free throw percentage (.774), fourth in steals per game (1.8), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.430), sixth in 3-pointers made per game (2.0) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9)... Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti notched his third-straight double-figure performance finishing with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting while matching a season-high with eight rebounds Saturday against Eastern New Mexico... D'Haiti has buried six of his last 10 3-pointers over the last three games... Senior guard DeJuan Plummer averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 11-of-18 from the field (.611) with two 3-pointers in wins over West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico last week... Junior guard Kevin Wagner went coast-to-coast for the game winning layup with 1.8 seconds to play in overtime to lift MSU to an 81-79 win Saturday night at Eastern New Mexico... Wagner matched a season high with five assists Wednesday night against West Texas A&M... Junior forward Xavier Blackburn averaged a double-double with 11.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in wins over WTAMU and ENMU last week shooting 8-of-13 from the field (61.5 percent)...
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Midwestern State hits the road to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday afternoon at Steinke Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.