TIPOFF
Midwestern State plays in the final quarterfinal contest of the 2014 Lone Star Conference Tournament as the number four seed when it opens the tourney against fifth seeded Angelo State.  Tipoff against the Rambelles is set for 6 p.m. at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas.

Midwestern State vs. Angelo State
Thursday, March 6 | 6 p.m.
Allen Event Center | Allen, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (17-10, 9-7); Angelo State (14-12, 7-9)
Live Video: CSNHouston.com
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
On the Air: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls

Game Notes (PDF)

SCOUTING THE RAMBELLES
Angelo State holds a 14-12 overall record, fifth in the Lone Star Conference at 7-9 after falling at Texas A&M-Kingsville 83-67 on Saturday. ASU is the tournament's fifth seed. The Rambelles of first-year coach Cayla Petree are led by junior forward Hillari Adam of Wall, Texas, a transfer from Abilene Christian who is the Rambelles only double-digit scorer with 12.3 points (eighth in the LSC), to go with a team-leading 6.7 rebounds (eighth in the LSC) and 1.2 steals a game. Sophomore guard Amanda Weaver of Center Point, Texas adds 9.5 points to go with 2.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and her 2.2 3-point field goals per game (fourth in the LSC).  Senior forward Rochelle Norris of Dallas, Texas/Skyline scores 8.5 points a contest with 4.3 rebounds. ASU is averaging 60.2 points a contest, while allowing opponents 60.0 points a game.

ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State takes on Angelo State for the 57th time, the third time this season and the third time in LSC Tournament play when they meet on Thursday evening in the Lone Star Conference Tournament quarterfinals in Allen. Angelo State holds a narrow 29-27 lead in the series dating back to the 1978-79 season. It's the second time MSU and ASU have met on a neutral floor, with MSU holding a 1-0 lead thanks to a 92-80 win in the TAIAW State Tournament in Belton. MSU leads 20-9 at Ligon Coliseum, while ASU holds a hefty 20-6 record over MSU in San Angelo, 11-2 at the Junell Center/Stephens Arena. However, the Mustangs have won the last two meetings in San Angelo – the first against the Belles at the Junell Center. MSU won the first matchup this season with a 67-63 victory on Jan. 22, 2014 in San Angelo, then claimed the second meeting 69-58 at Ligon Coliseum on Feb. 19, 2014. MSU has two consecutive wins over ASU and four in the last five meetings.

LAST TIME OUT VS. ASU
The Mustangs never trailed in the final game of the season Under the Dome at D.L. Ligon Coliseum as they beat Angelo State 69-58.  But MSU allowed a 13-point first half lead to evaporate as the Rambelles opened the second stanza on a 10-3 run to knot the game at 37.  But MSU answered with a 7-0 run to regain control, then posted a 9-0 run late to put the game away.  Dianna Jones led the Mustangs with 18 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Andrea Carter recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 12 points, 11 rebounds with three assists and three steals as well. Senior Kirsti Degelia added nine points in her final home game with five assists and two blocked shots. The Mustangs shot 48.1 percent from the floor (25-of-52), including 3-of-8 from the arc (37.5 percent), and 16-of-23 (69.6 percent) from the foul line.  ASU connected on 38.2 percent from the floor (21-of-55), with 3-of-12 (25.0 percent) from the arc and 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) from the charity stripe.  MSU outrebounded Angelo State 38-30.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State is 17-10 on the season, fourth in the Lone Star Conference at 9-7 and carry the tournament's fourth seed. Coach Noel Johnson's Mustangs are led by junior All-America forward Andrea Carter who is second in the LSC averaging 15.9 points and third in the conference with 8.9 rebounds, to go with shooting 53.6 percent (fifth in the LSC) and grabbing 1.0 steals (sixth in the LSC). Senior guard Kirsti Degelia adds 11.2 points (12th in the LSC) with 1.3 three-pointers a game (13th in the LSC), to go with 3.1 assists (eighth in the LSC) and 1.2 steals.  Junior guard Dianna Jones adds 10.2 points a game (17th in the LSC) to go with her LSC leading 4.7 assists and 1.89 assist-turnover ratio and her 1.4 steals (12th in the LSC). Junior guard Shatoia Gober chalks up 6.8 points a contest, as she pulls down 4.8 rebounds (19th in the LSC) with 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals. MSU averages 72.7 points a contest, while allowing 67.0.

LAST TIME OUT
The Mustangs started on a 7-0 run against Cameron and led wire-to-wire in sweeping the Red River Rivalry from the Aggies 91-58. The Mustangs built up a double-digit lead in the first seven minutes of the game and never let the lead get under 10 the rest of the contest. Taylor Dowd scored a career-high 16 points with three rebounds in 17 minutes of action to lead the Mustangs.  Andrea Carter chalked up 14 points with six rebounds and a blocked shot in 20 minutes. Kirsti Degelia posted 13 points with three assists and a steal.  Dianna Jones posted 12 points, going 4-for-4 from the 3-point arc, and Lynn Lumpkin-Boozer came off the bench with 10 points and eight rebounds. Shatoia Gober just missed a double-double with nine assists and eight rebounds. MSU shot 56.9 percent from the floor, connecting on 33 field goals on 58 attempts, and posted the second-best 3-point percentage in school history by hitting 10-of-17 3-pointers (58.8 percent). MSU buried 15-of-22 from the foul line (68.2 percent). Cameron managed only 30.4 percent from the field (17-of-56), including 2-of-11 from the 3-point arc (18.2 percent) and connected on 22-of-33 (66.7 percent) from the free throw line..

MSU UNDER NOEL JOHNSON
Noel Johnson is 89-75 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.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
The third NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings of the season will be issued on Wednesday.  The second set last week dropped Midwestern State to eighth in the important rankings that determine the tournament field. Colorado Mesa was the top ranked team (but lost last week), with West Texas A&M second, Tarleton State third, and Colorado State-Pueblo fourth.  Texas A&M International is fifth, with Texas Woman's sixth, St. Mary's seventh and MSU eighth.  Regis (Colo.) moved to ninth, with Fort Lewis (Colo.) falling to 10th.  The NCAA Tournament selections are made on March 9th.  The postseason tournament winners of the Lone Star Conference, Heartland Conference and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference are automatic qualifiers with the five at-large bids selected from the regional rankings.

LONE STAR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The Mustangs are the number four seed in the Lone Star Conference Tournament in Allen and plays number five seed Angelo State on Thursday at 6 p.m.  West Texas A&M is the top seed in the tournament and plays eighth seed Cameron on Wednesday at 6 p.m.  The winners of those two games meet in a semifinal on Friday at 6 p.m.  On the other side of the bracket, number two seed Tarleton State faces number seven seed Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday at noon, while number three seed Texas Woman's meets number six seed Eastern New Mexico on Thursday at noon, with the winners meeting in a semifinal on Friday at noon.The tournament championship game is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. 

THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
MSU finished the regular season with a 91-58 win Saturday in the Red River Rivalry at Cameron … The 33-point win equaled the Mustangs largest winning margin of the season, matching the 100-67 triumph over Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 8 … MSU held Cameron to just 30.4 percent shooting from the floor, the third time a team has been held under 31 percent by Midwestern this season … MSU allowed only two 3-point field goals by the Aggies, matching an opponent's season low … The Mustangs outrebounded the Aggies 40-26, to record the sixth straight contest MSU has had the advantage on the glass. MSU is 11-3 when having a rebounding advantage, 4-5 when being outrebounded by opponents and 2-2 when both teams have an equal number of rebounds … MSU connected on a season-high 10-of-17 3-point field goals, recording the second best single-game 3-point percentage in school history at 58.8 percent and tying mark for eighth most in a game in school history … Senior Kirsti Degelia of Denton, Texas/Krum continues to add to her career scoring total as she has amassed 1,369 points – seventh all-time at MSU.  She is 26 points away from Lounette Adkins Decker (1978-79, 80-81, 93-95) with 1,395 points in sixth … Degelia moved to fifth at MSU with 325 career assists tying Glenda Washington (1981-86) in fifth with 325 … Degelia moved to seventh in MSU career 3-point field goals made with 109 passing Lynn Buckmaster (1992-94) and J.J. Anderson (1997-2001) with 108.  She is one more trey from Heather O'Neal (1998-2000) in sixth with 110, two from Trish Young (1990-92) in fifth with 111 and three from Mindy Myers (1990-94) with 112 in fourth … Degelia is 13th on the MSU career steal's list with 151 … Junior forward Andrea Carter of Angleton, Texas is second in the Lone Star Conference in scoring, third in rebounding and sixth in steals, averaging 15.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals a game.  She is also fifth in field goal percentage (53.6 percent), seventh in free throw percentage (75.2 percent) and 13th in blocked shots (0.4) … Carter is the 19th MSU woman to score 1000 points and is 18th in MSU career scoring with 1,022 points.  She needs eight points to pass Emily Dill (1990-94) with 1,029 … Carter is seventh on the MSU career rebound chart with 729 and needs three boards to pass Shannon Boase (1995-99) in sixth with 731 … Carter is 11th in career steals at MSU, with 172 and needs three more to join the career top 10 at MSU by equaling the 175 of Alanna Albrecht (1986-90) in 10th … Junior Diana Jones of Hewitt, Texas/Midway leads the Lone Star Conference with 4.7 assists per game and leads the league with a 1.89 assist/turnover ratio.  Jones is third in the LSC with a 80.4 free throw percentage (82-of-102) and 12th in steals (1.4 per game) … Jones is 11th in MSU career assists with 247 and is nine from joining the career top 10 by matching Lindy Lombard (1998-02) with 256 …