MIDWESTERN STATE AT TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE
Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Steinke Physical Education Center (SPEC) | Kingsville, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (13-7, 6-5); Texas A&M-Kingsville (12-7, 5-5)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: JavelinaAthletics.com 
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network 
Live Stats: JavelinaAtheltics.com 
 
MIDWESTERN STATE AT ANGELO STATE
Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 | 4 p.m.
Junell Center | San Angelo, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (13-7, 6-5); Angelo State (12-6, 4-6)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: AngeloSports.com 
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network 
Live Stats: AngeloSports.com  
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State begins a four-game road stretch Thursday night at Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Mustangs continue to San Angelo to face Angelo State on Saturday before facing UT-Permian Basin and West Texas A&M next week away from Wichita Falls.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1- Midwestern State enters the week tied for fifth with Cameron in Lone Star Conference play, but plays five of its last seven games away from D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs are 4-3 on the road this season.
2- Midwestern State boasts a 19-game winning streak over Texas A&M-Kingsville dating back to a 78-63 loss in Kingsville on Feb. 16, 2008.
3- Angelo State has won five of the last seven and seven of the last 11 against Midwestern State. The Mustangs have lost their last three in San Angelo with the last win coming on Jan. 5, 2013 (65-55).
4- Midwestern State makes history by playing four consecutive league countable games on the road over the next week. MSU played three straight in 1996-97 taking losses to West Texas A&M (77-75), Eastern New Mexico (88-75) and No. 2 Central Oklahoma (105-85). Midwestern played two crossover games followed by two LSC South games in 2004-05 splitting the four games against Central Oklahoma (L, 93-85), Northeastern State (W, 67-54), West Texas A&M (L, 81-52) and Eastern New Mexico (W, 92-86/OT).
5- The Mustangs have lost seven-or-more games five times during their current run of eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
 
TEAM NOTES
* Midwestern State erupted for 12 3-pointers -- eight by junior guard B.J. Jenkins -- Saturday against Tarleton State. It was the Mustangs' first game with 10 made 3-pointers since opening the season with three straight in wins over Arkansas-Fort Smith (11-for-28), Rogers State (10-for-26) and Adams State (15-for-33).
* The Mustangs have limited their last three opponents to 6-or-fewer triples after allowing a total of 25 to Eastern New Mexico and Cameron. The opposition is shooting 27.6 percent from beyond the arc over the last three games.
* Midwestern lost the rebounding battle by 10 boards for the third time this season against Tarleton State. The Mustangs have lost two of those three games.
* Midwestern State remains one of the best at forcing turnovers in all of NCAA Division II ranking 13th nationally forcing 18.1 per game. The Mustangs have forced at least 14 turnovers in 17 of 20 games this season.
* The Mustangs forced 20-or-more turnovers in seven games this season.
* Midwestern has scored 400 points off of 363 turnovers this season -- an average of 20.0 points per game.
* The Mustangs rank 19th in field goal percentage defense (40.4), 28th in turnover margin (+3.3), 32nd in offensive rebounds per game (13.30) and 38th in steals per game (8.3) in NCAA Division II.
* Midwestern State has committed the second fewest fouls in the Lone Star Conference, but rank 160th nationally with 378 in 20 games -- an average of 18.9 fouls per game.
 
PLAYER NOTES
#0- Junior guard Brandon Neel ranks fifth in the Lone Star Conference in scoring during league play at 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Neel scored in double figures in each of his last 14 games including a double-double with season highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds against UT-Permian Basin.
#4- Junior guard Shawn Nottingham dished out nine assists in games against Texas A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State last week. He is working on a string of seven consecutive games with at least two steals to raise his season average to 1.5 steals a game.  Nottingham ranks sixth in the LSC in steals per game during league play.
#10- Senior guard Pat Smith knocked down three 3-pointers to finish with 18 pinots and four assists Saturday against Tarleton State. It has 13th double-figure scoring night of the season. Smith is averaging 15.2 points on 45.3-percent shooting with 11 triples over his last five games kicked off by a career-high 28 points at Eastern New Mexico.
#14- Junior guard De'Quaan Haggerty has played in nine games this season including each of MSU's last four. The Topeka, Kan. native knocked down 3-pointers in back-to-back games against Western New Mexico (1/12/17) and Eastern New Mexico (1/14/17) to account for his only points.
#20- Junior guard B.J. Jenkins erupted for 28 points knocking down eight 3-pointers Saturday against Tarleton State. He is averaging 9.8 points on 45 percent shooting from the floor while going 11-for-27 from the arc (40.7 percent) in five games since joining the Mustangs. Jenkins became just the sixth player to connect on eight triples in a single game for MSU as it was the most since Chris Hagan knocked down nine against Angelo State on his way to 36 points on Feb. 23, 2011. Nolan Richardson hit a school record 10 3s against East Central (Okla.) on Jan. 5, 2009.
#24- Sophomore forward Nemanja Krtolica ranks 15th in the Lone Star Conference pulling down just less than two offensive rebounds per game.
#32- Senior forward Magnus Richards battled foul trouble in each of his last four games finishing with four fouls in each contest. He was held to 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds during those games after averaging 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in the previous 16 contests. Richards scored 10-or-more points in nine games this season including a campaign-best 18 points against Western State (Colo.) and Eastern New Mexico.
#33- Junior forward Igor Ibaka leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II with 11 double-doubles. He has nine double-double efforts in his last 11 games and had a streak of five consecutive snapped Saturday against Tarleton State. Ibaka is averaging a double-double during LSC play with 12.8 points and is second in the league grabbing 10.5 boards a contest.
#35- Junior forward Nick Powell scored in double figures four times this season including a career-high 20 points with eight rebounds against St. Gregory's on Dec. 16, 2016.
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
* Texas A&M-Kingsville (12-7) rides a four-game winning streak into Thursday game against Midwestern State.
* The Javelinas boast a 9-3 record this season on their home floor at the Steinke Physical Education Center (SPEC) including four of five during Lone Star Conference play. TAMUK's lone league loss came by a bucket to Texas A&M-Commerce (74-72) on Jan. 5.
* Texas A&M-Kingsville rates as one of the top defensive outfits in NCAA Division II. The Hoggies lead the LSC in turnovers forced at 18.37 per game (9th nationally) and 3-point field goal defense at 27.1 percent (tops in all of NCAA II). The Javelinas rank second in the league in scoring defense at 66.0 points per game (16th nationally) and blocked shots per game at 4.3 (35 in NCAA D2). TAMUK is third in the LSC and ninth nationally limiting opponents to 39.5 percent shooting from the floor.
* Senior guard Duan Wright boasts two of his top scoring performances over his last four games going for a season-high 24 points Saturday at Angelo State after scoring 23 points against Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 19. He leads the Hoggies in scoring at 11.9 points per game while pulling down 4.5 boards a contest.
* Junior guard Trey Sumpter scored double figures 12 times this season with a high of 29 against St. Mary's. He knocked down three 3-pointers to score 13 points earlier this season at Midwestern State.
* Junior guard Caelan Neal gives the Hoggies a third double-figure scoring option at 10.2 points per game. The 6-1, 170-pounder has scored in double figures 10 times including a 12-point, 9-rebound effort earlier this season against the Mustangs.
* Johnny Estelle is 31-42 (.425) in his third season at the helm at his alma mater. As a two-year letter winner at Texas A&M-Kingsville (1994-96), Estelle earned second-team All-Lone Star Conference honors leading the Javelinas to a school-record 23 wins in 1995-96.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville meet for the 47th time on the hardwood Thursday night at the Steinke Physical Education Center (SPEC) in Kingsville.
* The Mustangs own a commanding 35-11 edge in the series which dates back to the 1976-77 season.
* MSU has won the last 19 meetings between the programs including a 73-68 win earlier this season in Wichita Falls.
* The Mustangs are 14-6 all-time against Texas A&M-Kingsville at the SPEC and have won in each of their last eight trips to South Texas by an average of 12.5 points per game.
* Texas A&M-Kingsville's last win at home and last victory in the series came by a 78-63 margin on Feb. 16, 2008.
* Current Texas A&M-Kingsville coach Johnny Estelle led the Hoggies to a season sweep over Midwestern State during his playing days in 1995-96. He scored 25 points in both games as TAMUK won 98-89 on Dec. 18, 1995 in Wichita Falls and 97-94 on Feb. 22, 1996 in Kingsville.
 
LAST TIME VERSUS TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE
* Midwestern State overcame an 8-point deficit with 10:52 to play to beat Texas A&M-Kingsville 73-68 on Dec. 19, 2016 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
* The Javelinas committed just nine turnovers in the game which are the fewest MSU has forced this season.
* Junior guard Brandon Neel canned a pair of 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 19 points while pulling down seven rebounds to lead a quartet of MSU players in double figures joined by junior guard Devante Pullum (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), senior forward Magnus Richards (13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocked shots) and junior forward Igor Ibaka (10 points, 10 rebounds).
* Marcus Frazier scored 14 points off of the bench to pace TAMUK, while Trey Sumpter (13 points, 3 treys) and Caelan Neal (12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 treys) also tallied in double digits.
* Texas A&M-Kingsville shot a season high 39 3-pointers making 11 (28.2 percent).
 
SCOUTING THE RAMS
* Angelo State dropped six of eight games heading into this week's play at home against Cameron on Thursday and Midwestern State on Saturday.
* The Rams won their first 10 games of the season, but have won just twice -- over LSC bottom feeders Western New Mexico and Eastern New Mexico -- since the turn over the calendar year.
* Senior guard Quay King leads the Lone Star Conference in scoring at 19.9 points per game including 20-or-more points in eight games this season. He shoots 39.3 percent from the 3-point range knocking down an average of four treys per game.
* Senior Thomas Tshikaya averages 11.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. The 6-7 forward boasts three double-doubles this season including a 10-point, 13-rebound effort earlier this season at Midwestern State.
* Senior guard Devonte Pratt had six-game run of double figures outings snapped Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Pratt averages 10.0 points and 4.2 rebounds.
* Brandon Williams, a 6-11 junior transfer from UT-Arlington, carries averages of 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds with nine blocked in 12 games since becoming eligible at the semester.
* Senior guard Prince Foster returned from injury to play 18 minutes Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville. He scored in double figures in six of eight games before going down with injury against Simon Fraser on Dec. 19, 2016 in Las Vegas.
* Senior forward Gustavs Puhovs carried averages of 7.1 points and 2.7 rebounds through seven games before suffering an injury on Dec. 18, 2016 against Rollins in Las Vegas.
* Junior guard Lorenzo Dillard ranks second on the team in scoring at 13.9 points while dishing out 4.8 assists through 16 games, but did not play in either game last week against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
* Cinco Boone sports a 37-13 record (.740) in his second season at the helm at Angelo State. He led the Rams to the South Central Region finals last season at Ligon Coliseum.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and Angelo State meet for the 76th time on the hardwood Saturday night at Junell Center.
* The Mustangs hold a 46-29 edge in the series which dates back to the 1965-66 season.
* Angelo State has won five of the last seven games between the programs, but MSU claimed the last two with a 76-71 regular season win at Ligon Coliseum (2/20/16) and an 88-72 victory in the LSC Postseason Tournament final (3/5/16) in Allen.
* Angelo State is 21-14 all-time against Midwestern State in San Angelo. The teams have split the 14 meetings played since the Junell Center opened on Jan. 17, 2002.
* Midwestern State's series against Angelo State is tied for the fifth longest running in MSU history.
 
LAST TIME VERSUS ANGELO STATE
* Quay King hit six 3-pointers to lead Angelo State back from a 9-point deficit with 11 minutes to play as the Rams won 75-72 on Dec. 8, 2016 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
* Junior forward Igor Ibaka dropped in 16 points and completed a double-double with 11 rebounds to pace three MSU players in double figures as Brandon Neel ad 14 points and seven rebounds and Nick Powell added 11 points.
* Angelo State's Tshikaya finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds while Lorenzo Dillard had 17 points, four rebounds and four assists.
* The Rams led by as many as 14 points in the first half before MSU stormed back to take a 9-point advantage in the second.
 
THE HAGGERTY ERA
* Nelson Haggerty is in his sixth season at the helm for Midwestern State as one of the top young coaches in college basketball.
* Haggerty boasts a 134-43 mark (.757) 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. He repeated as LSC Coach of the Year while piloting the Mustangs to their fourth LSC title in his five seasons at head coach in 2016.
* 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.
* Haggerty was named HoopDirt.com Division II Coach of the Year on Jan. 10 after claiming wins over No. 11 West Texas A&M and UT-Permian Basin.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Midwestern State continues on the road with games at UT-Permian Basin and West Texas A&M next week.