Midwestern State vs. Tarleton State
Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.
Wisdom Gym | Stephenville, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (6-1, 0-0); Tarleton State (4-1, 0-0)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: TarletonSports.com 
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network 
Live Stats: TarletonSports.com 
 
Midwestern State vs. Texas A&M-Commerce
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 | 4 p.m.
A&M-Commerce Fieldhouse | Commerce, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (6-1, 0-0); Texas A&M-Commerce (6-0, 0-0)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: LionAthletics.com 
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network 
Live Stats: LionAthletics.com 
 
ON THE COURT
No. 24 Midwestern State tips off Lone Star Conference with a pair of games on the road this week. The Mustangs take on rival Tarleton State Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in Stephenville before taking on Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday at 4 p.m. at the A&M-C Fieldhouse.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1- Midwestern State has won its last 10 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. The streak includes five away games and five neutral site contests.
2- Midwestern State faces its second nationally ranked opponent this season Thursday night in Stephenville. The Mustangs, who defeated No. 23 Arkansas-Fort Smith in the season opener, have won their last three against nationally ranked opponents, five of the last six and six of the last eight. MSU is 14-11 against teams ranked in the NABC Top 25 under Nelson Haggerty.
3- The last six games played between Midwestern State and Tarleton State at Wisdom Gym have been decided by 5-or-fewer points. Thursday marks the 20th meeting between the programs at Wisdom Gym since MSU joined the Lone Star Conference before the 1996-97 season with the Mustangs winning nine of the previous 19 matchups.
4- Midwestern State has won 17 of its last 19 games against Texas A&M-Commerce since the start of the 2005-06 season. The Lions snapped MSU's seven-game winning streak in the series with a 70-66 victory at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last season. The win was A&M-Commerce's first in Wichita Falls since 2005, but the Lions haven't won consecutive games against MSU since the 1997-98 season.
5- Midwestern State claimed a win in its conference opener in each of the last five seasons starting 2-0 in 2015-16, 4-0 in 2014-15, 3-0 in 2013-14 and 6-0 in 2012-13 and 2011-12. The Mustangs last dropped an LSC opener at Angelo State in 2010-11.
BONUS- MSU's LSC opener against Tarleton State marks its earliest conference game since beating Incarnate Word 74-69 on Nov. 29, 2012 in San Antonio.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
* Midwestern State ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference in scoring at 84 points per game, while rating fifth in the league in scoring defense allowing 70.7 points per contest.
* MSU is ranked 24th in the D2 Media Poll and is receiving votes in the NABC D2 Poll.
* The Mustangs are third in the league with a team field goal percentage of .475 and fifth in the LSC allowing a .396 opponent field goal percentage.
* MSU has connected on 24 3-pointers over the last four games shooting 30.8 percent from the arc after starting the season burying 36 triples over his first three games connecting at a 41.4-percent clip.
* Thirty-six percent of the Mustangs' field goal attempts this season have come from beyond the arc.
* Reigning Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week Igor Ibaka scored in double figures in each of his last four games and in six of seven games this season.
* True freshman guard Logan Hicks scored in double figures in four consecutive games from Nov. 12-19 averaging 17.3 points per game while shooting 54.5 percent with 12 triples including a season-high outburst of 19 points at Rogers State (Okla.).
* Junior guard Devante Pullum boasts matching season highs of 18 points against Arkansas-Fort Smith and Adams State (Colo.). He ranks third in the LSC dishing out 4.3 assists per game.
* Senior guard Pat Smith erupted for a career-high 19 points shooting 7-of-10 from the field with three 3-pointers in Saturday's win at Colorado Mesa after registering 11 points and nine assists the previous night against Western State Colorado. Smith has scored in double figures in four of MSU's seven games this season.
* Junior guard Brandon Neel booked double digits for the third time this season going for 10 points and six rebounds against Colorado Mesa. He booked a season-high 13 points in a season opening win against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
* Senior forward Magnus Richards hit 7 of his 11 shots on his way to posting campaign highs of 18 points and eight rebounds Friday against Western State Colorado.
* Junior forward Nick Powell is enjoying a breakout campaign averaging 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds including a career-best 11 points against St. Mary's (Texas).
* Junior guard Shawn Nottingham sparked the Mustangs off of the bench during his first two appearances of the season at last weekend's Holiday Inn-Airport Thanksgiving Classic in Grand Junction. He scored six points in his debut against Western State Colorado and had four points versus Colorado Mesa. Nottingham notched two steals in both games.
* Sophomore forward Nemanja Krtolica broke out with a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds) against Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Nov. 18. He is averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in 15.5 minutes over his last four outings.
 
SCOUTING THE TEXANS
* Tarleton State plays its sixth consecutive game on its home floor Thursday night against Midwestern State with its lone loss coming to Colorado State-Pueblo (79-78) on Nov. 25. TSU is ranked 16th in the NABC D2 Poll and 21st in the D2 Media Poll.
* The Texans rank second in the LSC in scoring defense (61.4 ppg), second in field goal percentage defense (.375), first in 3-point percentage defense (.220) and second in rebound margin ( 7.2).
* Tarleton State ranks ninth out of 10 teams in the LSC in team 3-point shooting percentage at 29 percent.
* All five of Tarleton's starters boast double-digit scoring averages led by junior transfer Ridell Camidge at 12.4 points per game joined by junior Deshawn Riddick (11.6 ppg), senior Romond Jenkins (10.2 points), redshirt-freshman Anthony Davis (10.2 ppg) and senior Chantz Chambers (10.0 ppg).
* Jenkins ranks second in the LSC pulling down 10.8 rebounds per game.
* Riddick poured in a career-high 27 points against Colorado State-Pueblo.
* Redshirt-freshman Josh Hawley is TSU's top performer off of the bench averaging 8.8 points per game.
* Lonn Reisman boasts a 617-243 record (.717) in his 29th season at the helm at Tarleton State.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and Tarleton State meet for the 75th time on the hardwood Thursday night at Wisdom Gym. It matches the McMurry series for the fifth longest in program history.
* Midwestern State owns a 47-27 edge in the series which dates back to the 1961-62 season.
* The Mustangs are 8-9 against Tarleton State when the Texans carry an NABC Division II ranking. MSU has won five of its last six against nationally ranked opposition.
* MSU owns a 16-12 mark against the Texans in Stephenville including a 2-3 mark with Nelson Haggerty as head coach.
* Each of the last nine games between the programs has been decided by six-or-fewer points.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
* At 6-0, Texas A&M-Commerce is off to its best start since winning the first eight games of the 2013-14 campaign.
* The Lions are receiving votes in both the NABC Division II Poll and D2 Media Poll.
* A&M-C takes on Cameron Thursday night before taking on MSU on Saturday.
* Texas A&M-Commerce ranks second in the league in scoring at 96.2 points per game and in scoring margin at 18.7.
* A&M-C is the best shooting team in the league at 49.5 percent, but allow the opposition to fire 44.7 percent of its shots (9th of 10 in LSC).
* The Lions rank third in the LSC with a 6.8 rebound margin.
* Nine of A&M-Commerce's 11 top scorers are transfers.
* Junior Malik Albert leads A&M-C while ranking fifth in the LSC in scoring at 18.6 points per game. The 6-2 transfer guard from Creighton poured in a season-high 28 points last time out against Colorado State-Pueblo hitting on 13-of-19 shots for his third 20-point effort of the season.
* Senior Trey Seymore pours in 16.5 points per game scoring in double digits in five of six games this season. The Coppin State transfer dropped in a season-high 21 points with eight rebounds in the season opener against Oklahoma Christian.
* Dorian Armstrong leads a group of five junior transfers from NJCAA Division II Southeastern Illinois College with 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and is joined by Montrell Little (10.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Simon Shafack (7.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Marquieth Russell (4.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Daquane Willford (4.2 ppg, 1.4 apg).
* Senior transfer Jovan Austin checks in from Bowling Green, but was the LSC Freshman of the Year at Angelo State in 2012-13. He averages 9.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game.
* Wyoming transfer Trey Washington has scored 9.3 points per game over three outings scoring 14 points against Colorado State-Pueblo.
* Four-year letter winner DeAndre Carson is the Lions' top returner as the point guard from Austin Lehman High scores 8.0 points per game after opening the season with three double-digit efforts.
* Sam Walker is A&M-Commerce's all-time winningest coach sporting a 272-191 record (.587) in his 17th season at the helm.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce meet for the 87th time on the hardwood Saturday afternoon at The Fieldhouse.
* It is the longest running active series in program history falling only behind Midwestern's 103-game series against Wayland Baptist.
* The Mustangs own a 54-32 edge in the series which dates back to the 1947-48 series.
* MSU has dominated the series over the past decade winning 17 of 19 games over the Lions since the start of the 2005-06 season including a 10-game streak from Jan. 7, 2006 to Feb. 29, 2012.
* Texas A&M-Commerce snapped a seven-game skid to MSU by claiming a 70-66 win at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last season. It was the Lions' first win under the dome since 2004.
* Texas A&M-Commerce hasn't won consecutive games against Midwestern since the 1997-98 season.
 
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 126-37 mark (.773) 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.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State plays a single game next week taking on Angelo State Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.