Midwestern State vs. Rogers State (Okla.)
Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 | 8 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
2014-15 Records: Midwestern State (23-7); Rogers State (8-18)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: MSUMustangs.tv
Streaming Audio: MSUMustangs.tv
Radio: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls

Midwestern State vs. St. Mary's (Texas)
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 | 7 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
2014-15 Records: Midwestern State (23-7); St. Mary's (16-11)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: MSUMustangs.tv
Streaming Audio: MSUMustangs.tv
Radio: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State hosts the fifth annual Ashbrook Classic to open the 2015-16 season Friday and Saturday, welcoming Rogers State (Okla.), St. Mary's (Texas) and Texas Woman's to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for a four-game tournament.

The Mustangs will first square off against Rogers State in the season opener Friday at 8 p.m. before facing St. Mary's in a 7 p.m. Saturday tipoff in the tournament finale.

In other games at Ligon Coliseum, Texas Woman's will take on St. Mary's in a 6 p.m. contest Friday before playing Rogers State Saturday at 5 p.m.

Midwestern State took the court for the first time Thursday in an exhibition game at NCAA Division I Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. The Mustangs hung close to the Cyclones in the first half, trailing by just eight at the break, before a 21-0 ISU run to open the third quarter carried the Cyclones to a 79-36 victory.

The Mustangs are coming off their third-straight NCAA appearance after a 23-7 record and runner-up finish in the Lone Star Conference in 2014-15. MSU's 23-win campaign a season ago tied for the third-most wins in the program's 40-year history, advancing to the LSC championship game before a first round loss to Colorado Christian in the NCAA Tournament.

SCOUTING THE HILLCATS
– Rogers State is coming off an 8-18 season and ninth-place finish in the Heartland Conference
– The Hillcats enter their third season as an NCAA provisional member after making the move from the NAIA
– The Hillcats were tabbed ninth in the Heartland Conference Preseason Poll
– RSU brings back three letterwinners from a season ago with senior guard Kami Bunch returning as the lone starter from the 2014-15 season
– Bunch was second in scoring for the Hillcats last season with 8.3 points per game while ranking second in the Heartland with 4.4 assists
– Sophomore guard Heather Roberts and sophomore forward Madison Dearmin also return for the Hillcats, combining for 44 total appearances
– Although having just three returners, the Hillcats welcome four junior college transfers and one NCAA Division II transfer to the squad in addition to four true freshmen
– Head coach Bobby Cope enters his second season at RSU
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday's game will be the first meeting between the two programs
 
SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
– St. Mary's comes into the 2015-16 season following a 16-11 record and third-place finish in the Heartland Conference a season ago
– The Rattlers were picked third in the Heartland Conference Preseason Poll behind Lubbock Christian and Arkansas-Fort Smith, two upcoming opponents for the Mustangs this season
– STMU sports a veteran squad with 10 upperclassmen on the 14-player roster
– The Rattlers return nine letterwinners including three starters from last season
– Senior guard Dezirae Elias and junior guard/forward Kiara Etheridge both averaged 13.0 points per game for second on the team in 2014-15
– Etheridge also brought down 8.9 boards per contest to rank second for the Rattlers
– Head coach Jason Martens is in his 10th season at STMU, carrying a 169-91 record with five NCAA regional appearances and four Heartland Conference titles
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State is 11-5 against St. Mary's in the all-time series having won the last three matchups
– The two teams squared off for the first time in nine seasons last year at the Marriott Champions Circle Pioneer Premiere in Denton with the Mustangs coming away with a 62-48 victory
– MSU holds a 6-2 record against the Rattlers inside Ligon Coliseum
 
A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
– Midwestern State enters the 2015-16 season with eight returners including five letterwinners along with nine newcomers
– With the loss of all five starters and 90 percent of its scoring from last season, the Mustangs will look to new faces to lead the squad this season
– Among the returners for Midwestern State are seniors Katie Brown (El Campo, Texas/Louise HS) and Kathryn Odom (Allen, Texas/Lovejoy HS/Southern Arkansas), junior Jennifer Sissel (Wichita Falls, Texas/Rider HS) and sophomores Whitney Taylor (Melissa, Texas/Melissa HS) and Krishawn Crockett (Humble, Texas/Summer Creek HS)
– Taylor averaged 2.1 points with a 37.5 percentage from behind the arc in 6.3 minutes off the bench during her freshman campaign
– Sissel and Crockett were also two of the top reserves for the Mustangs in 2014-15 with Sissel averaging 8.2 minutes and Crockett providing 6.8 minutes
– MSU also brings back a trio of redshirts in senior Delize Paul (Coulibistrie, Dominica) and freshmen Anni Scholl (Henrietta, Texas/Henrietta HS) and Montoria Tripp (Frisco, Texas/Heritage HS) who all sat out the 2014-15 season
– The Mustangs welcome nine new faces to the team this season including six true freshmen, two NCAA Division II transfers and one Division I transfer
– Senior Rochelle Lauer (Avondale, Ariz./Westview HS/SMU), junior Jacquar Westbrooks (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Rollins) and sophomore Kristin Rydell (Hutto, Texas/Hutto HS/Colorado Mines) join the Mustangs with experience under their belt as they join the returners in leading a young squad
– Midwestern State also hopes to see freshmen Liz Cathcart (Spring Branch, Texas/Smithson Valley HS), Leanna James (Godley, Texas/Godley HS), Alyssa Jones (Moore, Okla./Southmoore HS), Courtney Kerr (Paradise, Texas/Paradise HS), McKenna Villegas (Port Lavaca, Texas/Calhoun HS) and Kendriana Washington (Tulsa, Okla./Washington HS) step into their roles and contribute immediately
 
MUSTANGS THIRD IN LSC PRESEASON POLL
– Midwestern State was tabbed third in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media representatives
– The Mustangs totaled 157 points behind preseason favorite West Texas A&M (220) and Texas Woman's (171)
– West Texas A&M collected 23 of the 25 first place votes while Texas Woman's and Cameron each tallied one vote
– The Mustangs went 12-4 to earn the No. 2 seed in the LSC postseason tournament last season
 
THE JOHNSON ERA
– Noel Johnson enters her eighth season at the helm of the Mustangs women's basketball program
– Johnson has led MSU to a 113-84 record (.574) with four-straight winning seasons and three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances
– During Johnson's tenure, the Mustangs claimed their first NCAA Tournament wins in 2013 with victories over rival Tarleton State and Metro State (Colo.) before falling to No. 4 Colorado Mesa in the regional final
– That season, Johnson guided the Maroon and Gold to a 26-6 record, the second-most wins in school history, and a Lone Star Conference Championship, the first in 12 seasons
– Johnson garnered Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2012 before earning Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' Small College Coach of the Year accolades in 2013
 
LOOKING AHEAD
– Midwestern State will host Texas Wesleyan in a 7 p.m. tipoff Wednesday, Nov. 18 at Ligon Coliseum before traveling to Denton for the two-day Marriott Champions Circle Pioneer Premiere hosted by Texas Woman's at Kitty Magee Arena