TIPOFF
Midwestern State goes for its eighth straight win Saturday afternoon against Texas A&M-Kingsville at Steinke Center in Kingsville. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
 
The Mustangs remain just one game behind Tarleton State in the race for the Lone Star Conference championship.
 

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Midwestern State vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville
Saturday, Feb. 22 | 3 p.m.
Steinke Center | Kingsville, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (18-6, 10-2 LSC); Texas A&M-Kingsville (8-16, 3-9 LSC)
Live Video: SouthTexanNews.com  
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com  
Live Stats: JavelinaAthletics.com 
On the Air: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls
Season Stat Pack: PDF   
LSC Only Stat Pack: PDF  
Career Stat Pack: PDF   
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
Texas A&M-Kingsville has dropped its last two decisions and four of it last five, but has won two of its last three on its home floor in the Steinke Center. The Javelinas are paced by senior guard Rashad Basey, who ranks second in the Lone Star Conference in scoring at 16.9 points per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor. Junior guard Ronald Scott pitches 11.1 points per contest to go along with a team-high 3.9 assists while shooting 39.4 percent from the arc.  Junior forward Jordan Jahr scores 10.5 points while pulling down a team-high 5.3 rebounds a game. Junior guard Ta'Quan McDew (9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds), junior forward Irvin Hollinger (7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds) and junior guard Adonis Bailey (7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds) add to the Hoggies' scoring punch. Texas A&M-Kingsville ranks sixth in the conference scoring 69.6 points per game while allowing 76.3 points a contest -- seventh in the LSC.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville meet for the 40th time on the hardwood Saturday afternoon at Steinke Center. The Mustangs control a 28-11 edge in the series which dates back to the 1976-77 season and have won the last 12 meetings of the series with TAMUK's last win coming back in the 2007-08 campaign. MSU has won in each of its last five trips to Kingsville and are 11-6 against the Hoggies in Steinke Center.
All Time Series: PDF
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE
Senior guard Monzaigo Williams led a group of four Midwestern State players in double figures with 20 points and five assists to lead the Mustangs to an 83-62 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Jan. 25 in Wichita Falls. Williams connected on 6-of-8 shots from the field with a 3-pointer and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe to ignite the Mustangs' current seven-game winning streak. Senior guard DeJuan Plummer added 13 points, junior forward Xavier Blackburn chipped in 12 and senior Cam Adderley had 10. Junior forward Jordan Jahr connected on three treys on his way to a game-high 22 points for Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 

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ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State has matched its longest winning streak since the 2011-12 squad claimed a win in its final regular season contest, won three games at the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament then three more in the South Central Regional to advance to the Elite Eight for the third straight year with a seven-game winning streak. The Mustangs look to ride the momentum into its final two regular season games to keep hope alive for their eighth overall league title and seventh in the last nine years. MSU trails Tarleton State by one game heading into the final week of league play. Senior guard Monzaigo Williams ranks third in the LSC in scoring (16.9 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage (.486), fifth in assists per game (4.4), seventh in free throw percentage (.774), fifth in steals per game (1.7), third in 3-point field goal percentage (.438), sixth in 3-pointers per game (2.0) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8). Junior forward Xavier Blackburn is averaging 12.8 points and an LSC-best 9.4 rebounds a game during league play to up his season averages to 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds (4th in LSC) per contest. Senior guard DeJuan Plummer gives MSU a third double-figure scorer at 10.3 points per game. Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti (9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds), senior guard Cam Adderley (7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds) and senior guard JaMichael Rivers (7.4 points) add to the Mustangs' scoring depth. Midwestern ranks third in the LSC averaging 74.7 points per game and are second in scoring defense allowing 68.0 points per contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Midwestern State used a 13-0 run in the final minutes of the second half to pull away for a 78-68 win over Angelo State Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Junior forward Xavier Blackburn notched his fifth double-double of the season finishing with a career-best 24 points while pulling down 12 rebounds as he shot 5-for-8 from the field and 13-of-14 from the charity stripe. Senior guard JaMichael Rivers added a season-high 16 points of his own while senior guard Monzaigo Williams chipped in 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting with three treys to go along with four assists. Kenny Williams paced Angelo State with 18 points on 5-of-16 shooting and was limited to two rebounds.
 
MSU UNDER NELSON HAGGERTY
Nelson Haggerty is in his third year as head coach of the Mustangs. He boasts a 69-19 mark (.784) 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 received a vote in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Division II Poll. It was the Mustangs' first mention in the rankings since dropping out of the rankings on Dec. 31. MSU carried a ranking for the first six reporting periods reaching as high as No. 6. The Mustangs have carried a national ranking at some point during each of the last five seasons.
 
MUSTANGS IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
Midwestern State opened the South Central Region rankings at No. 3. Tarleton State carries the top ranking followed by Metro State (Colo.) at No. 2. The Mustangs are third followed by Colorado Mines, Angelo State (Texas), Arkansas-Fort Smith, St. Mary's (Texas), Texas A&M International, Texas A&M-Commerce and Colorado-Colorado Springs. The top eight teams advance to the NCAA II playoffs which begin on campus sites on March 15-18.
 
HITTING THE GLASS
Midwestern State ranks 20th in NCAA Division in total rebounds (1018.0) and is 14th in rebound margin (+8.3). Both of those numbers top the Lone Star Conference as the Mustangs also lead the league in offensive rebounds (15.2 per game) -- eighth in NCAA II, offensive rebound percentage (.391) and defensive rebound percentage (.723). MSU has out-rebounded 17 of its last 18 opponents by an average of 9.9 rebounds a game. The Mustangs have controlled the rebounding edge in 20 out of 24 games this season and are 15-5 when posting a positive rebound margin. MSU scores 14.9 points per game on second chances and allows 9.8.
 
SHOOTING 44
Midwestern State is 3-5 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' three wins came against Texas A&M-Kingsville (83-62/44.1), Texas A&M-Commerce (75-63/44.4) and Angelo State (78-68/44.4). Midwestern is 10-0 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 150-38 mark (.798) 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 (3.3 rebounds, 3.6 rebounds), Abiodun Adegoke (2.7 points, 3.7 rebounds) and DeVaughn Jones (2.1 points, 1.9 rebounds) combine for a very productive 28.8 minutes per game. MSU's key depth supplements the tandem of Eddie D'Haiti and Xavier Blackburn at the rate of 8.1 points and 9.2 rebounds a game as a trio while shooting 57.9 percent (70-of-121).
 
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 (11-1) maintains a slim one-game lead over Midwestern State (10-2) with two games to go. The Mustangs and Texans have opened a wide gap over the rest of the field which includes Angelo State (6-6), Eastern New Mexico (6-6), Texas A&M-Commerce (5-7), Cameron (5-7), Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-9) and West Texas A&M (2-10).
- Tarleton State (11-1) has won four consecutive games since taking its lone loss of the season against Midwestern State. The Texans travel to Eastern New Mexico on Saturday before hosing non-conference Lubbock Christian on Wednesday. TSU closes the regular season at Texas A&M-Commerce next Saturday.
- Angelo State (6-6) has dropped three consecutive games. The Rams play Cameron Saturday at Junell Center before closing the regular season next Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- Eastern New Mexico (6-6) has lost three of its last four. The Hounds close the season with a pair of home games against Tarleton State on Saturday and West Texas A&M next Saturday.
- Texas A&M-Commerce (5-7) look for its first conference road win Saturday at West Texas A&M before closing the regular season next Saturday at home against rival Tarleton State. The Lions have their last two and each of their last four at The Fieldhouse where they are 9-1 this season.
- Cameron (5-7) has won its last two after dropping seven straight. The Aggies travel to face Angelo State on Saturday before closing the regular season next week against Midwestern State in Lawton.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-9) has lost its last two and four of its last five games. The Hoggies close the regular season with home games against Midwestern State on Saturday and versus Angelo State next week.
- West Texas A&M (2-10) has lost its last three and seven of its last nine games. The Buffs play host to Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday before closing the regular season next week at Eastern New Mexico.
 
WITH A WIN, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... improve to 19-6 on the season.
... improve to 11-2 in Lone Star Conference play.
... improve to 7-2 on the road this season.
... win eight consecutive games for the first time since posting a 13-game winning streak from Nov. 11, 2011 to Jan. 11, 2012.
... improve to 29-11 all time against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
... improve to 12-6 all time against TAMUK at Steinke Center.
... win 13th straight game against Texas A&M-Kingsville -- last loss 2/16/08 (78-63) in Kingsville.
... improve to 151-38 (.799) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... improve to 70-19 (.787) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... improve to 15-7 on Feb. 22.
 
WITH A LOSS, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... fall to 18-7 on the season.
... fall to 10-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
... fall to 7-3 on the road this season.
... lose first game since falling 83-68 at Angelo State on Jan. 22 -- seven games.
... fall to 28-12 all time against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
... fall to 11-7 all time against TAMUK at Steinke Center.
... lose to Texas A&M-Kingsville for time since 2/16/08 (78-63 in Kingsville) -- 12 games.
... fall to 150-39 (.794) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... fall to 69-20 (.775) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... fall to 14-8 on Feb. 22.
 
THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
Midwestern State owns a win over every team in the Lone Star Conference this season after claiming a 78-68 win over Angelo State Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum... The win snapped the Mustangs' two-game losing streak to Angelo State... Midwestern finished the season with a 9-2 mark at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. It's the first time since the 2007-08 season the Mustangs failed to win 10 games under the dome in a season... Midwestern State needs two 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... Midwestern has won the rebounding battle in each of its 14 games by a margin of 10.2 boards per game... The Mustangs have controlled at least a +10 edge on the glass in 10 games this season... MSU shot 50 percent from the field for the fifth time this season Wednesday against Angelo State... The Mustangs connected on a season-best 80.6 percent (29-of-36) from the free throw line Wednesday against Angelo State. It was just the sixth time this season MSU enjoyed a 70-percent or better success rate from the charity stripe... Senior guard Monzaigo Williams has scored in double figures in each of his last seven games and in 23 of 24 games this season... Williams has hit a 3-pointer in 23 of 24 games this season with lone exception coming at Angelo State (1/22)... Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti was limited to season lows of two points in 8 minutes Wednesday against Angelo State. D'Haiti had scored in double figures in each of his previous three games... Senior guard DeJuan Plummer did not score in 17 minutes of play Wednesday against Angelo State. He had scored in double figures in the previous two games... Junior forward Tavarion Nix knocked down a season-high 5-of-6 free throws to finish with seven points and two blocked shots Wednesday night against Angelo State... Junior guard Derrell Gibbs scored five points and pulled down six rebounds in 25 minutes Wednesday against Angelo State. He has connected on just one 3-pointer in his last 10 outings in 15 attempts... Junior forward Xavier Blackburn erupted for a career-high 24 points and finished off his fifth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds Thursday night against Angelo State... Blackburn knocked down a season-high 13 free throws (in 14 attempts)... Blackburn is shooting 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the field over the last three games... Senior guard JaMichael Rivers banged in a season-high 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting including a 5-of-9 effort from the charity stripe Wednesday against Angelo State... Senior forward Abiodun Adegoke matched a season high with six points while pulling down five rebounds in a campaign-most 13 minutes Wednesday against Angelo State...
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Midwestern State closes the regular season on the road against Cameron next Saturday at Aggie Gym in Lawton. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.