Midwestern State vs. Texas A&M-Commerce
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (5-11, 2-8 LSC); Texas A&M-Commerce (13-5, 7-3 LSC)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: Mustangs Digital Network
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM 

Midwestern State vs. Tarleton State
Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 | 2 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (5-11, 2-8 LSC); Tarleton State (8-8, 7-3 LSC)
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Video: Mustangs Digital Network
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM 


THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State closes out the month of January with a pair of Lone Star Conference matchups against Texas A&M-Commerce and rival Tarleton State this week inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
The Mustangs take the court Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against A&M-Commerce before facing Tarleton in a 2 p.m. meeting Saturday under the dome.

LAST TIME ON THE COURT
- A layup by junior guard Jasmine Richardson with 2.6 seconds to play propelled Midwestern State to a 66-65 road win at Texas Woman's Thursday in Denton
- After a Bri'anna Gray layup gave Texas Woman's a 65-64 lead with 9.8 seconds remaining, Richardson finished strong on a drive to the basket while a last-second shot for TWU went off the rim to give the Mustangs the win
- Kristin Rydell and Liz Cathcart led the Mustangs with 14 points with Cathcart netting 10 in the fourth period
- Richardson added 13 points while Whitney Taylor chipped in 11

 A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
- Midwestern State comes in with a 5-11 season record and 2-8 mark in LSC action for ninth in the conference standings
- The Mustangs are averaging 64.9 points per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field this season
- MSU ranks third in the league and 65th in the country with a 34.2 shooting percentage from behind the arc
- The Mustangs also rank third in the conference in assists with 14.75 per game
- Turnovers have doomed Midwestern State throughout the season with an average of 18.6 per game, committing more than 20 six times and at least 18 in 10 of 11 losses
- Junior guard Whitney Taylor leads the Mustangs with 14.1 points per game for seventh in the conference
- Taylor is first in the LSC and 39th nationally with 2.7 three-pointers a game, tying for 16th on the program's single-season three-pointers made list with 43
- The Melissa native is shooting a league-best 37.4 percent from three-point range (43-of-115) and is third in free-throw shooting at 80 percent (44-of-55)
- Junior guard Kristin Rydell is averaging 9.8 points for the Mustangs with 29 triples on the year
- Junior post Avery Queen adds 7.9 points and 0.9 blocks for 10th in the conference as the lone Mustang to start in all 16 games this season
- Freshman guard Leanna James leads MSU with 4.1 assists per game for fourth in the league, dishing out at least six assists in six contests this season
- Junior forward Micheline Mercelita comes off the bench to lead the Mustangs with 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 53.3 percent from the floor
- Mercelita has recorded both of MSU's double-doubles this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Newman on Nov. 20 and a career-high 17 points and 14 rebounds against UT Permian Basin on Jan. 7

THE JOHNSON ERA
- Noel Johnson is in her ninth season at the helm of the Midwestern State women's basketball program, leading the Mustangs to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-15
- Johnson has compiled a 123-117 career mark (.513) in her time at MSU, surpassing Kim Griffee (1984-92) for second on the program's all-time coaching wins list following her 121st victory on Dec. 31, 2016 against Texas Wesleyan
- Johnson now just sits behind Shannon Burks, who recorded 132 wins in nine seasons at MSU from 1999-2008
- In 2013, Johnson was named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Small College Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to their first Lone Star Conference title in 11 years while advancing to the NCAA South Central Region finals with a 26-6 record
- Johnson earned LSC Coach of the Year accolades in 2012 after leading MSU to its first trip to the league's postseason tournament since 2003 with a 19-8 record and third-place finish in the LSC

SCOUTING THE LIONS
- Texas A&M-Commerce arrives in Wichita Falls on a three-game winning streak for a 13-5 overall record and 7-3 mark in LSC play to tie for third in the conference standings
- The Lions are averaging 75.7 points per game for 31st in the nation
- A&M-Commerce leads the league and ranks 13th nationally with 45.4 rebounds per game while coming in 16th with 16 offensive boards a contest
- The Lions are second in the country with 344 made free throws on the season with seven players shooting over 75 percent from the charity stripe
- Junior forward Artaejah Gay leads four Lions scoring in double figures with 13.8 points for eighth in the league
- Senior guard Khala Riley is second for TAMUC in scoring with 12.9 points while ranking third in the LSC with 4.2 assists per game
- Senior guard Krystal Pickron adds 11.3 points for the Lions, leading the team with 22 three-pointers on the season
- Junior forward Brianna Wise comes off the bench for 10.8 points per game, shooting 46 percent from the floor
- Freshman forward Jenna Price ranks fourth in the LSC in rebounding with 7.6 boards
- Jason Burton is 43-32 in his third season at Texas A&M-Commerce

LAST TIME VERSUS TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE
- Texas A&M-Commerce outscored Midwestern State 43-26 in the second half, scoring 27 points off 25 MSU turnovers and holding a 32-16 advantage in the paint for a 73-60 win on Dec. 3 in Commerce
- Whitney Taylor and Kristin Rydell each scored nine points for the Mustangs while Jennifer Arbuckle, Anni Scholl and Mica Schneider added seven apiece

INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce meet for the 64th time Thursday with the Mustangs leading the series 42-21 dating back to 1976
- MSU has won 10 of the last 14 meetings since 2010 but the Lions have claimed the last three games, sweeping the season series last year for the first time since the 1995-96 season
- The Mustangs are 23-6 against the Lions inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum
- A&M-Commerce snapped a five-game losing skid in Wichita Falls last season with a 67-59 victory
 
SCOUTING THE TEXANNS
- Tarleton State enters the week winners of four of its last five games to sit at 8-8 overall and 7-3 in LSC play to tie for third in the league standings
- The TexAnns closed out a four-game homestand on a three-game win streak with victories over Texas Woman's, West Texas A&M and UT Permian Basin
- Tarleton State averages 64.7 points per game, shooting 39.6 percent from the floor for fifth in the conference
- Sophomore post Mackenzie Hailey leads the TexAnns with 15.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game
- The newcomer from UT Arlington leads the LSC in rebounding and ranks third in steals and fifth in points
- The Burleson native is shooting at a 46.7 percent clip for fifth in the conference
- Senior guard Bailey Wipff is averaging 12.4 points in a team-high 30.5 minutes played on the year
- Senior forward Ikpeaku Iwobi is adding 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds for Tarleton while shooting a team-beset 49.7 percent from the field
- Head coach Misty Wilson is 42-29 in her third season at Tarleton State
 
LAST TIME VERSUS TARLETON STATE
- Tarleton State took the first meeting of the season with a 72-58 win at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville in the LSC opener on Dec. 1
- Midwestern State committed a season-high 26 turnovers and the TexAnns went on a 15-0 first quarter run with Mackenzie Hailey recording 21 points, 10 rebounds and six steals in the Tarleton victory
- Whitney Taylor notched 22 points, her first 20-point game of the season, while Liz Cathcart added 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for MSU
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern State carries a 36-31 advantage into Saturday's rivalry matchup with Tarleton State
- The TexAnns have claimed five of the last seven meetings with both MSU wins coming at home
- The series has been split the last two seasons with teams chalking up wins at home
- The Mustangs have won three of the last four meetings against Tarleton inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum with a 56-52 victory last season
- MSU reeled off 30 wins in the series from 1975-2005 before Tarleton State won 14-straight contests from 2005-12
 
UP NEXT
- Midwestern State begins a four-game road stretch next week with a 5:15 p.m. tip Thursday against Texas A&M-Kingsville at the Steinke Center in Kingsville before taking on Angelo State in a 2 p.m. matchup Saturday at the Junell Center in San Angelo.