Midwestern State vs. Colorado Christian
Friday, March 13, 2015 | Noon
First United Bank Center | Canyon, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (23-6); Colorado Christian (18-13)
Video: GoBuffsGo.com  
Radio: ESPN 95.5
Audio: MSUMustangs.com 
Live Stats: GoBuffsGo.com 

ON THE COURT
- Midwestern State opens NCAA Division II South Central Regional play with a first round matchup against Colorado Christian Friday at the First United Bank Center in Canyon. Tipoff is set for noon.
- The winner advances to play the victor of the quarterfinal matchup between Colorado-Colorado Springs and Colorado State-Pueblo in the semifinal round Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m.
- The South Central Region championship game is set for Monday at 7 p.m.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
- Colorado Christian (18-13) earned the No. 6 seed by virtue of taking the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference automatic bid winning the league's postseason tournament.
- The Cougars swept through the tournament beating Fort Lewis (Colo.) (57-56), Colorado-Colorado Springs (66-51) and Colorado State-Pueblo (50-46).
- CCU opened up the season with eight consecutive losses, but have won the last eight games of the season heading into South Central Region play.
- Colorado Christian ranks 41st in NCAA Division II in blocked shots per game (4.1) and 42nd in steals per game (9.9).
- Junior forward Kate Louthan leads a group of four Cougars scoring in double figures at 12.1 points per game while pulling down 6.6 rebounds a contest. The second-team All-RMAC performer scored 10-or-more points in 23 games including a season-high in back-to-back games against Chadron State (12/13) and Colorado Mines (12/18).
- Sophomore forward Claire Paxton, a second-team All-RMAC performer, averages 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. She has scored 10-or-more points in 20 games this season incluidng a pair of double-doubles with 16 point and 14 rebounds against Alaska-Anchorage (11/29) and 12 points and 11 rebounds against Colorado-Colorado Springs (1/17).
- Junior guard Taylor Torres drops in 11.3 points per game while ranking 12th nationally knocking down 89.3 percent of her free throws (108-for-121). She has scored 10-or-more points 17 times this season including matching season highs of 22 points against Palm Beach Atlantic (11/15) and Colorado Mines (12/18).
- Second-team All-RMAC performer Christina Whitelaw is one of the top opportunistic defenders in the country notching 89 steals in her 20 games. The senior guard is averaging 14.4 points, seven rebounds and 4.2 steals per game over her last five games. She has recorded at least four steals in 12 of her 20 games this season including a near triple double with seven points, 10 assists and 10 steals agaisnt Western New Mexico (2/20).
- Tim Hays is his fifth year at the helm of the Colorado Christian women's basketball squad. He has posted an 87-64 mark since arriving in Lakewood prior to the 2010-11 season.

ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Colorado Christian meet for the first time on the hardwood Friday afternoon at the First United Bank Center.

MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
- Midwestern State had a four-game winning streak snapped in the LSC Postseason Tournament title game against West Texas A&M.
- It was the third winning streak of four-or-more games this season for the Mustangs.
- MSU posted the second longest winning streak in school history posting 12 consecutive wins from Nov. 18, 2014-Jan. 11, 2015. Three shy of the 15-game winning streak set during the 1993-94 season. The Mustangs also won five consecutive games from Jan. 21-Feb. 7.
- MSU's 23 wins this season match the third most in program history. MSU won 28 in 1993-94, 26 in 2012-13 and 23 during the 2000-01 season.
- The Mustangs rank 33rd in NCAA Division II and fourth in the South Central Region in scoring defense (59.5 points per game) and are 32nd nationally and third in the region in scoring margin at 11.1 points per game.
- MSU ranks 30th in NCAA Division II and fifth in the South Central Region in rebound margin at +6.3.
- Midwestern's core group of seniors -- Lisa Hampton, Andrea Carter, Taylor Dowd, Shatoia Gober and Dianna Jones -- have been apart of more wins (86) over a four-year run than any other four-year period in program history. MSU's previous high of 83 came from 1992-95 then again from 2000-04.

CARTER REACHING MILESTONES
- Senior forward Andrea Carter earned All-Lone Star Conference first-team honors for the third consecutive season leading the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.7 rpg).
- Carter was named to the LSC All-Postseason Tournament team after averging 16.7 points and 12.7 rebounds a game including double-doubles against Eastern New Mexico (19 points, 17 rebounds), Texas A&M-Commerce (14 points, 11 rebounds) and West Texas A&M (17 points, 10 rebounds).
- Carter became the school's all-time leading rebounder against Eastern New Mexico and now has 1,041 to pass Alice Edwards (1,041 from 1981-85). She needs 103 more rebounds to set the LSC's all-time rebounding record to pass Abilene Christian great Jennifer Clarkson (1,144 from 1992-96).
- Carter needs 17 points to become just the third player in MSU history to score 1,500 career points behind Lisa Meurer (1,963 from 1977-81) and Serena Carter (1,686 points from 1989-93).
- Carter notched her 13th double-double of the season last Saturday against West Texas A&M to boost her career double-double count to 42.

DJ, TOO
- Senior guard Dianna Jones earned first-team All-Lone Star Conference honors for the first time in her illustrous career after averaging a career best 12.7 points per game while dishing out 4.0 assists and pulling down 2.6 rebounds per game.
- Jones needs six points to become just the 13th player to score 1,100 points in program history.
- Jones has logged 370 career assists which rates as the third most in school history behind Mindy Myers (526 assists from 1990-94) and Jennifer Butler (395 assists from 1994-99).

HER OWN KIND OF BLOCK PARTY
- Senior forward Shambreka Jones matched the top blocked shot season in program history by swatting her 56th shot in the LSC Championship finals against West Texas A&M to tie Rulinda Vogtsberger (56 blocks in 1979-80.
- With 115 career blocked shots, Jones ranks second only to Monica Miller on MSU's all-time blocked shot list. Miller swatted 138 shots from 1991-95.
- Jones has recorded at least three blocked shots in eight games this season with a high of five set against Angelo State on Jan. 21.
- Jones is averaging a career-best 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game nad has notched two double-doubles this season including career bests with 18 points and 18 rebounds against Cameron on March 1.

HAMPTON FOR 3
- Senior guard Lisa Hampton became MSU's all time leader in career made 3-point field goals when drained her 133rd triple against Tarleton State on Feb. 4. She now has 152 career made 3-pointers.
- Hampton earned LSC All-Postseason Tournament mention after knocking down three 3-pointers to finish with 13 points in the championship game against West Texas A&M.
- Hampton is within five 3-pointers of matching former All-American Lynn Buckmaster for the single season mark of 74 set in 1993-94.
- Hampton connected on at least three triples in 15 games this season. She matched a career high with five 3s four times this season and has performed the feat eight times in her career.

GOBER IS THE GLUE
- Senior guard Shatoia Gober earned All-Lone Star Conference honorable mention this season stringing together an all-around stat line of 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
- Gober has scored 10-or-more points in 14 games this season, had five-or-more rebounds in 20 games and dished out 5-or-more assists four times this season.
- Gober is also a pest on the defensive end grabbing at least two steals 17 times this season.

McJUNKINS PROVIDES SUPPORT OFF OF THE BENCH
- McJunkins averages 5.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20.1 minutes per game as MSU's sixth woman this season.
- Though noted as a strong defender, McJunkins has come on to deliver big offensive games for the Mustangs down the stretch. McJunkins hit four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points against Texas A&M-Kingsville (2/21) then knocked down four more 3s on her way to a career-high 14 against Texas A&M-Commerce in the LSC semifinals on March 6.

TALL TAY IS AN OFFENSIVE THREAT
- Dowd comes off of the bench as an offensive threat averaging 5.4 points while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the charity stripe.
- Dowd has scored in double figures four times this season including a career-best 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Eastern New Mexico (2/14).

THE JOHNSON ERA
- Noel Johnson is in her seventh season at the helm of the Midwestern State basketball program.
- Johnson boasts a 113-83 record (.577) while leading the Mustangs to the NCAA Division II postseason in each of the last two seasons including a trip to the South Central Region finals in 2013.
- Johnson reached milestone victory No. 100 with a 61-47 win over Texas Woman's University on Jan. 1, 2015 in Denton.
- Midwestern claimed its first NCAA postseason tournament wins taking down Tarleton State and Metro State (Colo.) in 2013 before falling to No. 4 Colorado Mesa in the regional final.
- Johnson led the Mustangs to its first Lone Star Conference championship in 12 seasons claiming the 2012-13 title.
- 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.

MIDWESTERN IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL
- MIdwestern State advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in program history as the No. 3 seed.
- The Mustangs boast a 2-4 mark all time in the NCAA tournament with both wins coming in 2013 as MSU advanced to the regional final with victories over Tarleton State (91-78) and Metro State (66-52) before falling to host Colorado Mesa (69-65).
- Colorado Mesa has eliminated the Mustangs from postseason tournament play in each of the last two seasons as CMU beat Midwestern 60-49 in in the opening round last season also in Canyon.
- Midwestern also suffered opening round exits to Southwest Baptist (Mo.) (70-60) in 2001 in Kingsville and to Washburn (Kan.) (67-56) in 20013 in Topeka.