Midwestern State at No. 1 West Texas A&M
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016 | 5:30 p.m.
First United Bank Center | Canyon, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (1-10, 0-1 LSC); No. 1 West Texas A&M (12-0, 1-0 LSC)
Live Stats: GoBuffsGo.com
Video: GoBuffsGo.com
Streaming Audio: MSUMustangs.tv
Radio: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls
 

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State continues Lone Star Conference play Wednesday with a trip to Canyon to take on No. 1-ranked West Texas A&M in a Highway 287 Challenge matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside First United Bank Center.
 
HIGHWAY 287 CHALLENGE
– The Highway 287 Challenge is a competitive series between the Midwestern State and West Texas A&M athletic programs
– The competition is in its third season with WT claiming the first two challenge cups by a one-point margin each season
– The Challenge tracks head-to-head matchups and conference championship results in 10 sports with each school accumulating points toward the overall series championship
– Midwestern State currently leads the 2015-16 challenge, 7.5-3.5, earning two wins over WT in men's soccer and one in women's soccer. The Mustangs totaled two points each for a win in football and a higher finish at the LSC Cross Country Championships. MSU and WT also played to a draw in women's soccer, each earning half a point. WT took two wins in volleyball and one in women's soccer.

LAST TIME OUT
– Junior guard Jacquar Westbrooks scored 22 of Midwestern State's 45 points to set a new career high, but overall the Mustangs were held to 23.4 percent shooting in a 71-45 loss at Texas Woman's in the Lone Star Conference opener for MSU
– Westbrooks scored 18 of her 22 points in the second half while also contributing four offensive boards and two steals in 22 minutes of action
– The Mustangs forced a season-high 25 turnovers while committing a season-low 12 miscues in the contest
– However, the Pioneers made the most of their opportunities on the offensive end, shooting 50 percent from the floor and connecting on 19 of 27 free throw attempts
– TWU junior post Erin Maxwell led the Pioneers on both sides of the court with a team-high 20 points, nine rebounds and six blocks
 
SCOUTING THE LADY BUFFS
– West Texas A&M is off to a fast start, making its first appearance at No. 1 this week after a perfect 12-0 overall mark and 1-0 record in the Lone Star Conference
– The Lady Buffs earned 20 of 24 first-place votes in the USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 poll, moving up one spot from No. 2 after Fort Hays State (Kan.) suffered its first loss of the season
– The Lady Buffs were picked to win their third-straight LSC Championship during the preseason with junior guard Sasha Watson earning LSC Preseason Player of the Year accolades
– WT has advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight the past two seasons including a national championship appearance in 2013-14 under former head coach Mark Kellogg
– Head coach Kristen Mattio has continued the winning tradition for the Lady Buffs basketball program this season after serving as an assistant coach the previous two seasons
– The Lady Buffs sport a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging over 8.0 points per game but no one over 11.0 points
– Watson leads WT with 10.3 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals this season, shooting 53.8 percent (42-of-78) from the floor
– Junior post Maddison Wild is WT's top rebounder with 6.7 boards per game
– The Lady Buffs sport one of the nation's top defenses, holding teams to 50.8 points per game for third in the country while allowing the opponent to make just 34.1 percent from the field for 21st nationally
– On the offensive end, WT averages 72.7 points, ranking sixth in the nation with a +21.9 scoring margin
– The Lady Buffs also rank in the top 20 nationally in rebound margin (+11.3), assists per game (17.4), blocked shots per game (4.7), steals per game (11.6) and total steals (139)
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State is 17-45 against West Texas A&M in the all-time series dating back to 1976-77
– The Mustangs went 1-2 against the Lady Buffs in 2014-15, earning a win over No. 3 WT in Wichita Falls before suffering a loss in Canyon and in the LSC championship game in Allen
– MSU is 6-11 against WT in seven seasons under head coach Noel Johnson, going 3-0 versus the Lady Buffs during the 2012-13 season
– The Mustangs last picked up a win in Canyon on Feb. 6, 2013 with a 58-55 victory

A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
– Midwestern State comes into Wednesday's matchup with a 1-10 overall record and 0-1 mark in the Lone Star Conference
– The Mustangs come in averaging 50.8 points per game, being held to 32.7 percent (204-of-624) from the floor this season
– Opponents have put up 69.9 points a contest while shooting a 45.0 percentage (282-of-626) including a 40.2 clip (66-of-164) from behind the arc
– Turnovers have also been an issue for the youthful Mustangs team this season, committing 20.6 turnovers per game with opponents coming away with 12.2 steals per outing
– Junior guard Jacquar Westbrooks has been a consistent contributor for the Mustangs on the offensive end as of late, scoring in double figures the last five games
– Westbrooks is averaging 14.6 points since Nov. 28, boosting her season average to 8.4 points per game
– On the season, the Miami, Florida native is shooting 43.1 percent (31-of-72) from the floor, 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from three-point range and 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the charity stripe
– Backing up Westbrooks on the offensive end has been sophomore guard Whitney Taylor, who is averaging 7.1 points
– Freshman forward Kendriana Washington has been MSU's leader on the glass, averaging 6.5 boards while adding 6.3 points per game
 
LONG ROAD STRETCH
– Midwestern State concludes a six-game road swing Wednesday that covered three states with matchups in Texas, Arkansas and Nevada
– The Mustangs return to D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Jan. 9 with their Lone Star Conference home opener against Eastern New Mexico, a span of 46 days since their last home game against Southern Nazarene on Nov. 24
 
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 is in her eighth season at the helm of the Mustangs women's basketball program in 2015-16
– Johnson has led MSU to a 114-94 record (.548) 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 hosts Eastern New Mexico in a 4 p.m. Saturday tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum as the Mustangs continue their LSC slate
– The MSU men's basketball team will take the court against Eastern New Mexico following the conclusion of the women's game at 6 p.m. as the first of seven home conference doubleheaders this season