HOLIDAY INN-AIRPORT THANKSGIVING CLASSIC
 
Midwestern State vs. Western State (Colo.)
Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 | 4 p.m. (Central Time)
Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colo.
Records: Midwestern State (4-1); Western State (1-1)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
WATCH: RMAC Network 
LISTEN: Mustangs Digital Network 
LIVE STATS: CMUMavericks.com 
 
Midwestern State at Colorado Mesa
Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 | 8 p.m. (Central Time)
Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colo.
Records: Midwestern State (4-1); Colorado Mesa (1-3)
WATCH: RMAC Network 
LISTEN: Mustangs Digital Network 
LIVE STATS: CMUMavericks.com 
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State competes in the Holiday Inn-Airport Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Colorado Mesa Friday and Saturday in Grand Junction, Colo. MSU takes on Western State (Colo.) Friday at 4 p.m. (Central) before playing the host Mavericks Saturday at 8 p.m. (Central).
 
FREE ADMISSION
Fans can earn free admission to the tournament with a donation of winter clothing item. All items will be donated to Partners of Grand Junction by Colorado Mesa University. Any new or used winter clothing item (coats, hats, mittens) can be donated at the game for a free general admission ticket. Fans will need to bring an item each day for entry into all sessions.
 
HOLIDAY INN-AIRPORT THANKSGIVING CLASSIC SLATE
Friday, Nov. 25
WOMEN: Western State vs. Western New Mexico, 2 p.m.
MEN: Western State vs. Midwestern State, 4 p.m.
WOMEN: Colorado Mesa vs. Bethany, 6 p.m.
MEN: Colorado Mesa vs. Montana State-Billings, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 26
WOMEN: Western State vs. Bethany (Kan.), 2 p.m.
MEN: Western State vs. Montana State-Billings, 4 p.m.
WOMEN: Colorado Mesa vs. Western New Mexico, 6 p.m.
MEN: Colorado Mesa vs. Midwestern State, 8 p.m.
All Times Central
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1- Midwestern State has won its last eight games away from Wichita Falls dating back to last season. The Mustangs last setback in foreign territory came on a buzzer beater at Tarleton State (66-65) on Feb. 3, 2016.
2- Midwestern State has played games in Colorado in each of Nelson Haggerty's seasons  as head coach. The Mustangs are 8-3 since the start of the 2011-12 campaign on the mountain.
3- Midwestern State is 15-5 all time against the current membership of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with records of 4-0 vs. Adams State, 3-0 vs. Colorado Mines, 3-3 vs. Colorado State-Pueblo, 2-2 vs. Metro State (Colo.), 2-0 vs. New Mexico Highlands and 1-0 vs. Western State (Colo.).
4- Midwestern State is 14-8 in early season classics since the start of the Nelson Haggerty era (2011-12).
5- MSU has never played Colorado Mesa and faced Western State just once -- at the 2014 Al Kaly Shriner's Classic in Pueblo, Colo. -- winning 77-63 on Nov. 14, 2014.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
* Midwestern State remains 20th in the NABC Division II Top 25 (preseason poll).
* The Mustangs fell out of the D2 Media Poll after taking their first loss of the season Saturday night against St. Mary's (Texas) by a 72-70 mark.
* True freshman Logan Hicks has led the Mustangs in scoring in three of the last four games.
* Hicks has scored in double figures in each of the last four games with a high of 19 points against Rogers State (Okla.) The Temple High product is showing 53.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from the 3-point line this season.
* Senior guard Sheldon Hagigal did not score in 8 minutes of floor time against St. Mary's (Texas). The Old Westbury, N.Y. product is tied with Hicks for team high scoring honors at 13.8 points per game.
* Hagigal ranks second in the LSC shooting 51.6 percent from the arc knocking down 3.2 triples a game to rank third in the league.
* Junior forward Igor Ibaka scored in double figures both times out at last weekend's Patterson Auto Family Classic including his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Our Lady of the Lake.
* Junior guard Devante Pullum leads the Lone Star Conference dishing out 5.2 assists per game. The Little Elm High product boasts matching season highs of 18 points against Arkansas-Fort Smith and Adams State (Colo.).
* Junior guard Brandon Neel notched his second double-figure scoring outing of the campaign with 10 points and three rebounds Saturday against St. Mary's (Texas) to bring his season averages to 9.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
* Senior forward Magnus Richards is averaging 11 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 15-of-22 from the field over his last three games including two double-figure performances.
* Junior forward Nick Powell tallied a season-high 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting last time out against St. Mary's.
* Senior guard Pat Smith struggled to 0-for-8 shooting and did not score Saturday night against St. Mary's (Texas) following his best all-around game of the season with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists versus Our Lady of the Lake (Texas).
* Sophomore forward Nemanja Krtolica notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Our Lady of the Lake then followed up with an 8-point, 9-rebound effort versus St. Mary's (Texas). He has made nine of his last 11 shots from the field.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
* Western State Colorado split a pair of games at the Comfort Inn Classic last weekend in Gunnison falling to NAIA Wayland Baptist (89-78) in the opener before thumping non-NCAA member Dine College 118-46.
* Junior forward Collin Smith paces the Mountaineers averaging 17 points per game. The transfer from Black Hills State (S.D.) connected on four 3-pointers to finish with 21 points in the opener.
* Junior transfer forward Patrick Sniff has scored in double figures both games for the Mountaineers with 10 points in each contest.
* Redshirt-freshman Zach Madlom (15 ppg), sophomore Brady Subart (11.5 jpg) and junior forward Branden Cosby-Lee (11 mpg) also average in double figures for Western State.
* The Mountaineers finished seventh in the Mountain Division of the RMAC last season with a 6-22 overall record going 5-17 in league play.
* Western State was picked last in the 15-member RMAC's preseason poll.
* Brad Schafer is 67-104 (.392) in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach. He was 55-59 in four years at Black Hills State (S.D.) (2010-14) before turning to alma mater to post a 12-45 mark in the last two-plus seasons.

ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State beat Western State (Colo.) 77-63 in the only other meeting between the programs on Nov. 14, 2014 at the Al Kaly Shriners Classic in Pueblo.
* Former MSU standout Bretson McNeal poured in 25 points to pace three MSU players in double figures during the victory as Xavier Blackburn (13 points, 12 rebounds) posted a double-double while Tavarion Nix tallied 10 points off of the bench.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
* Colorado Mesa brings a 1-3 mark into Holiday Inn-Airport Thanksgiving Classic play with its lone win coming against non-NCAA member Dine College (120-33) last weekend in Gunnison.
* The Mavericks are 0-2 against NCAA Division II opposition falling to Dallas Baptist (99-78) and St. Edward's (71-66) in the season opening RMAC vs. Heartland Shootout Nov. 11-12 at DBU's Burg Center.
* CMU also took an 85-78 loss to NAIA Wayland Baptist (Texas) in the Comfort Inn Classic finale last weekend in Gunnison.
* Tennessee-Martin transfer guard C.J. Davis paces CMU with 18.3 points per game scoring a season-high 23 against St. Edward's and 22 versus Wayland Baptist.
* Davis was an All-RMAC honorable mention pick last season averaging 12.8 points per game for the Mavericks.
* Senior James Sylvester, who averaged 10 points and 3.6 rebounds last season at Division I Coppin State, marks 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for CMU. Sylvester scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds in a season opening loss to Dallas Baptist.
* Sophomore guard Connor Nichols (10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds) and senior guard Eimer Lopez (10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds) also average in double figures for Colorado Mesa.
* Lopez earned All-RMAC honorable mention last season scoring 12.6 points and grabbing 4.4 rebounds a game last season.
* Colorado Mesa tied for the Rocky Division title with Metro State in 2015-16 going 21-9 overall and 16-6 in RMAC play.
* The Mavericks were picked to finish sixth in the RMAC preseason poll with Eimer Lopez gaining preseason All-RMAC honors.
* Andy Shantz is 54-36 (.600) in his fourth season at the helm of his alma mater.

ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and Colorado Mesa meet for the first time on the hardwood Saturday night at Brownson Arena.
* The Midwestern State and Colorado Mesa women's met in back-to-back NCAA Division II South Central Regionals in 2013 and 2014.

THE HAGGERTY ERA
- Nelson Haggerty is in his sixth season at the helm for Midwestern State as one of the top young coaches in college basketball.
- Haggerty boasts a 124-37 mark (.770) leading the Mustangs to the NCAA Division II postseason in each of his campaigns at the helm and to  Lone Star Conference championships in four of his five 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. He repeated as LSC Coach of the Year while piloting the Mustangs to their fourth LSC title in his five seasons at head coach in 2016.
- 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 six consecutive years.

NEXT UP
Midwestern State opens Lone Star Conference play Thursday night at rival Tarleton State in Stephenville before traveling taking on Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday.