WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Senior guard
Jordan Stevens dropped in 28 points to lead a trio of Mustangs in double figures as No. 25 Midwestern State snapped a four-game losing skid with an 84-75 win over Lone Star Conference leader West Texas A&M in a Highway 287 Challenge contest Wednesday evening at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
Stevens was joined by senior forward
Khapri Alston (12 pts.) and junior forward
Trevor Fuller (10 pts.) in double figures to guide the Mustangs to a regular season sweep of West Texas A&M (19-8, 7-4 LSC).
In the first half, Midwestern State (17-5, 6-4 LSC) opened up a 15-point advantage just before halftime as the Mustangs shot 50 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes.
With the game tied at 15 apiece, Stevens accounted for 12 of his 28 points in the final 8:33 of the opening period to help the Mustangs open up their largest lead of the game. A Stevens triple and a three-point play from junior forward
Magnus Richards helped spark the Mustangs late in the first half, taking a 21-15 lead with 7:55 to play. Stevens followed by scoring nine of MSU's next 16 points with a pair of free throws giving the Mustangs a 37-22 advantage, their largest of the night, with 1:37 remaining.
Facing a 10-point deficit at the half, the Buffs pulled within six at 56-50 with 13 minutes to play after a layup by sophomore guard David Chavlovich, who led WT with 25 points on the night.
The Mustangs were able to keep WT at a distance until the Buffs put together an 11-0 run over a three-minute stretch to grab a 65-63 advantage following a pair of free throws from junior guard Eric Golightly Jr.
A three-point play from Alston began a 9-1 run for the Mustangs with 2:56 to play as the Buffs were limited to just one field goal down the stretch. A Fuller dunk with 58 seconds remaining sank any hope in a comeback for WT with Midwestern recording the 84-75 victory.
Stevens also led the Mustangs with six assists and three steals while Fuller recorded a team-best three blocks.
For WT, senior forward Jeff Bonner added 17 points while leading the Buffs with 11 rebounds for the double-double. Freshman forward Ryan Quaid also reached double digits with 10 points.
Midwestern shot 47.4 percent from the floor while holding WT to a 38.8 shooting percentage.
Midwestern State begins a two-game road swing Saturday in Portales, N.M., with a 5 p.m. matchup with Eastern New Mexico at Greyhound Arena.
– MSUMustangs.com –