THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS – Midwestern State turned up the defensive intensity and received a lift from junior Chelsea Adams to cruise past Tarleton State 66-56 in its Lone Star Conference opener Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
The junior transfer from Hill College scored 14 of her game-high 16 points in the first half with 10 of those in the first period to help the Mustangs establish a comfortable 7-point edge the half.
 
Midwestern kept the defensive clamps on limiting the TexAnns to a season-low 28.6-percent shooting night.
 
The Mustangs flexed their depth with all 14 players seeing with 12 hitting the scoring column as the team improved to 4-2 on the season.
 
Sophomore guard Courtney Kerr drilled a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half to push the MSU advantage to 31-24 as the Mustangs led by as many as 14 points down the stretch.
 
Senior guard Whitney Taylor joined Adams in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting including her 121^st career 3-pointer, while sophomore guard Mica Schneider came off of the bench to score nine points and snag six rebounds.
 
Junior guard Chelcie Kizart delivered a solid all-around performance with six points, six rebounds and five assists in her first start of the season, while fellow point guard Jasmine Richardson had six points, four assists and two steals off of the bench.
 
Sophomore Mackenzie Hailey had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six steals to pace Tarleton State which fell to 3-3.
 
NOTES
- Midwestern State snapped a three-game slide to Tarleton State beating the TexAnns for the first time since winning 56-52 on Jan. 13, 2016. The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 37-32.
- The Mustangs claimed a win in their Lone Star Conference opener for the first time since beating Texas Woman's 61-47 on Jan. 1, 2015 in Denton.
- MSU shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field in the second half to finish with its best team shooting performance of the season at 46.6 percent.
- Junior forward Chelsea Adams connected on 7 of her 8 shots from the field to finish with a season highs of 16 points and five rebounds. She also connected on her first 3-pointer in her third try of the season.
- Senior guard Whitney Taylor notched her third double-figure scoring performance of the season with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
- Sophomore guard Mica Schneider also posted season highs with nine points and six rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State battles Texas A&M-Commerce in Lone Star Conference play Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The Lions improved to 4-3 Thursday night with a 79-69 overtime win at Cameron.