Midwestern State at Texas A&M-Kingsville
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 | 5:30 p.m.
Steinke Center | Kingsville, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (4-19, 3-10 LSC); Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-17, 0-12 LSC)
Live Stats: JavelinaAthletics.com
Video: JavelinaAthletics.com (Free)
Streaming Audio: Mustangs Digital Network (Free)
Radio: ESPN 95.5

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State will look to snap a seven-game losing skid Wednesday as the Mustangs go for a season sweep of Texas A&M-Kingsville in a 5:30 p.m. tipoff at the Steinke Center in Kingsville.

LAST TIME OUT
– Midwestern State was unable to hold on to a 19-point third quarter lead Saturday against Eastern New Mexico as the Greyhounds rallied with a 25-4 run and held off a late surge by the Mustangs to come away with a 76-72 win in Portales
– The Mustangs grabbed a 50-31 advantage at the 7:43 mark in the third quarter as sophomore guard Whitney Taylor scored seven of MSU's 10 points to open the half before the Greyhounds began their sizeable run to end the period and take a 56-54 lead
– ENMU stretched it to 68-60 with 6:44 to play before the Mustangs began to chip away at their deficit
– Taylor and senior guard Kathryn Odom combined for all 10 points in a 10-2 MSU run to even the contest at 70 apiece after Taylor cashed in on a game-tying three-pointer with 1:58 to play
– However, an attempt at a game-tying basket came up short for the Mustangs with less than 15 seconds to play as ENMU walked away with the win
– Taylor recorded her third 20-point game of the season with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting while setting a career-high eight boards and matching a career-best three triples
– Junior forward Jennifer Sissel also reached double figures with 11 points and seven boards
– Odom and sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett each added nine points while Odom dished out seven assists to tie a career high
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
– Texas A&M-Kingsville is on a 16-game losing streak and has yet to come away with a LSC win to sit at 5-17 on the year and 0-12 in conference play
– The Javelinas are led by junior guard Kaylin Roher, who averages 11.4 points per game for 10th in the LSC
– Roher ranks fourth in the league in three-pointers made with 47 and three-point percentage at 32.6
– Junior guard Jamesha Wade and senior forward Kyra Bauer are each adding 7.6 points for the Javelinas while Wade is also pacing the squad with 2.3 assists
– On the glass, junior forward Joslyn Smith leads TAMUK with 5.4 boards
– Wade Scott is in his second season leading the TAMUK women's basketball program with a 5-43 record
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State takes a 24-16 series advantage over Texas A&M-Kingsville into Wednesday's matchup
– MSU earned a 55-44 win over the Javelinas back on Jan. 20 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum with junior forward Jennifer Sissel (16 pts, 11 rebs) and senior forward Katie Brown (10 pts, 17 rebs) both recording double-doubles
– The Mustangs are winners of nine of the last 10 contests dating back to Feb. 16, 2011
– The Mustangs are 10-10 against the Javelinas inside the Steinke Center, but have claimed three of the last four in the matchup

A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
– Midwestern State dropped to 4-19 overall and 3-10 in conference after Saturday's loss
– The Mustangs currently sit eighth in the LSC standings and can clinch a postseason tournament spot with a win over the Javelinas
– Sophomore guard Whitney Taylor has been a consistent contributor for the Mustangs, scoring in double figures in 11 of the last 12 outings with three 20-point games during that span
– The Melissa native is averaging a team-high 11.4 points per game, shooting 40.1 percent from the floor and 32.9 percent from behind the arc
– Taylor currently ranks 12th in the LSC in scoring while placing herself fourth in free-throw percentage (72.9) and fifth in minutes played (29.9)
– Sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett has scored in double digits in five of the last nine contests, recording a career-high 20 points at Angelo State on Jan. 23
– Crockett is second on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game while averaging 9.5 points during conference play
– In LSC action, Taylor ranks seventh in scoring at 13.2 points per game while coming in ninth with a 70.9 free-throw percentage and 1.5 triples per game
– Senior guard Kathryn Odom has climbed to fifth with 3.4 assists per game in league action, while junior forward Jennifer Sissel cracks the top 10 in rebounding at sixth with 6.8 boards per game
 
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 coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015
– MSU's 10 non-conference opponents have not disappointed with a combined record of 147-85 (.634) as of Feb. 14
– 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 258-159 mark (.619) 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 117-103 record (.532) 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 home for Senior Night to host Angelo State in a 4 p.m. Saturday tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum