Midwestern State vs. Angelo State
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 | 6 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (19-5, 7-4); Angelo State (20-4, 8-4)
Video: Mustangs Digital Network (PPV)  
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network (Free) 
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com  
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State and Angelo State play for a share of the Lone Star Conference lead Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
 
PROMOTIONS
MUSTANGS WIN, YOU WIN... With a Midwestern State win, redeem your ticket stub at Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers for a buy one, get one combo meal within 24 hours of the game.
ALUMNI GAME... The annual Midwestern State alumni games are set for Saturday with the women from noon to 1:30 with the men from 1:30 to 3.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
BATTLING FOR FIRST... Midwestern State and Angelo State are part of a four-way tie for first place with three games to go in the Lone Star Conference. If MSU wins out, it would claim at least a share of its ninth LSC championship and can claim an outright title if West Texas A&M loses either at Tarleton State or at Eastern New Mexico. With two wins, the Mustangs would also claim the No. 1 seed for the LSC Postseason Tournament by virtue of its season sweep of the Buffs.
HONORING THE SENIORS... Midwestern State is set to honor seven seniors in a pregame ceremony. This year's seniors include guards Brandon Golden, Hershell Grant, Bretson McNeal and Jordan Stevens and forwards Khapri Alston, DeVaughn Jones and Phillip Sanders.
REGIONAL SEEDING IN BALANCE... Midwestern State ranked fourth in the first edition of the NCAA Division II South Central Region rankings released on Wednesday. The Mustangs get a shot at No. 1 Angelo State while Dallas Baptist and Fort Lewis (Colo.) rated second and third, respectively.
BOUNCING BACK... Midwestern State broke out of a four-game skid in a big way first claiming a home win over then-LSC leading West Texas A&M (84-75) before taking back-to-back double-digit road wins in routs over Eastern New Mexico (110-62) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (81-63). Thirteen of MSU's 19 wins this season have been by 10-or-more points and eight of those were by more than 20 points.
REDEMPTION IN STORE... Angelo State has won its last four matchups against Midwestern State and six of the last eight dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Mustangs last win over ASU came by an 82-63 count in the 2014 LSC Postseason Tournament semifinals in Allen.
 
SCOUTING THE RAMS
- Angelo State rides a four-game winning streak into D.L. Ligon Coliseum after splitting its first eight Lone Star Conference games.
- Angelo State is currently ranked 16th in the NABC Division II rankings and 11th in the D2 Media Poll.
- The Rams opened the season with 12 consecutive wins before falling to Tarleton State in the LSC opener.
- ASU ranks 12th in NCAA Division II and leads the LSC in scoring at 88.9 points per game, but allows 76.6 points per game -- seventh in the league.
- Senior guard Tre Bennett ranks third in the Lone Star Conference in scoring at 16.7 points per game and is second in the league at 4.8 assists per game.
- Bennett has scored at least nine points in each of the Rams' 24 games this season including matching season highs of 25 against Missouri Southern (11/27) and West Texas A&M (2/3). He scored 16 points and dished out seven assists earlier in the season against MSU.
- Senior forward Stedman Allen ranks fourth in the LSC scoring 16.5 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 15 straight games and scored a season-high 25 against Colorado-Colorado Springs (11/14) earlier this season. Allen scored 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting earlier this against the Mustangs.
- Junior guard Quay King scores 10.1 points per game and led the Rams with 21 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting earlier this season against MSU.
- Cinco Boone is in his first season at the helm of the Angelo State men's basketball program after serving as the top assistant under Chris Beard the previous two seasons.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Angelo State meet for the 73rd time on the hardwood Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Mustangs enjoy a 44-28 edge in the series which dates back to the 1965-66 season.
- Angelo State has won the last four games in the series with MSU's last win coming by an 82-63 count in the LSC Postseason Tournament semifinals on March 7, 2014.
- The Rams have won on two of their last three trips to Wichita Falls since snapping a 20-game losing streak at D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Nov. 23, 1984-Feb. 4, 2012) with a 53-50 win on Feb. 16, 2013.
- The Mustangs are 29-6 all-time against Angelo State in Wichita Falls including a 27-5 mark at Ligon Coliseum.
- Midwestern State opened D.L. Ligon Coliseum with an 88-86 win over Angelo State on Nov. 29, 1969.
 
MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
IN THE POLLS... Midwestern State is ranked 22nd in the NABC Division II Poll and 21st in the D2 Media Poll.
REGIONAL RANKINGS... Midwestern State ranked fourth in the initial NCAA Division II South Central Region Rankings released earlier this week behind Angelo State, Dallas Baptist and Fort Lewis (Colo.). The final regular season rankings are due on Feb. 24 and March 1 with team selections and bracket announcement is set for Sunday, March 6. The top eight teams from each of the eight regions advance to the postseason play. Regional championship tournaments are set for campus sites from March 12-15. The 2016 Elite Eight is set for March 23-26 at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas.
MSU VERSUS NATIONALLY RANKED... The Mustangs are 2-1 against nationally ranked (NABC D2 Poll) opponents this season claiming wins over No. 3 Bellarmine (Ky.) (77-71 on 11/27) and No. 6 Tarleton State (66-63 on 1/13) before falling to No. 11 Angelo State (91-93 OT on 1/23). MSU is 11-11 against nationally ranked opposition during the Nelson Haggerty era which began with the 2011-12 season.
THE .500/10 SPLIT... Midwestern State has shot at least 50 percent from the field and buried at least 10 3-pointers in five games this season. The Mustangs' average margin of victories in those games in 44.8 points.
DOING IT AND DOING IT WELL... The Mustangs rank amongst national leaders in numerous categories this season ranking second in blocked shots per game (6.2), second in total blocks (149.0), fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.9), sixth in scoring margin (+16.5), seventh in rebound margin (+8.3) and ninth in defensive rebounds (29.63).
 
MSU PROBABLE STARTERS
Bretson McNeal | G | SR | Minneapolis, Minn. / North Dakota State Science
PPG: 13.0 | REB: 3.7 | AST: 2.0  | STL: 1.8
- Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year.
- started each of MSU's 24 games.
- leads LSC knocking down 47.0 percent of his shots from the arc.
- connected on at least three 3-pointers in 11 games this season.
- eighth on MSU's all-time 3-point makes chart with 135 and needs two more to pass E.J. Collins (136/1990-94) and Jeremy Ford (136/2006-08) into sixth.
- third on MSU's all-time 3-point percentage list at 44.1 percent (135-for-306) behind Drew Coffman (78-for-173 / 45.1 percent) and Gume Ibarra (134-for-301 / 44.5 percent).
- blistered the nets for a 20-of-33 clip (60.6 percent) from 3-point range over a six-game stretch from Jan. 13-Feb. 3.
- scored 10-or-more points in 18 games this season including matching campaign highs of 22 in the season opener against Oklahoma City and at Eastern New Mexico.
- leads Lone Star Conference with 44 steals this season (1.8 per game).
- made a season-high six steals against Texas A&M-Commerce (2/6).
 
Jordan Stevens | G | SR | Columbia, Mo. / Duquesne
PPG: 15.5 | REB: 3.2 | AST: 3.6
- Division I transfer from Duquesne.
-  started in 22 of 24 games this season.
- ranks sixth in the LSC in scoring at 15.5 points per game and sixth in assists at 3.6.
- explosive scorer has scored 20-or-more points in seven games this season including a 31-point effort against Eastern New Mexico (1/9).
- erupted for 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting with three 3-pointers in a win over West Texas A&M (2/10).
- matched a season-high with four 3-pointers on his way to 20 points and six assists against Eastern New Mexico (2/13).
- ranks among national leaders in free throw percentage at 88.5 percent.
 
Hershell Grant | G | SR | Washington, D.C. / Clarendon College
PPG: 7.0 | REB: 4.0 | AST: 2.0
- strong hoops blood lines. Nephew of former NBA standouts Horace and Harvey Grant. Cousins also played collegiate basketball with Jerian Grant (Notre Dame/New York Knicks), Jerai Grant (Clemson) and Jerami Grant (Syracuse/Philadelphia 76ers).
- shooting 47.9 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3-point range and 70.5 percent from the free throw line.
- top defender has scored in double figures seven times this season including a season 18 points against St. Gregory's (1/2).
- connected on 5-of-6 shots including a season-high three 3-pointers to finish with 14 points and six rebounds in a 110-62 win over Eastern New Mexico (2/13).
- came off of the bench to score 13 points and pull down a season-high eight rebounds against Cameron (1/30).
 
Trevor Fuller | F | JR | Dallas, Texas / University of San Diego
PPG: 5.4 | REB: 4.4 | BLK: 3.0
- son of former San Francisco 49er strong safety Jeff Fuller (1984-89) whose grandfather - Cincy Powell - played pro basketball in the ABA. His brother - Jeff, Jr. - enjoyed a stellar collegiate football career as a receiver at Texas A&M before playing professionally with the Miami Dolphins and Calgary Stampeders.
- Fuller ranks amongst the best rim protectors in college basketball swatting 3.0 shots per game to rank sixth in NCAA Division II.
- accounted for at least four blocked in eight games this season including a season-high seven against Tarleton State (1/13).
- his 116 career blocked shots are the third most in school history behind Eric Dawson (170/2005-07) and Mike E. Smith (157/1982-86).
- Fuller's 72 blocked shots this season are the third most by a single player in MSU program history trailing only former NBA'er Eric Dawson, who had 96 in 2006-07 and 74 in 2005-06.
- shooting 67.1 percent from the floor with 37 dunks this season.
- posted a season-high 10 points going 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe in a win over West Texas A&M (2/10).
 
Khapri Alston | F | SR | Chicago, Ill. / Northeast CC (Neb.)
PPG: 13.5 | REB: 9.4 | BLK: 1.0 | STL: 1.0
- leads the Lone Star Conference in rebounding.
- boasts nine point/rebound double-doubles but has finished four other games with double figure points and nine rebounds.
- erupted for career highs with 27 points and 25 rebounds against No. 11 Angelo State on Jan. 23 at Junell Center. The 25 rebounds are the most in a single game in both NCAA Divisions I and II this season. The rebound total is the sixth highest in a single game in MSU program history and the most since original Cleveland Cavalier Gary Suiter snagged 27 against Dallas Baptist on Nov. 30, 1968.
- scored in double figures in 20 games this season.
- pulled down a then-season high 14 rebounds against Tarleton State.
- active on defense with 25 steals and 23 blocked shots.
- second on the team with 14.3 points and tops the squad with 10.2 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game during Lone Star Conference play.
 
TOP RESERVES
Brandon Golden | G | SR | Austin, Texas / McMurry
PPG: 8.4 | REB: 2.8 | AST: 0.7
- notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in first start at MSU in place of the injured Hershell Grant against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Jan. 20.
- knocked down six 3-pointers to score a season-high 20 points while pulling down five rebounds against St. Gregory's (1/2).
- splashed in four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points in a 77-71 win over No. 3 Bellarmine (Ky.) (11/27).
- shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
- came on strong during Lone Star Conference play pulling averages of 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range.
- missed the last five games since suffering wrist injury against Cameron on Jan. 31.
 
Sheldon Hagigal | G | JR | Old Westbury, N.Y. / Trinity Valley CC
PPG: 8.6 | REB: 1.8 | AST: 1.5
- gives MSU a scoring punch off of the bench notching 10-or-more points in 10 games this season.
- poured in season-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting with two 3-pointers in a 74-65 win at West Texas A&M (1/6).
- shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range.
- knocked down a triple in eight straight games from Jan. 6-Feb. 6.
- buried two 3-pointers and went 4-for-8 from the field with four steals to finish with 12 points in a 110-62 out of Eastern New Mexico (2/13).
- splashed in three 3-pointers on 4-of-5 shooting with three free throws to score 14 points in 19 minutes against Texas A&M-Kingsville (2/17).
 
DeVaughn Jones | F | SR | District Heights, Md. / Lackawanna College
PPG: 5.6 | REB: 3.9
- top big off of the bench for MSU.
- scored in double figures five times this season.
- went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field to finish with a season-high 17 points while pulling down six rebounds against Colorado State-Pueblo (11/24).
- snagged season-best eight rebounds against Southern Indiana (11/28).
- went for eight points and seven rebounds in a 110-62 rout of Eastern New Mexico (2/13).
 
Pat Smith | G | JR | Houston, Texas / Jones HS
PPG: 4.5 | REB: 1.4 | AST: 2.8
- enjoying a breakout season as the top reserve point guard.
- tallied career-high 11 points while dishing out four assists in a 66-63 win over Tarleton State (1/13).
- dished out at least four assists on seven occasions including a season-high 10 against St. Gregory's (1/2).
- scored six points, dished out six assists and made three steals against Texas A&M-Commerce (2/6).
- connected on two 3-pointers to finish with eight points in a win over West Texas A&M (2/10).
- buried a 3-pointer in each of his last four games while going 5-for-12 from the arc (41.7 percent).
 
Magnus Richards | F | JR | Silver Spring, Md. / Binghamton
PPG: 3.7 | REB: 2.8
- Division I transfer from Binghamton has played in each of MSU's 21 games this season.
- scored season-high nine points against then-No. 3 Bellarmine (Ky.) (11/27).
- connected on 5-of-10 shots to finish with a season highs with 10 points and seven rebounds with a pair of dunks in a 110-62 rout of Eastern New Mexico (2/13).
- matched then season-highs with nine points, three rebounds and two steals in campaign-best 20 minutes against West Texas A&M (2/10).
- scored eight points in eight minutes on 3-of-5 shooting against Texas A&M-Commerce (2/6).
- pulled down a then-campaign best six boards against Oklahoma Science and Arts (12/31).
 
THE HAGGERTY ERA
- Nelson Haggerty is in his fifth season at the helm for Midwestern State as one of the top young coaches in college basketball.
- Haggerty boasts a 116-35 mark (.768) leading the Mustangs to the NCAA Division II postseason in each of his campaigns at the helm and to  Lone Star Conference championships in each of his first three seasons as head coach.
- Haggerty earned NABC South Central Region and Lone Star Conference coach of the year honors in his rookie season of 2011-12 piloting the Mustangs to their third consecutive Elite Eight showing.
- With Haggerty on the bench (including two seasons as top assistant), MSU has advanced to three Elite Eights (2010, 2011, 2012) and to the NCAA Division II postseason six consecutive years.
 
NEXT TIME OUT
Midwestern State enjoys a seven-day break before closing the regular season with a Red River Rivalry matchup against Cameron. Tipoff on Saturday, Feb. 27 is for 4 p.m. at Aggie Gym. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 as the NCAA Division II National Game of the Week.