Midwestern State vs. Texas Wesleyan
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 | 2 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (2-7); Texas Wesleyan (7-3)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: Mustangs Digital Network
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM 

THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State plays host to NAIA Texas Wesleyan in a non-conference matchup on New Year's Eve at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.

LAST TIME ON THE COURT
- Midwestern State suffered its seventh-straight loss to fall to 2-7 on the season and 0-4 in LSC play following a 60-47 defeat to Texas A&M-Kingsville back on Dec. 19
- Whitney Taylor accounted for nearly half of Midwestern State's points on the evening with her seventh career 20-point game with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting including 4-of-9 from three-point range
- Midwestern State was held to a 32.7 shooting percentage on the night while matching its second-most turnovers of the season with 25 as the Javelinas converted MSU's miscues into 28 points on the other end

 A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
- Midwestern State enters Saturday's contest averaging 61.0 points on the season while allowing the opposition to 68.2 points per game
- The Mustangs are shooting 37.1 percent from the field with a 34.2 percentage from behind the arc and 68.5 percent clip from the charity stripe, ranking second in the league in three-point shooting
- MSU opponents are firing at a 39.4 percentage from the floor, 33.1 percent from long range and 68.9 percent from the free-throw line
- The opposition holds a narrow rebounding edge with an average of 39.6 per game while Midwestern State is pulling down 37.9 per contest
- Turnovers have been a weakness for the Mustangs this season, averaging 19.8 per game and 3.4 more than their opponents
- In their seven 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 12.9 points per game and 19 three-pointers on a 34.5 percent shooting from behind the arc to rank fifth in the league in outside shooting
- The Melissa native has also stood out from the free-throw line, ranking fourth in the league with an 79.3 shooting clip (23-of-29)
- Junior guard Kristin Rydell ranks second for MSU in scoring this season with 8.6 points per game while adding 12 triples to bolster the squad's outside shooting
- 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 4.7 rebounds per game, recording MSU's first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Newman on Nov. 20
- Freshman point guard Leanna James has dished out at least three assists in five games this season, averaging 3.0 per game to rank ninth 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 120-113 career mark (.515) 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 LADY RAMS
- Texas Wesleyan comes in with a 7-3 record on the season, having won its last three games
- The Lady Rams have faced one other NCAA Division II opponent this season in fellow LSC member Tarleton State, falling 67-63 to the TexAnns in an exhibition contest last month
- Texas Wesleyan is led by a two-time all-American in senior forward Katelynn Threats
- Threats leads the Lady Rams with 15.4 points per game while totaling 11.8 rebounds per game to average a double-double on the season
- Ashlie Bruner is second for the Lady Rams in scoring with 12.2 points while leading the team with 6.5 assists and adding 6.2 rebounds
- Bailey Broadnax is adding 11.5 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Lady Rams while Falesha Fuller is also averaging double figures with 10.5 points per game
- Bill Franey is in his sixth season leading Texas Wesleyan, compiling a 92-73 career record with the Lady Rams

INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Texas Wesleyan will meet on the hardwood for the 48th time Saturday with the Mustangs owning a 29-18 lead in the series dating back to 1976
- The teams renewed the series in 2014 after a 14-year hiatus with Midwestern State coming away with wins in 2014 and 2015
- McKenna Villegas lifted MSU to a 57-55 victory last season in Wichita Falls on a buzzer-beating baseline jumper
- The Mustangs have won 12 of the last 14 matchups and are 18-4 against the Lady Rams inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum
 
UP NEXT
- Midwestern State returns to Lone Star Conference play under the dome next week against West Texas A&M and UT Permian Basin. The Mustangs begin the week versus WT on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before taking on UTPB in a 2 p.m. tipoff Saturday.