Midwestern State vs. Eastern New Mexico
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015 | 5 p.m. (Central Time)
Greyhound Arena | Portales, N.M.
Records: Midwestern State (13-3, 2-0); Eastern New Mexico (7-7, 0-1)
Video: None
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Audio: MSUMustangs.com  
Live Stats: GoEasternAthletics.com 
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State guns for its 10th straight win Sunday afternoon against Eastern New Mexico. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (Central Time) at Greyhound Arena.
 
ABOUT THE GREYHOUNDS
- Eastern New Mexico has lost three of its last four after dropping a 98-71 decision in the Hounds' Lone Star Conference opener Wednesday night at Cameron.
- Four ENMU's seven wins this season have come on a neutral floor. The Greyhounds opened the season with victories over Texas A&M International and Oklahoma Panhandle State at the Ed Messbarger Tipoff Classic in San Angelo, then beat Western New Mexico in Albuquerque. ENMU split games at the PAK-A-SAK WT Thanksgiving Classic falling to Emporia State (Kan.) and defeating Harding (Ark.).
- Eastern New Mexico ranks fourth in the LSC in scoring offense at 80.4 points per game but rates last in the league in scoring defense (90.9 ppg) and defensive field goal percentage (.484).
- Junior guard John Gilliam leads a quartet of Greyhounds averaging in double figures scoring 14.8 points per game. Gilliam is coming off of back-to-back 20-point efforts going for a season-high 27 points Wednesday night at Cameron after scoring 24 against South Dakota Mines.
- Junior guard Chris Wyms drops in 14.6 points per game while shooting 42.6 percent from 3-point range. Wyms has scored in double figures in each of his last seven games including a season-high 29-point outing at Texas-Permian Basin.
- Junior forward Lawrence Domingo averages 13.8 points per game but has missed ENMU's last three games due to injury.
- Senior guard Michael Randle chips in 11.2 points per game and has scored in double figures seven times this season.
- Stott Carter is in his first year at the helm of the Eastern New Mexico men's basketball program. He served the previous five seasons as an assistant coach for Andrew Helton at ENMU and has served as an assistant coach at Pfeiffer (N.C.), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Kilgore College and Central Florida CC.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 42nd time on the hardwood Sunday afternoon at Greyhound Arena.
- MSU holds a 26-15 lead in the series which dates back to the 1948-49 season.
- The Mustangs have won each of the last five meetings between the programs and 14 of the last 15 dating back to the 2006-07 season with ENMU's lone win during the stretch coming in an 80-72 decision on Jan. 14, 2012 in Portales.
- Midwestern is 11-9 all time against the Greyhounds in Portales.
 
MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
- Midwestern State advanced its current winning streak to nine games with a 73-58 win over West Texas A&M Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Mustangs are gunning for the 20th winning streak of at least 10 games in school history and the seventh in the last seven seasons.
- The winning streak is the longest since the Mustangs won 11 consecutive games last season from Jan. 27-March 7, 2014.
- A win over Eastern New Mexico on Sunday would give MSU its third winning streak of at least 10 games during the Nelson Haggerty era.
- The Mustangs have won their last 13 games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum dating back to last season.
- During the current nine-game winning streak, MSU is outscoring the opposition by 20.3 points per game while controlling a +18.8 rebounding margin. The Mustangs are holding the opposition to a .369 shooting percentage including a .283 mark from 3-point range.
- MSU ranks second in NCAA Division II in total rebounds (689.0) and total blocks (90.0) while ranking in primary defensive categories. The Mustangs are third in field goal percentage defense (.378), fourth in rebound margin (+11.3) and fifth in 3-point percentage defense (.272).
- Senior forward Xavier Blackburn (Verdunville, La. / St. Thomas More HS (North Dakota State Science)) notched his second straight double-double and third of the year by posting 17 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday against West Texas A&M.
- Junior forward Khapri Alston (Chicago, Ill. / Thornwood HS (Northeast CC (Neb.))) recorded his first double-double going for 18 points and 11 rebounds against West Texas A&M. It was his fifth double-figure scoring night of the year.
- Senior forward Abiodun Adegoke (Buford, Ga. / Mill Creek HS (Western Texas)) scored in double figures for the third time this season going for 13 points and six rebounds while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor against West Texas A&M.
- Senior guard Bretson McNeal (Minneapolis, Minn. / DeLaSalle HS (North Dakota State Science)) knocked down two second-half 3-pointers to finish with 10 points while matching a season high with five assists against West Texas A&M.
- McNeal has scored 10-or-more points in each of the 12 games he has played in more than one minute this season. He left MSU's game against Missouri Southern after suffering a leg injury on the first possession on Nov. 29, 2014. He missed the next three games.
- McNeal has knocked down 22 3-pointers over his last six games and is shooting 45.1 percent from the arc this season.
- Junior guard Thad Rideau (Port Arthur, Texas / East Ascension HS (UAB)) has blocked five shots over his last two games and is second on the team with 0.8 blocks per game.
- Junior forward Trevor Fuller (Dallas, Texas / Episcopal School (San Diego)) has missed the last three games due to injury. He recorded his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Saint Gregory's then notched 10 points and five rebounds in his last outing against South Dakota Mines.
- Fuller blocked 11 shots in his last two games and currently ranks 22nd in NCAA Division II and tops the LSC with 2.0 blocks per game.
 
THE HAGGERTY ERA
- Nelson Haggerty is in his fourth season at the helm for Midwestern State as one of the top young coaches in college basketball.
- Haggerty boasts an 88-24 mark (.786) leading the Mustangs to Lone Star Conference championships in each of his three seasons as head coach.
- Haggerty earned NABC South Central Region and Lone Star Conference coach of the year honors in his rookie season of 2011-12 piloting the Mustangs to their third consecutive Elite Eight showing.
- With Haggerty on the bench (including two seasons as top assistant), MSU has advanced to three Elite Eights (2010, 2011, 2012) and to the NCAA Division II postseason five consecutive years.
 
NEXT TIME OUT
Midwestern State takes on Tarleton State Wednesday night in Stephenville. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Wisdom Gym.