Midwestern State at Eastern New Mexico
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016 | 3 p.m. (CT)
Greyhound Arena | Portales, N.M.
Records: Midwestern State (4-18, 3-9 LSC); Eastern New Mexico (9-13, 4-8 LSC)
Live Stats: GoEasternAthletics.com
Video: GoEasternAthletics.com
Streaming Audio: Mustangs Digital Network (Free)
Radio: ESPN 95.5

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State begins a two-game road stretch Saturday as the Mustangs take on Eastern New Mexico in a battle for seventh place in the Lone Star Conference standings. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT) at Greyhound Arena in Portales.

LAST TIME OUT
– Midwestern State suffered its sixth-straight loss in LSC play Wednesday, falling to No. 10/7 West Texas A&M by a score of 74-48 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum
– The Lady Buffs earned the regular season sweep over the Mustangs by shooting 54.4 percent from the floor and outscoring MSU 44-22 in the paint
– Midwestern's lone lead of the contest came on its opening possession with senior guard Kathryn Odom converting a three-point play on a drive to the basket
– The Lady Buffs quickly distanced themselves from MSU, taking a 12-point lead after the first quarter before holding the Mustangs to 14.3 percent shooting in the second for a 38-20 halftime advantage
– MSU shot 57.1 percent in the third to outscore WT, 20-18, with sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett scoring all 12 of her points in the period
– The Mustangs came within 11 before the Lady Buffs answered with a 13-0 run during a seven-minute scoring drought for MSU
– Sophomore guard Whitney Taylor joined Crockett in double figures, leading the Mustangs with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
– Eastern New Mexico comes into Saturday's matchup with a 9-13 overall record and 4-8 mark in the LSC for seventh place
– The Greyhounds earned a road win Thursday at Cameron, defeating the Aggies 72-69 behind 26 points from senior guard Sarah Stinnett
– Junior post Kassandra Harris leads the Greyhounds with 13.0 points per game to rank fourth in the LSC this season
– Stinnett joins Harris in double figures with 11.1 points per game while ranking second in the LSC with 2.1 steals per game and 10th with 2.7 assists
– Harris and sophomore post Johna McClelland lead ENMU on the boards with 5.5 rebounds per game
– Head coach Josh Prock is 23-52 (.307) in three seasons with the Greyhounds
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State owns a 27-17 advantage in the series against Eastern New Mexico
– The Mustangs earned a 61-55 victory over the Greyhounds in their LSC home opener on Jan. 9 with junior forward Jennifer Sissel recording her first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead MSU
– The Mustangs have fared well against the Greyhounds as of late, winning 12 of the last 13 meetings including eight in a row going back to Jan. 2011
– The teams are deadlocked at 10-10 in games played at Greyhound Arena
– MSU has come away victorious in four of the last five games played in Portales, three of those coming by three or fewer points
– Under head coach Noel Johnson, the Mustangs are 14-3 against ENMU
 
A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
– After Wednesday's loss to West Texas A&M, Midwestern State now sits at 4-18 on the season and 3-9 in the LSC for eighth in the league standings
– Sophomore guard Whitney Taylor has been a consistent contributor for the Mustangs, scoring in double figures in 10 of the last 11 outings with a career-high 21 points coming twice
– The Melissa native is averaging a team-high 10.9 points per game, shooting 39.1 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from behind the arc
– Taylor currently ranks 13th in the LSC in scoring while coming in fourth in free-throw percentage (71.6) and fifth in minutes played (29.5)
– Sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett has notched five double-digit outings in the last eight contests, recording a career-high 20 points at Angelo State on Jan. 23
– Crockett is averaging 7.8 points per game this season and 9.5 points during conference play
– In LSC action, Taylor comes in eighth in scoring at 12.7 points per game while junior forward Jennifer Sissel (6.8 rpg) and senior forward Katie Brown (6.6 rpg) both crack the top 10 in rebounding at seventh and 10th, respectively
– Senior guard Kathryn Odom also makes an appearance in the top 10, ranking eighth with 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game in conference play
 
MSU SCHEDULE 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 140-80 (.636) as of Feb. 11
– 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 has received votes in the national poll
– MSU's schedule is currently the toughest in NCAA Division II with opponents combining for a 247-151 mark (.621) 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 117-102 record (.534) 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 will make another long road trip Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. matchup against Texas A&M-Kingsville at the Steinke Center in Kingsville