Midwestern State vs. West Texas A&M
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (16-5, 5-4); West Texas A&M (19-7, 7-3)
Video: Mustangs Digital Network (PPV)  
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network (Free) 
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com  
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State and West Texas A&M renew the Highway 287 Challenge Cup series Wednesday night in a Lone Star Conference game at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
PROMOTION
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.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
MSU LEADING HIGHWAY 287 CHALLENGE CUP RACE... Midwestern State owns an 8.5-4.5 edge in the 2015-16 Highway 287 Challenge Cup series. The Mustangs have earned points in women's soccer (1.5), football (2.0),cross country (2.0), men's soccer (2.0) and men's basketball (1.0) while the Buffs have gained points in volleyball (2.0), women's soccer (1.5) and women's basketball (1.0). WT claimed challenge cup honors with narrow wins in 2013-14 (13-12) and 2014-15 (12-11). This is the third year of the Highway 287 Challenge Cup.
MUSTANGS ON A SLIDE... Midwestern State has lost four consecutive games for the first time since dropping consecutive conference contests to Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico from Jan. 17-28, 2006. The Mustangs have not lost five in a row since the 2002-03 season from Feb. 6-20, 2003.
BUFFS RIDING HIGH... West Texas A&M has won seven straight since falling at Angelo State on Jan. 6. It's the longest winning streak for WT since the Buffs claimed 10 consecutive wins from Nov. 26, 2011-Jan. 4, 2012 as part of a 12-1 start.
DOME, SWEET DOME... Midwestern State suffered its third home loss of the season Saturday to Texas A&M-Commerce to fall to 9-3 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs had not lost more than two games at home since going 9-5 under the dome in 2007-08. Midwestern boasts a 99-11 record (.900) on its home floor since the start of the 2008-09 campaign. MSU has suffered consecutive defeats on its home floor in each of the last two seasons, but has not lost three straight home game since the 2007-08 season.
MSU REBUFFS WT AT LIGON... Midwestern State has won the last seven meetings between the programs played under the dome and nine of the last 10. West Texas A&M's last victory at Ligon Coliseum came by an 86-83 count on Feb. 13, 2008. The Mustangs are 16-5 all-time against WT in Ligon Coliseum.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS
- West Texas A&M rides a conference-best seven game winning streak into Wednesday's Highway 287 Challenge Cup contest with Midwestern State at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- Five of WT's victories during the seven-game winning streak have come at First United Bank Center, but Buffs have won two of three conference games on the road and are coming off of a 75-62 win at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- WT close the regular season with four of five games on the road beginning with the win at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- West Texas A&M's game is all about 3-pointers and free throws as the Buffs rank fourth in NCAA Division II with 261 3-point attempts and are sixth with 261 made triples. WT has made it to the free throw line 676 times this season (4th in NCAA II) making 466 charity tosses (6th in NCAA II).
- Defensively, WT ranks 10th nationally in taking away the 3 by holding the opposition to 30.2 percent from beyond the arc.
- Sophomore guard David Chavlovich leads the nation with 95 made 3-pointers and is third in made 3-pointers per game at 3.65.
- Chavlovich leads the LSC in scoring at 20 points per game upping the average to 22.8 points a game during league play. He has scored at least 24 points in each of his last three outings going for 25 against Eastern New Mexico and 24 versus Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville. He has scored 20-or-more points 15 times this season.
- Sophomore guard Jordan Evans has come off the bench in each of the last nine games for WT, but is providing great scoring punch at 15 points per game for the season. Evans has knocked down 50 percent of his triples during league play (36-of-72) and tallied double figures in each of his last six games.
- Sophomore Jerrod Walton has come on strong to average 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during league play including a 27-point outburst against Angelo State.
- Tom Brown boasts a 36-19 mark (.655) in his second season at the helm of the West Texas A&M men's basketball program. Prior to arriving in Canyon, he served as a long time assist at D2 powerhouse Winona State (Minn.).
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and West Texas A&M meet for the 66th time on the hardwood Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- WT owns a slim 35-30 advantage in the series which dates back to the 1947-48 season.
- MSU has won six of the last seven meetings between the programs since the start of the 2012-13 campaign with the Buffs' lone win coming 73-60 last season in Canyon.
- Midwestern State has won the last seven meetings between the programs played under the dome and nine of the last 10. West Texas A&M's last victory at Ligon Coliseum came by an 86-83 count on Feb. 13, 2008. The Mustangs are 16-5 all-time against WT in Ligon Coliseum.
- MSU swept season series with WT in 2012-13 and 2013-14 before splitting with the Buffs last season.
- The Mustangs beat WT 74-65 earlier this season in Canyon.
 
MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
IN THE POLLS... Midwestern State dropped five spots to No. 11 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Top 25 last week. The Mustangs also checked in at No. 11 in the D2 Media Poll. This week's polls are due to be released Tuesday afternoon.
REGIONAL RANKINGS... The NCAA Division II Basketball Committee is set for the first of three regional ranking releases on Wednesday, Feb. 17 with the other two to follow on Feb. 24 and March 1. 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.
DURING THE SKID... The Mustangs have suffered through their two lowest scoring outputs of the season scoring 65 against Tarleton State and 66 versus Texas A&M-Commerce. MSU has failed to score 70 just three times this season with the other coming in a 66-63 win over Tarleton State earlier this season. The Mustangs are shooting 39.6 percent from the field over the last four games after shooting 48.5 percent as a team prior to the streak. The Mustangs have connected at a 30.8 percent during the skid and were shooting 40.2 percent before. The Midwestern State guards have combined to shooting 59-of-176 (33.5 percent) from the field over the last four games and 28-of-90 (31.1 percent) from the arc.
THE LAST FIVE MINUTES... The Mustangs have a combined minus-10 scoring margin in consecutive losses to Angelo State, Cameron, Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce, but the stats for the final five minutes of play tell the story. With MSU pushing for stops in close games, the opposition has managed to shoot 70 percent (21-for-30) from the field including 4-of-5 from 3-point range down the stretch to thwart MSU comeback efforts.
VALUE THE BALL... Midwestern State has turned the ball over just nine times in the last 60 minutes of play including one miscue in the second half against Tarleton State and a season-low eight Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce. The Mustangs have turned the ball over 10-or-fewer times in each of their last three games.
 
MSU PROBABLE STARTERS
Bretson McNeal | G | SR | Minneapolis, Minn. / North Dakota State Science
PPG: 12.9 | REB: 3.7 | AST: 1.9  | STL: 2.0
- Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year.
- started each of MSU's 21 games.
- leads LSC knocking down 47.7 percent of his shots from the arc.
- connected on at least three 3-pointers in 11 games this season.
- on a tear from the arc knocking down 20 of 39 over his last seven games (51.3 percent) despite going 0-for-6 against Texas A&M-Commerce (Feb. 6).
- scored 10-or-more points in 16 games this season including a campaign-high 22 in the season opener against Oklahoma City.
- leads Lone Star Conference with 41 steals this season (2.0 per game).
- made a season-high six steals against Texas A&M-Commerce (2/6).
 
Jordan Stevens | G | SR | Columbia, Mo. / Duquesne
PPG: 15.0 | REB: 3.2 | AST: 3.5
- Division I transfer from Duquesne.
-  started in 20 of 21 games this season.
- ranks eighth in the LSC in scoring at 15.0 points per game and sixth in assists at 3.5.
- explosive scorer has scored 20-or-more points in five games this season including a 31-point effort against Eastern New Mexico (1/9).
- ranks among national leaders in free throw percentage at 91.8 percent.
 
Hershell Grant | G | SR | Washington, D.C. / Clarendon College
PPG: 7.0 | REB: 3.6 | 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 51.0 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from 3-point range and 68.6 percent from the free throw line.
- top defender has scored in double figures six times this season including a season 18 points against St. Gregory's (1/2).
- 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: 5.2 | REB: 4.8 | 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 3.05 shots per game to rank fifth 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).
- Fuller's 64 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 67.6 percent from the floor with 30 dunks this season.
 
Khapri Alston | F | SR | Chicago, Ill. / Northeast CC (Neb.)
PPG: 13.7 | REB: 9.9 | 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 18 games this season.
- pulled down a then-season high 14 rebounds against Tarleton State.
- active on defense with 21 steals and 21 blocked shots.
- averaging a team-high 15.1 points and 11.7 rebounds in 29.4 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 two games since suffering wrist injury against Cameron on Jan. 31.
 
Sheldon Hagigal | G | JR | Old Westbury, N.Y. / Trinity Valley CC
PPG: 8.2 | REB: 1.8 | AST: 1.5
- gives MSU a scoring punch off of the bench notching 10-or-more points in eight 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 39.8 percent from 3-point range.
- knocked down a triple in eight straight games from Jan. 6-Feb. 6.
 
DeVaughn Jones | F | SR | District Heights, Md. / Lackawanna College
PPG: 5.8 | REB: 3.8
- 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).
 
Pat Smith | G | JR | Houston, Texas / Jones HS
PPG: 4.2 | REB: 1.4 | AST: 3.0
- 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).
 
Magnus Richards | F | JR | Silver Spring, Md. / Binghamton
PPG: 3.0 | REB: 2.5
- 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).
- scored eight points in eight minutes on 3-of-5 shooting against Texas A&M-Commerce (2/6).
- pulled down 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 113-35 mark (.764) 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 hits the road to take on Eastern New Mexico Saturday afternoon at Greyhound Arena in Portales. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.