Midwestern State vs. Colorado State-Pueblo
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015 | 8 p.m. (Central Time)
Massari Arena | Pueblo, Colo.
Records: Midwestern State (1-0); Colorado State-Pueblo (2-0)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Video: GoThunderwolves.com  
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network 
Live Stats: GoThunderwolves.com 
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State begins a two-game weekend swing through The Rockies with Colorado State-Pueblo Thursday night at Massari Arena. The Mustangs finish the trip by taking Adams State Saturday night in Alamosa. Both games tip at 8 p.m. (Central Time).
 
SCOUTING THE THUNDERWOLVES
- Colorado State-Pueblo opened the season with wins over Texas A&M International (83-79) and Texas-Permian Basin (96-90) last weekend in Kingsville.
- Senior guard Chris Golden, a transfer from Division I Weber State, connected on 15 triples in the two wins for the T-Wolves scoring 30 points against Texas A&M International and 33 versus Texas-Permian Basin.
- Golden was 15-for-22 from beyond the arc -- 68.2 percent.
- Junior center Nelson Kahler, a 6-9 Australian transfer from Eastern Wyoming, was 7-for-11 from the field scoring 18 points against Texas-Permian Basin.
- Junior transfer guard Syrus McDonald (Brown Mackie) scored 16 points and dished out four assists against UTPB.
- Senior forward Odessa Lear recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds against UTPB.
- Colorado State-Pueblo used a total of 10 players with two averaging less than 6 minutes a game in its season opening victories.
- Ralph Turner owns a 66-48 (.579) in his fifth season at Colorado State-Pueblo. Turner won 362 games in 15 years at Union (Tenn.) with a stellar .706 winning percentage.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Colorado State-Pueblo meet for the fifth time on the hardwood Thursday night at Massari Arena.
- The teams have split the four previous meetings as MSU claimed the first meeting 70-56 on Nov. 19, 2011 before CSU-P claimed a 72-69 victory the following year on Nov. 17, 2012. Both games were played in Pueblo.
- The teams split a pair of games last season with Colorado State-Pueblo winning on its home floor 89-76 on Nov. 15, 2014 then MSU rolled to a 68-57 win on its home floor on Nov. 23.
- Midwestern State and Colorado State-Pueblo play another home-and-home this season with the Thunderwolves making the return trip on Tuesday.
 
MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
- Midwestern State claimed a win its fifth consecutive season opener beating tradition NAIA power Oklahoma City 103-52 Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Mustangs opened the season ranked 22nd in the NABC Division II Top 25 and were seventh in both the D2 Media Poll and Sporting News Preseason Poll.
- MSU moved up one spot to No. 6 in this week's D2 Media Poll.
- MSU knocked down 14 triples in the season opener against Oklahoma City which was the most since the Mustangs buried 19 against East Central (Okla.) on Jan. 5, 2009.
- Senior guard Bretson McNeal matched a career high with six 3-pointers going 6-for-6 from beyond the arc on his way to a game-high 22 points.
- Senior point guard Jordan Stevens connected three 3-pointers to finish with 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
- Senior guard Hershell Grant notched a career-high 14 points with a pair of triples which pulling down five rebounds in 23 minutes.
- Junior guard Sheldon Hagigal hit two 3-pointers and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to finish with 16 points off of the bench.
- Senior forward Khapri Alston recorded 10 points and six rebounds in his first start at MSU.
- Junior forward Trevor Fuller swatted four shots while sophomore Nick Powell rejected three as the Mustangs finished with 12 blocked shots as a team against Oklahoma City.
 
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 a 98-30 mark (.766) 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 heads to Alamosa to take on Adams State (Colo.) Saturday night at Plachy Hall. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (Central Time).