Midwestern State vs. Eastern New Mexico
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 | 8:30 p.m.
Allen Event Center | Allen, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (21-5); Eastern New Mexico (6-20)
Video: Lone Star Conference  
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network  
Live Stats: Lone Star Conference  

ON THE COURT
Midwestern State begins its quest for the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament championship Wednesday night at the Allen Event Center. The Mustangs take on Eastern New Mexico with a tipoff time of 8:30 p.m.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
SEVEN IN 10... MSU became the first Lone Star Confernece member to win seven league titles in 10 years since Stephen F. Austin pulled off the feat between 1932-41. Howard Payne won six in 10 seasons between 1962-71 and East Texas State on seven in 11 seasons between 1948-58. The Mustangs also claimed their ninth Lone Star Conference title since joining the league in 1996-97 which is five more than any other program has won over the time as Tarleton State and Central Oklahoma won four apiece.
MSU REACHES 20 WINS AGAIN... Midwestern State claimed its 20th win with a 76-71 win over then-No. 16 Angelo State on Saturday, Feb. 20 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs have won at least 20 games in each of their last eight seasons which is the longest streak in the LSC. Tarleton State can extend their current streak to seven straight 20-win campaigns with a win at Texas A&M-Commerce today. MSU and Tarleton have combined for 14 20-win season since the start of the 2008-09 while the rest of the LSC has six including three by Angelo State, two by West Texas A&M and one by Texas A&M-Commerce.
MSU SHINES IN LSC TOURNAMENT PLAY... Midwestern State advanced to eight LSC Postseason Tournament finals claiming titles in 1999, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The Mustangs boast a 25-9 overall record in tournament play incluidng a 7-3 mark since the tourney move to Allen in 2012.
FIRST ROUND DOMINANCE... Midwestern State had a string of eight consecutive first-round wins snapped in an 87-84 overtime loss to Cameron in the 2015 LSC Postseason Tournament. The Mustangs, who are 11-4 all-time in first-round LSC tournament games, last lost in the 2004 opening round at Tarleton State.
MUZZLING THE HOUNDS... Midwestern has won the last nine games against Eastern New Mexico and 18 of the last 19 dating back to the 2006-07 season. ENMU's lone win during the run came by an 80-72 count on Jan. 14, 2012 in Portales. The teams have never played in an LSC postseason tournament game and it will be just the second time the programs met at a neutral site. MSU took an 88-86 win on Nov. 23, 1990 in Amarillo.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
- Eastern New Mexico has lost six consecutive games since beating Texas A&M-Kingsville 74-71 on Feb. 3 in Portales.
- Senior forward Lawrence Domingo leads ENMU in scoring and rebounding at 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and is coming off of his sixth double-double of the season notching 19 points and 15 rebounds last Saturday against West Texas A&M.
- Domingo has scored in double figures in each of his last five games and has averaged 14.5 points and eight rebounds in two games against Midwestern State this season.
- Sophomore guard Javaan Mumtaz averaged 11.6 points while shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range during LSC play splashing in 2.8 triples per game.
- Sophomore guard Ladarius Stewart tallied 10.5 points  a contest during league play including six double-figure performances. He scored 20-or-more points three times in league play including a 24-point effort against West Texas A&M (1/30).
- Stott Carter is 13-41 (.241) in two seasons as head coach of the Eastern New Mexico men's basketball program.

ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 46th time on the hardwood Wednesday night at the Allen Event Center.
- The Mustangs own a 30-15 edge in the series which dates back to the 1948-49 season.
- MSU has won the last nine games between the programs and 18 of the last 19 dating back to the 2006-07 season. Eastern New Mexico's lone win came by an 80-72 count on Jan. 14, 2012 to snap MSU's 13-0 start to begin the Nelson Haggerty era.
- The Mustangs and Greyhounds have never met in an LSC Postseason Tournament game.
- Wednesday's contest marks just the second meeting between the programs on a neutral floor. MSU claimed an 88-86 victory over Eastern New Mexico on Nov. 23, 1990 in Amarillo.
- Midwestern State claimed wins over ENMU in both games during the regular season with an 80-56 win on Jan. 9 in Wichita Falls before rolling to a 110-62 victory on Feb. 13 in Portales.
- MSU's 110 points in the second meeting were the most scored in an LSC game in program history, while the 48-point margin of victory was the most lopsided win for the Mustangs over a league opponent.

MUSTANGS NOTEBOOK
IN THE POLLS... Midwestern State was ranked 14th in last week's NABC Division II Poll and eighth in the D2 Media Poll. Both polls are set for release on Tuesday.
REGIONAL RANKINGS... Midwestern State took over the top spot in the NCAA Division II South Central Region rankings released last week. The Mustangs control the No. 1 position by the narrowest of margins over Angelo State while Fort Lewis (Colo.), Tarleton State, Colorado Mines, Dallas Baptist, Lubbock Christian and Arkansas-Fort Smith round out the top eight. 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 3-1 against nationally ranked (NABC D2 Poll) opponents this season claiming wins over No. 3 Bellarmine (Ky.) (77-71 on 11/27), No. 6 Tarleton State (66-63 on 1/13) and No. 16 Angelo State (76-71 on 2/20). The Mustangs fell to No. 11 Angelo State (91-93 OT on 1/23). MSU is 12-11 against nationally ranked opposition during the Nelson Haggerty era which began with the 2011-12 season.
WINNING BIG... Midwestern State boasts the sixth largest scoring margin in NCAA Division II at 16.2 points per game. Of MSU's 21 wins, 14 have come by 10-or-more points while winning six conference contests by at least 15 points.
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 (6.7), second in total blocks (174.0), fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.3), sixth in rebound margin (+8.2), sixth in scoring margin (+16.2) and seventh in defensive rebounds (29.92).

MSU PROBABLE STARTERS
Bretson McNeal | G | SR | Minneapolis, Minn. / North Dakota State Science
PPG: 12.7 | REB: 3.6 | AST: 1.9  | STL: 1.7
- Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year.
- started each of MSU's 26 games.
- leads LSC knocking down 43.1 percent of his shots from the arc.
- connected on at least three 3-pointers in 11 games this season.
- tied for sixth on MSU's all-time 3-point makes chart with 136 with E.J. Collins (136/1990-94) and Jeremy Ford (136/2006-08). He needs 17 to match Michael Rhinehart (143/1986-88) for fifth place.
- fourth on MSU's all-time 3-point percentage list at 43.6 percent (136-for-312) behind Drew Coffman (78-for-173 / 45.1 percent), Gume Ibarra (134-for-301 / 44.5 percent) and Michael Rhinehart (143-for-325/1986-88).
- 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 19 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 (1.7 per game).
- made a season-high six steals against Texas A&M-Commerce (2/6).
- slumped from the arc hitting just 4-of-27 shots (14.8 percent) over his last six games.
 
Jordan Stevens | G | SR | Columbia, Mo. / Duquesne
PPG: 15.2 | REB: 3.3 | AST: 3.7
- Division I transfer from Duquesne.
-  started in 24 of 26 games this season.
- ranks seventh in the LSC in scoring at 15.2 points per game and sixth in assists at 3.7.
- 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 85.5 percent.
- has scored in double figures in each of his last eight games averaging 14.8 points per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field.
 
Hershell Grant | G | SR | Washington, D.C. / Clarendon College
PPG: 7.5 | REB: 4.4 | AST: 1.9
- 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 51.1 percent from the field, 40.8 percent from 3-point range and 71.7 percent from the free throw line.
- tabbed Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week after scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers to go along with nine rebounds, a block and a steal in a 79-59 win over Cameron (2/27) to clinch an outright LSC championship.
- top defender has scored in double figures nine 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).
- averaging 7.4 rebounds a game over his last five outings.
 
Trevor Fuller | F | JR | Dallas, Texas / University of San Diego
PPG: 5.2 | REB: 4.5 | BLK: 3.3
- 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 3.35 shots per game to rank second in NCAA Division II behind Seton Hill's Spencer Casson (3.65 bpg).
- earned third Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week honor after setting league and school records with 11 blocked shots in a 76-71 win over No. 16 Angelo State (2/20).
- his 11 blocked shots against Angelo State (2/20) eclipsed the LSC record of 10 set by West Texas A&M's Carlos Silva in 2004 and matched by Ian Adams of East Central (Okla.) in 2005.
- the 11 blocked shots versus Angelo State (2/20) bettered the school mark of eight set by Eric Dawson (former San Antonio Spur) against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Dec. 2, 2006.
- accounted for at least four blocked in 10 games this season including a season-high 11 against Angelo State (2/20).
- had seven blocked shots against Tarleton State (1/13).
- his 131 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 87 blocked shots this season are the second most by a single player in MSU program history trailing only former NBA'er Eric Dawson, who had 96 in 2006-07.
- shooting 67.9 percent from the floor with 39 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: 13.4 | REB: 9.5 | BLK: 1.0 | STL: 1.0
- leads the Lone Star Conference in rebounding.
- boasts 10 point/rebound double-doubles but has finished four other games with double figure points and nine rebounds. He also finished with nine points and 12 rebounds in another game.
- 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.
- garnered Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors after notching his 10th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds to key a 76-61 win over Angelo State (2/20).
- scored in double figures in 21 games this season.
- pulled down a then-season high 14 rebounds against Tarleton State.
- active on defense with 26 steals and 25 blocked shots.
- leads the team with 14.1 points and tops the squad with 10.4 rebounds in 27.6 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 seven games since suffering wrist injury against Cameron on Jan. 31.
 
Sheldon Hagigal | G | JR | Old Westbury, N.Y. / Trinity Valley CC
PPG: 9.0 | REB: 1.8 | AST: 1.4
- gives MSU a scoring punch off of the bench notching 10-or-more points in 11 games this season.
- knocked down five 3-pointers on his way to a campaign-best 19 points to lead MSU to a 79-59 win over Cameron (2/27) to clinch an outright LSC championship.
- poured in a then 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 42.4 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).
- knocked down 7-of-12 of his 3-point efforts (58.3 percent) over his last three games.
- connected on 12-of-20 shots (60 percent) from beyond the arc over his last four games.
 
DeVaughn Jones | F | SR | District Heights, Md. / Lackawanna College
PPG: 5.4 | 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).
- 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: 4.8 | REB: 1.5 | AST: 2.8
- enjoying a breakout season as the top reserve point guard.
- matched a career high with 11 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists in a 76-71 win over No. 16 Angelo State (2/20).
- 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 six games while going 7-for-15 from the arc (46.7 percent).
 
Magnus Richards | F | JR | Silver Spring, Md. / Binghamton
PPG: 3.8 | REB: 2.7
- 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 118-35 mark (.771) leading the Mustangs to the NCAA Division II postseason in each of his campaigns at the helm and to  Lone Star Conference championships in four of his five 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
With a win over Eastern New Mexico, the Mustangs move on to the LSC semifinals Friday night at 8:30 p.m. against the winner of Thursday night's game between West Texas A&M and Cameron.