TIPOFF
Midwestern State battles rival Tarleton State Wednesday night at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
 

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Midwestern State vs. Tarleton State
Wednesday, Feb. 5 | 8 p.m.
Records: Midwestern State (13-6, 5-2 LSC); Tarleton State (18-0, 7-0 LSC)
Live Video: TarletonSports.com  
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com  
Live Stats: TarletonSports.com  
On the Air: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls
Season Stat Pack: PDF 
LSC Only Stat Pack: PDF 
Career Stat Pack: PDF 
 
SCOUTING THE TEXANS
Tarleton State is off to its best start in school history and on its longest winning streak with a perfect 18-0 mark. The Texans hold a two-game lead at the top of the Lone Star Conference with an average margin of victory of 18.6 points during league play. With the exception of a two-point win at Midwestern State, no other LSC opponent has played Tarleton State to closer than 13 points. Senior guard Chuck Guy leads a trio of Texans averaging in double figures and ranks fourth in the LSC in scoring with 16.7 points a game while topping the league with 5.9 assists per contest. Senior guard DeAndre Upchurch pitches in 14.2 points per game while shooting 39.8 percent from the arc knocking down 2.6 treys a contest. Three-point marksman Tashawn Mabry splashes in 11.6 points a game while leading the league in long range accuracy at 49 percent (25-of-51 from the arc). Junior forward Davene Carter (9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, .700 FG%), junior guard Mohammed Lee (8.6 points), junior guard Emmanuel Andrews (7.9 points), sophomore guard Michael Hardge (6.2 points), junior forward Damion Clemons (5.8 points, 4.9 rebounds) and senior guard Coleman Furst (4.9 points) add to a deep rotation of scoring options for the Texans. Tarleton State is one of two remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division II -- East Stroudsburg (Pa.) (20-0). The Texans lead the nation in scoring margin (26.3), rank seventh in scoring defense (62.8 ppg) and ninth in scoring offense (89.1).
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and Tarleton State meet for the 68th time on the hardwood Wednesday night at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville. The Mustangs own a 43-24 edge in the series which dates back to the 1961-62 season, but the Texans have won the last three meetings and seven of the last 11 including an 83-81 win earlier this season at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs own a 14-11 edge in games against TSU in Stephenville but have taken defeats in their last three trips to Wisdom Gym.
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. TARLETON STATE
Midwestern State's Xavier Blackburn notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead a group of four Mustangs in double figures, but MSU was unable to hold off Tarleton State as the Texans came away with an 83-81 win on Jan. 15 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Midwestern State led by as many as 12 points in the opening half, but the Texans chipped away in a nip-and-tuck second half to take a 6-point lead with 2:01 remaining. MSU's DeJuan Plummer nailed a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left to cut the TSU lead to two and the Mustangs made a stop to gain the final possession of the game. But Monzaigo Williams slipped while trying to make a move in the paint allowing the Texans to slip out of the dome with the win. Williams had 14 points and six rebounds while Eddie D'Haiti joined Plummer with 13 points each. Chuck Guy poured in a game-high 20 points to pace the Texans while Tashawn Mabry and Damion Clemons chipped in 16 points each off of the bench.
All-Time Series: PDF  
 

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ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State rallied from a 19-point deficit to claim its second-straight win 70-67 in overtime Saturday afternoon against Cameron. The Mustangs look for their fourth winning streak of at least three games this season. Senior guard Monzaigo Williams leads the Mustangs ranking third in the Lone Star Conference in scoring (18.1 ppg), third in assists per game (4.4), 11th in free throw percentage (.750), second in steals (1.9), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.442), fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.0) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0). Senior guard DeJuan Plummer adds 11.4 points a game off of the bench shooting 39.6 percent from the floor while connecting on 1.4 treys per game. Junior forward Xavier Blackburn has come on strong during LSC play averaging 12.3 points while leading the league with 8.7 rebounds per game to raise his season tallies to 9.8 points and 6.8 boards a game. Senior guard JaMichael Rivers spurred the Mustangs to a comeback scoring 10 of his season-high 13 points in the final minute of regulation and overtime Saturday against Cameron. Rivers is averaging 8.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in three games since returning from a foot injury three games ago. Senior forward Eddie D'Haiti (8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds), senior guard Cam Adderley (7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds) and junior guard Derrell Gibbs (4.4 points, 4.3 rebounds) add to the Mustangs scoring depth. MSU ranks fifth in the LSC in scoring at 74.1 points per game while allowing 67.6 points -- second in the league.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Midwestern State erased a 19-point deficit to claim a 70-67 overtime win over Cameron Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs clamped down on the defensive end holding the Aggies to 19-percent shooting in the second half after trailing 40-21 with less than a minute before halftime. Senior guard Monzaigo Williams poured in a game-high 22 points, while senior guard JaMichael Rivers scored 10 of his season-high 13 points in the final minute of regulation and overtime. Junior forward Xavier Blackburn notched his third double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds while Cam Adderley chipped in 11 points and seven boards. Desmond Henry dropped in 16 points including three triples to lead the Aggies.
 
MSU UNDER NELSON HAGGERTY
Nelson Haggerty is in his third year as head coach of the Mustangs. He boasts a 63-19 mark (.768) 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.
 
NOTHING NEW, MSU ALWAYS CONSIDERED TEXANS A PURPLE NO. 2
Tarleton State moved two spots to No. 2 in the latest NABC Division II poll released Tuesday afternoon. The ranking matches the highest for a Midwestern State opponent in school history. Though MSU has never faced a No. 1-ranked foe, Wednesday will mark its fifth meeting against NCAA Division II's second-best squad. Midwestern is 1-3 in those games claiming an 81-72 win over Sam Houston State on Feb. 8, 1986. MSU has also faced No. 2 Northeastern State (L, 52-48 on Feb. 21, 2002), No. 2 Tarleton State (L, 93-87 on March 2, 2004) and No. 2 Bellarmine (L, 70-64 on March 23, 2011). The average scoring margin for Midwestern in those matchups is -1.75. Midwestern has knocked off a nationally ranked Tarleton squad four times in 11 tries and twice beat the Texans when they carried a Top 10 ranking.
 
THE WHISTLE KIND, UNKIND
The trend of fouls called in the Midwestern State/Tarleton State series over the past 12 seasons is interesting to say the least. In the 12 games played at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, Tarleton State has been whistled for 19.8 fouls per game to MSU's 19.2 -- a margin of 0.6. In those games, Tarleton has been called for 25-or-more fouls three times with the widest margin of five fouls -- TSU 25, MSU 20 in 2009-10. In Stephenville, the calls between the same teams have been much different. The Mustangs have been whistled for 28.5 fouls per game to 20.9 for Tarleton State for a staggering spread of 7.6 whistles per game. MSU has committed more fouls in every contest at Wisdom Gym and have been called for at least 10 more fouls than the Texans on three occasions. Interestingly, the Mustangs are called for 9.3 fouls more per contest in games played in Stephenville.
 
HITTING THE GLASS
Midwestern State ranks 31st in NCAA Division in total rebounds (801.0) and is 20th in rebound margin (+7.3). Both of those numbers top the Lone Star Conference as the Mustangs also lead the league in offensive rebounds (15.4 per game), offensive rebound percentage (.388) and defensive rebound percentage (.719). MSU has out-rebounded 12 of its last 13 opponents by an average of 9.1 rebounds a game. The Mustangs have controlled the rebounding edge in 15 out of 19 games this season and are 10-5 when posting a positive rebound margin.
 
SHOOTING 44
Midwestern State is 1-5 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' lone exception to the 44 percent came in an 83-62 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville (Jan. 25) when the Hoggies managed a 44.1-percent shooting night. Midwestern is 6-0 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 145-38 mark (.792) 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 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.
 
BLACKBURN DOES IT AGAIN (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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
IN THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE
- Tarleton State  (7-0) holds a two-game lead over Midwestern State (5-2), which took sole possession of second place with Saturday's win over Cameron. The Mustangs are a game ahead of Angelo State (4-3) and Eastern New Mexico (4-3) while Cameron (3-4), Texas A&M-Commerce (2-5), Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-5) and West Texas A&M (1-6) round out the standings.
- Tarleton State (7-0) extended its best start in program history to 18-0 with a win over Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday in Stephenville. The Texans play host to rival Midwestern State on Wednesday before battling Cameron Saturday in Lawton.
- Angelo State (4-3) suffered its first home loss of the season Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Rams hit the road to take on West Texas A&M on Wednesday before returning to Junell Center/Stephens Arena Saturday against Eastern New Mexico.
- Eastern New Mexico (4-3) has won five of its last six after edging West Texas A&M 58-57 Saturday night in Canyon. The 'Hounds play host to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Wednesday before taking on Angelo State Saturday at Junell Center.
- Cameron (3-4) dropped its fourth-straight game Saturday at Midwestern State. The Aggies battle Texas A&M-Commerce Wednesday night on the road before returning the Aggie Gym Saturday against Tarleton State.
- Texas A&M-Commerce (2-5) dropped its fourth consecutive game on the road Saturday night to Tarleton State. The Lions play host to Cameron on Wednesday before heading to Wichita Falls to take on Midwestern State.
- Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-5) has won two of its last three after sending Angelo State to its first defeat at Junell Center. The Hoggies play their third straight road game Wednesday at Eastern New Mexico before returning to Steinke Center Saturday against West Texas A&M.
- West Texas A&M (1-6) dropped its third straight Lone Star Conference contest, falling to Eastern New Mexico Saturday in Canyon. The Buffs play host to Angelo State Wednesday night then travel to South Texas to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.
 
WITH A WIN, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... improve to 14-6 on the season.
... improve to 6-2 in Lone Star Conference play.
... improve to 44-24 all time against Tarleton State.
... improve to 15-11 all time against the Texans at Wisdom Gym.
... claim its first win over the Texans since 1/12/13 (50-34) -- a span of three games.
... claim its first win over TSU at Wisdom Gym since 2/3/10 (66-49) -- a span of three games.
... improve to 30-47 all time against ranked opponents.
... improve to 6-4 against ranked opponents during the Nelson Haggerty era.
... improve to 146-38 (.793) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... improve to 65-19 (.774) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... improve to 16-8 on Feb. 5.
 
WITH A LOSS, MIDWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... fall to 13-7 on the season.
... fall to 5-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
... fall to 43-25 all time against Tarleton State.
... fall to 14-12 all time against the Texans at Wisdom Gym.
... lose fourth straight game to Tarleton State -- last win 1/12/13 at Ligon Coliseum (50-34).
... lose fourth straight game to Texans at Wisdom Gym -- last win 2/3/10 (66-49).
... fall to 29-48 all time against ranked opponents.
... fall to 5-5 against ranked opponents during the Nelson Haggerty era.
... fall to 145-39 (.789) since the start of the 2008-09 season.
... fall to 64-20 (.762) under head coach Nelson Haggerty.
... fall to 15-9 on Feb. 5.
 
THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
Midwestern State claimed sole possession of the second-place in the Lone Star Conference race by claiming a 70-67 win against Cameron in overtime Saturday night in Wichita Falls… The Mustangs overcame their largest deficit of the season as they trailed the Aggies by 19 at 40-21 just 54 seconds before overtime… It was the third time the Mustangs overcame a double-figure deficit to win this season -- MSU trailed Northwest Missouri State by 10 before taking a 78-71 win and trailed West Texas A&M by 14 before claiming a 76-70 victory… Midwestern State improved to 28-2 against Cameron at D.L.Ligon Coliseum and hasn't lost to the Aggies on its home floor since Dec. 15, 1990 (75-68) -- a span of 16 games… MSU continues to lead the LSC in rebounding margin (+7.3), offensive rebounds per game (15.4), offensive rebound percentage (.388) and defensive rebound percentage (.719)… The Mustangs ranked 23rd in NCAA Division II in rebound margin and 38th in total rebounds (753)… Midwestern State had controlled an edge on the boards in each of its last nine games and in 15 of 19 games this season… MSU committed just two post-halftime turnovers Saturday against Cameron to finish the game with eight turnovers. It was the seventh time this season the Mustangs committed 10-or-fewer turns… The Mustangs limited Cameron to 6-of-28 shooting (21.4 percent) after halftime… MSU ranks 31st nationally in field goal percentage defense (40.7) and are 34th in points allowed per game (67.7)… Senior guard Monzaigo Williams ranks third in the LSC in scoring (17.1 ppg), third in assists per game (4.4), second in steals per game (1.9), sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.442), fifth in made 3-pointers per game (2.0) and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0)… Williams splashed in a game-high 22 points Saturday against Cameron. It was his fifth game with at least 20 points this season… Williams has recorded consecutive 20-point efforts this season including 20 against Texas A&M-Kingsville and 22 against Cameron… Junior forward Xavier Blackburn notched third double-double of the season Saturday finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds against the Aggies… Blackburn tops the LSC with 8.7 rebounds a game during conference play… Senior guard JaMichael Rivers scored 10 of his 13 points during the final minute of regulation and overtime to help the Mustangs pull out a 70-67 overtime win against Cameron Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum… Rivers is averaging 8.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23 minutes in three games since his return from a broken foot… Senior guard Cam Adderley notched his seventh double-figure scoring night of the season with 11 points and seven rebounds Saturday night against Cameron… Adderley has hit a 3-pointer in each if his last five games shooting 7-of-15 (.467) from the arc during that span…
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Midwestern State plays host to Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.