Midwestern State at Tarleton State
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016 | 5:30 p.m.
Wisdom Gym | Stephenville, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (4-15, 3-6 LSC); Tarleton State (10-9, 4-5 LSC)
Live Stats: TarletonSports.com
Video: TarletonSports.com
Streaming Audio: Mustangs Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 95.5

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State will look to snap a three-game losing skid Wednesday when the Mustangs resume their rivalry with Tarleton State in a 5:30 tipoff at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville.

LAST TIME OUT
– Midwestern State dropped a pair of home games over the weekend to Cameron (87-59) and Texas Woman's (64-58) at D.L. Ligon Coliseum
– Cameron used a 29-6 advantage in the second period to break away from the Mustangs, shooting 50 percent for the game with a 56-26 edge in the paint
– The Mustangs were held to just 29.9 percent from the field including a 12.5 percent clip during Cameron's run in the second quarter
– Junior guard Jacquar Westbrooks led the Mustangs with 11 points and three steals while sophomore guard Whitney Taylor added 10 points and a team-high four assists
– The Mustangs rallied from a 13-point deficit to pull within two in the final minute against Texas Woman's, but the Pioneers knocked down their final four free throws to escape with a 64-58 win
– MSU once again struggled from the floor, being held to 28.3 percent shooting
– Taylor notched her eight-straight game in double figures with a team-high 15 points, matching a career-high three triples
– Sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett added 13 points and four assists while junior forward Jennifer Sissel contributed 10 boards, six points and four steals on the afternoon
 
SCOUTING THE TEXANNS
– Tarleton State comes in to Wednesday's rivalry game with a 10-9 record on the season and 4-5 mark in the Lone Star Conference to sit in fifth place
– Junior guard Bailey Wipff leads the Tarleton offense with 13.9 points per game to rank second in the LSC
– Wipff is 29th nationally with a three-point shooting percentage of 43.2 (48-of-111) while coming in 56th with 2.5 triples per game
– Junior forward Ikpeaku Iwobi is also averaging double figures with 10.1 points per game while leading the TexAnns with 8.1 rebounds for third in the conference
– Head coach Misty Wilson is in her second season leading the TexAnns with a career record of 27-19 (.587)
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State carries a 35-30 advantage in the all-time series versus Tarleton State
– The Mustangs were victorious in the first meeting between the two teams this season with MSU closing out the game on an 8-0 run to earn a 56-52 win at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Jan. 13
– MSU dominated the series through the mid-2000's before the TexAnns reeled off 14-straight wins from 2005-06 through 2011-12
– The Mustangs have won six of the last nine matchups with the teams splitting the series last season and Tarleton claiming both contests in the 2013-14 season
– The TexAnns hold a 19-16 advantage inside Wisdom Gym with the Mustangs last picking up a win in Stephenville on Feb. 23, 2013 (71-63)
 
A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
– After dropping its last three games, Midwestern State now sits at 4-15 and 3-6 in the LSC for seventh in the league standings
– Sophomore guard Whitney Taylor has been a consistent contributor for the Mustangs, having now reached double figures in scoring in eight-straight games and 11 times this season
– The Melissa native is averaging a team-high 10.3 points per game, shooting 37 percent from the floor, 34.5 percent from behind the arc and 75 percent from the free-throw line
– Taylor currently ranks 14th in the LSC in scoring while coming in second in free-throw percentage and sixth in minutes played (28.4)
– Junior forward Jennifer Sissel has helped create an inside-outside punch for the Mustangs alongside Taylor, ranking second in scoring with 7.8 points while leading MSU with 5.7 boards for 10th in the conference
– In league play, Sissel ranks fourth in rebounding with 7.6 rebounds per game while Taylor comes in at 11th with 12.2 points per game
– Sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett has also stepped up lately for the Mustangs with three double-digit scoring performances in the last five games for 7.0 points per game
 
MSU SCHEDULE AMONG TOUGHEST IN NCAA DIVISION II
– Midwestern knew it faced an early season challenge with a young squad and a competitive non-conference schedule that featured four teams that were coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015
– MSU's 10 non-conference opponents have not disappointed with a combined record of 112-61 (.649) as of Feb. 1
– The always competitive Lone Star Conference has added to the strength of MSU's schedule this season with nationally-ranked West Texas A&M and Texas Woman's, who is receiving votes in the national poll
– MSU's schedule is currently ranked the second-toughest in NCAA Division II behind Cal Poly Pomona with opponents combining for a 217-127 mark (.631) this season

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 117-99 record (.542) 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 to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for a 4 p.m. tip Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce