Midwestern State at Cameron
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 | 2 p.m.
Aggie Gym | Lawton, Okla.
Records: Midwestern State (5-20, 4-11 LSC); Cameron (14-10, 8-7 LSC)
Live Stats: CameronAggies.com
Video: ESPN3
Streaming Audio: Mustangs Digital Network (Free)
Radio: ESPN 95.5


FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State concludes the 2015-16 regular season Saturday at 2 p.m. with a trip up I-44 to face Cameron in a Red River Rivalry matchup at Aggie Gym in Lawton, Okla. The contest will be streamed online on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com). 

LAST TIME OUT
– Midwestern State erased a pair of double-figure deficits before falling in a hard-fought contest Saturday to Angelo State on Senior Night, 83-77
– The Mustangs put up their best offensive totals of the season with 77 points on a 46.3 shooting percentage, being led by sophomore guard Kristin Rydell's 17 points off the bench
– Junior guard Jacquar Westbrooks added 16 points for the Mustangs in just 10 minutes of action while sophomore guard Whitney Taylor also reached double figures with 15 points and led MSU with seven rebounds
– Angelo State posted its first double-digit lead just 10 seconds into the second quarter before Rydell sparked a run to eventually pull the Mustangs back within two late in the period
– The Mustangs grabbed their first lead since the 6:49 mark in the first quarter just before halftime at 32-31 before a three-pointer gave the Rambelles a two-point advantage at the break
– After ASU claimed its largest lead of the game at 12 with 2:31 to play in the third quarter, a 15-4 run for the Mustangs pulled them within one at 60-59 with 7:38 remaining after a three by sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett
– However, the Rambelles built their lead up once again in the final minutes before holding on for the 83-77 win

MUSTANGS PUNCH TICKET TO LSC CHAMPIONSHIPS
– With the win over Texas A&M-Kingsville last Wednesday, Midwestern State clinched a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, Mar. 2-5, at the Allen Event Center in Allen
– The Mustangs currently sit in eighth place in the LSC standings with Eastern New Mexico holding a one-game lead on MSU 
– West Texas A&M currently leads the league and will secure the No. 1 seed with a win Saturday over Eastern New Mexico. A loss and an Angelo State win over Texas A&M-Kingsville would give the Rambelles the top seed as ASU swept WT in the regular season series
– A loss for Angelo State and a win for Tarleton State over Texas A&M-Commerce would put the two schools in a tie for second place. In that scenario, Tarleton State would be awarded the No. 2 seed after sweeping the Rambelles this season

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
– Cameron has answered a four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins to improve to 14-10 on the season and 8-7 in the LSC to tie for fifth place
– The Aggies come in as one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country with 8.4 triples per game for 17th nationally
– Senior guard Brandi Leal is ninth in the country with 3.2 three-pointers per game while ranking 22nd with a 43.6 shooting clip (78-of-179) from behind the arc and 24th with 78 three-pointers made
– Junior guard Dayla Threatt leads the Cameron offense and ranks second in the LSC with 14.0 points per game while Leal comes in at 11.5 points a contest
– Threatt and senior forward DJ Vallier pace Cameron on the glass with 6.3 boards per game to rank sixth in the league
– Vallier also cracks the top 10 with 1.5 blocks per game for fourth in the conference 
– Junior Charron Montgomery has added to the scoring for the Aggies this season with 9.8 points per game while averaging 3.3 assists per game for sixth in the LSC
– Tom Webb is in his eighth season leading the Cameron women's basketball program with a 90-122 (.425) career record

INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State holds a 43-25 advantage over Cameron in the Red River Rivalry dating back to the 1975-76 season
– The Aggies came away with an 87-59 victory in the first meeting of the season on Jan. 30 to snap an eight-game losing skid to the Mustangs and record their first win inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum since Dec. 6, 2005  
– The Mustangs are winners of 13 of the last 15 meetings since  Nov. 15, 2006
– MSU holds a 17-14 mark against Cameron in Aggie Gym, having won the last four matchups
– Cameron won the first nine meetings in Lawton before Midwestern reeled off eight straight road wins from Jan. 1989 - Dec. 1995
– Midwestern is 8-4 inside Aggie Gym in the 21st century 

A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
– Midwestern State fell to 5-20 overall and 4-11 in the LSC after Saturday's loss to Angelo State
– Sophomore guard Whitney Taylor leads the Mustangs with 12.2 points per game, reaching double figures in 13 of the last 14 games and in all but two league games this season
– The Melissa native has recorded four 20-point games in that span including a career-high 26 points against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Feb. 17
– Taylor ranks seventh in the LSC in scoring while coming in second in free-throw percentage (74.4) and eighth in three-pointers per game (1.5)
– In LSC play, Taylor is sixth in scoring with 14.2 points and ranks seventh with 1.8 triples per game
– Sophomore guard Krishawn Crockett has also been a consistent contributor on the offensive end for the Mustangs as of late, scoring in double figures in six of the last 11 games and reaching at least seven points in all contests during that span
– Crockett is second for the Mustangs in scoring with 8.3 points per game while averaging 9.9 points during conference play
– Senior guard Kathryn Odom is averaging a team-high 2.7 assists per game this season and has dished out at least four assists in five of the last six games to propel herself to fourth in the conference with 3.5 assists per game during league play
– Junior forward Jennifer Sissel has been the leader on the glass for Midwestern, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game while pulling down 6.7 boards during league play for sixth in the conference

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 coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015
– MSU's 10 non-conference opponents have not disappointed with a combined record of 160-94 (.630) as of Feb. 24
– 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 WBCA poll
– MSU's schedule is currently the third-toughest in NCAA Division II behind Tampa and California State, Dominguez Hills with opponents combining for a 281-178 mark (.612) 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 118-104 record (.532) and recorded four-straight winning seasons and three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2012-15
– 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 begins play at the Lone Star Conference Tournament next Wednesday at the Allen Event Center in Allen
– The Mustangs will play at either 12 p.m. in the No. 2 vs. 7 matchup or at 6 p.m. in the No. 1 vs. 8 game