Midwestern State vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville
Monday, Dec. 19, 2016 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (2-6, 0-3 LSC); Texas A&M-Kingsville (6-3, 1-2 LSC)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: Mustangs Digital Network
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM 

THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State takes on Texas A&M-Kingsville in its final Lone Star Conference matchup of 2016 Monday with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against the Javelinas at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

LAST TIME ON THE COURT
- Midwestern State took on its first nationally-ranked opponent of the 2016-17 season last Thursday against No. 7 Angelo State in its LSC home opener, falling to the undefeated Rambelles, 84-47
- Angelo State's Taylor Dorsey scored 18 of her 21 points in the first half to lead the Rambelles to a 41-21 advantage at halftime, holding the Mustangs to just 22.6 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes
- The Rambelles stretched their lead to as many as 38 early in the fourth quarter before handing the Mustangs their sixth-straight defeat
- Liz Cathcart, Courtney Kerr and Kristin Rydell each scored seven points apiece to lead Midwestern State

 A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
- Midwestern State enters Monday's meeting with Texas A&M-Kingsville with a 2-6 record on the season and 0-3 mark in LSC play
- The Mustangs are averaging 62.8 points per game on a 37.7 shooting clip and 35.1 percentage from behind the arc, leading the league in shooting from three-point range
- MSU opponents are firing at a 39.9 percentage from the floor and 33.8 percent from long range
- The opposition is averaging 39.6 rebounds per game while Midwestern State comes in pulling down 37.9 boards per contest
- Turnovers have been a weakness for the Mustangs this season, averaging 19.1 a game and 2.9 more than their opponents
- In its six losses, the Mustangs have committed at least 18 miscues with a season-high 26 coming at Tarleton State on Dec. 1
- Junior guard Whitney Taylor leads the Mustangs offense with 12.0 points per game and 15 three-pointers on 32.6 percent shooting from behind the arc
- The Melissa native has also stood out from the free-throw line, ranking second in the league and 63rd in the country with an 85.2 shooting clip (23-of-27)
- Junior guard Kristin Rydell ranks second for the Mustangs in scoring this season with 9.1 points per game and 11 three-pointers at a 32.4 percentage
- Junior post Avery Queen comes in averaging 6.9 points and 1.0 blocks per game, ranking sixth in the conference in blocks
- Junior forward Micheline Mercelita comes off the bench to lead Midwestern with 4.6 rebounds per game, recording MSU's first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Newman on Nov. 20
- Freshman forward Liz Cathcart is shooting a team-best 46.5 percent from the field this season while averaging 6.9 points off the bench
- Freshman point guard Leanna James has dished out at least three assists in five of eight games this season, averaging 3.1 per game to rank eighth in the league
 
THE JOHNSON ERA
- Noel Johnson is in her ninth season at the helm of the Midwestern State women's basketball program, leading the Mustangs to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-15
- Johnson has compiled a 120-112 career mark (.517) at MSU and is tied for second in career wins at Midwestern State with Kim Griffee (1984-92), trailing only Shannon Burks, who compiled 132 victories from 1999-2008
- In 2013, Johnson was named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Small College Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to their first Lone Star Conference title in 11 years while advancing to the NCAA South Central Region finals with a 26-6 record
- Johnson earned LSC Coach of the Year accolades in 2012 after leading MSU to its first trip to the league's postseason tournament since 2003 with a 19-8 record and third-place finish in the LSC

SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
- Texas A&M-Kingsville enters Monday's meeting with Midwestern State with a 6-3 record and 1-2 mark in LSC action
- TAMUK earned its first LSC victory in three seasons on Dec. 1 with a 67-55 win over Texas Woman's to snap a 33-game losing skid in LSC play after going 0-16 the last two seasons and falling to Angelo State in its conference opener last month
- Senior guard Kaylin Roher leads the Javelinas in scoring, ranking 11th in the conference with 12.4 points per game while coming in fifth in the league with 3.4 assists and third with 2.4 steals
- Roher also ranks second in the LSC with a 41.1 shooting clip from three-point range with 2.6 triples per contest
- Senior guard Tee Moore is averaging 8.0 points this season while sophomore post Jaiton Walls and senior forward Kaylee Kana are averaging 7.1 and 6.8 points, respectively, in their starting roles for the Javelinas
- Kana ranks second in the LSC with 8.4 rebounds per outing with a season-high 16 coming against Angelo State
- Walls is shooting a team-best 56.3 percent from the field
- Head coach Wade Scott is in his third season with the Javelinas, carrying an 11-50 record

INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville square off on the hardwood for the 42nd time Monday with the Mustangs owning a 25-16 advantage in the series dating back to 1994
- The Mustangs have won four-straight meetings and 10 of the last 11 matchups going back to Feb. 16, 2011 with Javelinas coming away with their lone win in an 83-77 victory in Kingsville on Feb. 22, 2014
- Texas A&M-Kingsville won the six meetings prior from Feb. 2008 – Jan. 2011
- The Mustangs carry a 14-6 advantage in the series playing inside Ligon Coliseum and have won six in a row with TAMUK last picking up a win in Wichita Falls on Jan. 27, 2010 with an 83-76 triumph
 
UP NEXT
- Midwestern State plays host to Texas Wesleyan in its final non-conference matchup of the season on New Year's Eve in a 2 p.m. tipoff at Ligon Coliseum