Midwestern State vs. Eastern New Mexico
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 | 4 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (1-11, 0-2 LSC); Eastern New Mexico (5-7, 0-2 LSC)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: MSUMustangs.tv
Streaming Audio: MSUMustangs.tv
Radio: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls
 

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State makes its return to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for the first time since late November with a 4 p.m. tipoff Saturday against Eastern New Mexico in the Mustangs' Lone Star Conference home opener.

LAST TIME OUT
– Midwestern State went neck-and-neck with the nation's top-ranked team in West Texas A&M before falling 85-68 Wednesday night at First United Bank Center in Canyon
– Freshman forward Kendriana Washington led the Mustangs in scoring for the third time with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor
– Junior post Jennifer Sissel matched a career-high 12 points while sophomore guard Whitney Taylor added 10 as MSU put three players in double figures for just the second time this season (vs. No. 14 Lubbock Christian)
– West Texas A&M took its largest lead of the game at 22 points with nine minutes to play before the Mustangs stormed back to cut it to nine with just over two minutes remaining
– MSU also erased a 16-point first quarter deficit, coming within seven points midway through the second period
– The Lady Buffs owned a 44-22 advantage in the paint while scoring 18 points off 18 MSU turnovers
– WT finished with a 48.3 (28-of-58) shooting percentage while the Mustangs shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the field
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
– Eastern New Mexico comes in with a 5-7 overall mark and 0-2 record in the Lone Star Conference after losses to Texas Woman's and Cameron in league play
– Junior post Kassandra Harris leads the Greyhounds with 12.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on the season
– Harris has not been the only contributor on the offensive end for ENMU with senior guard Sarah Stinnett (9.9 ppg), sophomore wing Mikaehla Connor (9.2 ppg) and junior wing Briana White (8.7 ppg) all averaging over eight points per game
– The Greyhounds are averaging 65.8 points per game, shooting 37.5 percent (290-of-774), while opponents are scoring 68.3 points on a 37.7 percent (268-of-710) clip
– ENMU ranks in the top 50 nationally with 4.08 blocked shots per game, led by sophomore post Eliza Martinez with 1.3 swats a contest
– Head coach Josh Prock is in his third season with the Greyhounds, compiling a 20-45 record (.308) in that span
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State owns a 26-17 advantage in the all-time series against Eastern New Mexico since 1986
– The Mustangs have fared well as of late against the Greyhounds, winning 11 of the last 12 meetings including seven in a row
– MSU defeated the Greyhounds three times in 2014-15, winning all three matchups by at least 20 points
– Under head coach Noel Johnson, the Mustangs are 13-3 against ENMU in seven seasons

A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
– Midwestern State fell to 1-11 overall and 0-2 in the Lone Star Conference after Wednesday's loss to West Texas A&M in Canyon
– The Mustangs come in averaging 52.2 points per game, being held to 33.1percent (225-of-680) from the floor this season
– Opponents have put up 71.2 points a contest while shooting a 45.3 percentage (310-of-684) including a 40.6 clip (71-of-175) from behind the arc
– Turnovers have also been an issue for the youthful Mustangs team this season, committing 20.4 turnovers per game with opponents coming away with 12.3 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 in five of the last six games
– Westbrooks is averaging 12.8 points since Nov. 28, boosting her season average to 8.0 points per game
– On the season, the Miami, Florida native is shooting 42.3 percent (33-of-78) from the floor, 36.8 percent (7-of-19) 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 7.4 points with four double-figure outings this season
– Freshman forward Kendriana Washington has notched double figures in two of the last three games with a season-best 20 coming against Stonehill College (Mass.) on Dec. 19. Washington also led MSU with 14 points against No. 1 West Texas A&M and is now averaging 6.9 points for third on the team
– Washington has been MSU's leader on the defensive end, averaging 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game
 
LONG ROAD STRETCH
– Midwestern State makes its return to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for the first time in 46 days after a six-game road swing
– The Mustangs faced opponents in Texas, Arkansas and Nevada during their lengthy road stretch
– MSU last played inside Ligon Coliseum back on Nov. 24 against Southern Nazarene (Okla.)
 
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 114-95 record (.545) 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 returns home Wednesday to face rival Tarleton State in a 5:30 p.m. contest at Ligon Coliseum