Midwestern State vs. Texas Wesleyan
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015 | 7 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (0-2); Texas Wesleyan (3-1)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: MSUMustangs.tv
Streaming Audio: MSUMustangs.tv
Radio: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State wraps up its three-game homestand Wednesday when the Mustangs host Texas Wesleyan in a 7 p.m. tip at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

LAST TIME OUT
– The Mustangs opened the 2015-16 season last weekend with the Ashbrook Classic at Ligon Coliseum
– MSU dropped its season opener to Rogers State (Okla.), 51-48, before falling to St. Mary's (Texas) in an 81-58 contest
– In their opener, the Mustangs saw a first half lead disappear in the third quarter as Rogers State took an eight-point lead with 4:05 remaining in the game
– A three-pointer by sophomore guard Kristin Rydell gave MSU a 48-47 lead with less than a minute to play, but the Mustangs were unable to answer a Hillcats basket on the ensuing possession as RSU came away with the three-point win
– Sophomore guard Whitney Taylor led the Mustangs with 10 points while freshman forward Kendriana Washington added eight points and seven boards
– Against St. Mary's, the Rattlers put together a 28-6 first quarter en route to building as much as a 29-point lead in the 81-58 win
– Freshman forward McKenna Villegas came off the bench to lead the Mustangs with 11 points and eight boards
 
SCOUTING THE LADY RAMS
– Texas Wesleyan is 3-1 on the season, suffering its first defeat Tuesday night to Wiley College on the road
– The Lady Rams were picked third in the Sooner Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll behind Wayland Baptist and Oklahoma City
– TWU posted a 16-16 record in 2014-15, advancing to the SAC semifinals
– The Lady Rams return two starters from last season in senior guard Onyesonam Nolisa and junior forward Katelynn Threats, who earned NAIA All-American honors after averaging 15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in 2014-15
– Threats has begun her junior campaign right where she left off last season, currently leading the Lady Rams with 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds
– Nolisa is also averaging a double-double with 14.8 points and 12.3 boards while adding 2.5 blocks per contest
–Bill Franey is in his fifth season as the head coach of the TWU women's basketball program with a career record of 80-50 (.615)
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State is 27-19 in the all-time series against Texas Wesleyan
– The two teams met for the first time in 15 years last season with MSU earning a 60-47 win at Ligon Coliseum
– The Mustangs hold a 15-4 advantage at home versus the Lady Rams, having won the last five matchups
 
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 travel to Denton this weekend for the Marriott Champions Circle Pioneer Premiere, hosted by Texas Woman's at Kitty Magee Arena
– The Mustangs face Colorado State-Pueblo in a 2 p.m. tipoff Saturday before taking on Colorado Christian Sunday at 2 p.m.