Midwestern State (6-2) vs. Abilene Christian (4-3)
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 | 2 p.m.
Moody Coliseum | Abilene, Texas
Live Stats: ACUSports.com | Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM | Audio: Mustangs Digital Network | Video: ACUSports.com
 
Midwestern State (6-2, 3-0) vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-7, 0-3)
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 | 5:15 p.m.
Steinke Physical Education Center | Kingsville, Texas
Live Stats: JavelinaAthletics.com | Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM | Audio: Mustangs Digital Network | Video: JavelinaAthletics.com
 
MUSTANGS NOTES

• With Midwestern State's next win, Noel Johnson becomes the program's all-time leader with her 133^rd win. Now in her 10^th season at the helm, Johnson is the longest tenured coach in program history.
• The Mustangs (6-2) are off to their best start since going 13-1 at the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
• MSU plays its second exhibition game of the season Saturday at Abilene Christian. The Mustangs opened fall semester play with a 61-42 exhibition win over Hardin-Simmons, so both of MSU's non-counting opponent hail from Abilene.
• The Mustangs can win four consecutive Lone Star Conference games for the first time since winning five straight from Jan. 21-Feb. 7, 2015.
• Midwestern State is receiving votes in the D2SIDA Women's Basketball Poll ranking fourth in the South Central Region behind Lubbock Christian, West Texas A&M and Fort Lewis (Colo.).
• The Mustangs boast a pair of three-game winning streaks this season. MSU hasn't won four straight games since closing the 2014-15 regular season with wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville, Cameron, Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M-Commerce.
• MSU improved to 2-0 on the road with its win over Angelo State last week at the Junell Center.
• MSU leads the Lone Star Conference grabbing 16 offensive rebounds per game resulting in 12.1 second chance points per game.
• The Mustangs are third in the league in rebound margin at +4.8 and have won the rebound battle in six of their eight games this season.
• Midwestern posts assists on 64.3 percent of its made field goals (117-of-182) ranking second in the LSC with 14.6 assists per game.
• The Mustangs are the LSC's best at defending the arc allowing the opposition to 26.1 percent from the 3-point range.
• Senior guard Whitney Taylor leads MSU and ranks 10^th in the LSC in scoring at 12.0 points per game. The Melissa, Texas native shoots 36.1 percent from the field ranking third in the LSC with 2.5 made triples per game.
• Taylor is third on MSU's all-time 3-point makes list with 129 career 3s. She needs four 3-pointers to move past Andrea Buben (132 3s/2006-10) into second place. Former teammate Lisa Hampton (154 3s/2011-15) remains at the top of the chart.
• Taylor has scored in double figures in each of her last three games averaging 15.3 points during the stretch shooting 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc.
• Taylor earned LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors after pouring in a season-high 18 points with four triples while going 6-of-8 from the line in a 73-64 win at Angelo State on Dec. 7^th.
• Senior forward Micheline Mercelita is second on the team scoring 8.0 points a game with leading the club with 6.1 boards a game ranking 12th in the LSC. She notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Oklahoma Christian.
• Senior guard Kristin Rydell matched a season high with nine points and grabbed eight rebounds in a win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 2^nd then drilled two 3-pointers on her way to a season-high 10 points against Angelo State. The Hutto native raised her scoring average to 6.3 points per game.
• Senior guard Jasmine Richardson connected on her first 3-ball of the season and went 4-of-7 from the field to score a season-high 11 points at Angelo State. She is fourth on the team in scoring at 6.1 points per game.
• Junior forward Chelsea Adams is fifth on the team in scoring with 5.9 points to go along with 3.9 rebounds per game. She scored a season-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting with a 3-poitners in MSU's win over Tarleton State on Dec. 2^nd.
• Sophomore Liz Cathcart scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds in 24 minutes last time out at Angelo State. She is averaging 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17 minutes a game this season.
• Freshman forward Hannah Reynolds claimed Ashbrook Classic all-tournament team honors after averaging 11 points and 3.5 rebounds in her first two collegiate games. She is seventh on the team in scoring at 4.8 points per game.
• Reynolds is the first MSU freshman since Shatoia Gober (to score in double figures in her first two collegiate games. Gober scored 10-or-more points in the first three games of the 2011-12 season.
• Sophomore Mica Schneider scored a season-high nine points in both games last weekend against Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce to raise her season averages to 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15 minutes per game.
• Ten players carry averages of 4.7 points or better through the season's first seven games including Taylor (12.0), Mercelita (8.0), Rydell (6.3), Richardson (6.1), Adams (5.9), Cathcart (5.9), Reynolds (5.1), junior guard Chelcie Kizart (4.9), sophomore guard Mica Schneider (4.8) and senior forward Avery Queen (4.7).
• Noel Johnson is in her 10^th season at the helm of the MSU women's basketball program with an overall record of 132-126 (.512). Under Johnson's guidance, the Mustangs claimed the 2013 Lone Star Conference Championship advancing to the NCAA postseason three consecutive seasons from 2013-15.
• MSU was picked to finish ninth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll of coaches, sports information directors and selected media.

 
VERSUS ABILENE CHRISTIAN

• Midwestern State and Abilene Christian meet for the first time since 2013 Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum in Abilene. The game counts as an exhibition for the Mustangs.
• Abilene Christian owns a 36-22 lead in the series which dates back to the 1977-78 season.
• MSU is 5-24 all-time at Moody Coliseum, but won in each of its last three trips to the facility when the teams were Lone Star Conference foes including victories in 2010-11 (90-78), 2011-12 (90-82) and 2012-13 (76-62).
• ACU claimed an 85-72 win in its last meeting with the Mustangs on Feb. 13, 2013.
• Abilene Christian is in its fifth season in NCAA Division I as a member of the Southland Conference.
• The Wildcats possess a 4-3 record this season, but is 1-3 against Division I competition. ACU's wins have come at home against NAIA University of the Southwest (91-47) and Schreiner (97-48) and NCAA Division III Howard Payne (88-46).
• Abilene Christian claimed a Southland Conference regular season co-championship last season posting a 23-9 overall mark going 16-2 in league play. The Wildcats advanced to the second round of the WNIT.
• Sophomore guard Dominique Golightly paces ACU scoring 13.6 points per game boasting a season-best 24-point, 8-rebound performance at Arkansas. Golightly is the sister of former West Texas A&M standout Eric Golightly, Jr. She hails from Chickasha, Okla.
• Junior guard Sara Williamson adds 12.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and is coming off of a season-best 25-point, 9-board effort against Howard Payne.
• Abilene Christian leads the Southland Conference in assists per game (17.1), rebound margin (+12.0) and made 3-point field goals per game (9.3). The Wildcats are second in the SLC with 4.0 blocked shots a contest.

 
VERSUS TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE

• Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville meet for the 44^th time on the hardwood Tuesday afternoon at the Steinke Physical Education Center.
• The Mustangs own a 26-17 edge in the series which dates back to the 1994-95 season.
• MSU has won four the last five and 11 of its last 13 against Javelinas dating back to 2011.
• Midwestern claimed wins in each of its last three trips to South Texas including a 46-45 win on a buzzer-beating, driving layup by Jasmine Richardson on Feb. 2, 2017.
• Texas A&M-Kingsville has dropped its last five games after winning three consecutive games. The Hoggies beat St. Mary's (48-46) in San Antonio on Nov. 14^th before taking both ends of a home-and-home against Texas A&M International (65-62 and 46-43) on Nov. 18^th and 21^st, respectively.
• The defensive-minded Javelinas rank second in the LSC in scoring defense allowing 58.5 points per game and are second in the league in field goal percentage defense (36.4).
• TAMUK struggles on the offensive end of the floor ranking last in the LSC and 299^th in NCAA D2 in scoring offense (49.7) and is 297^th in team field goal percentage (36.4).
• The Javelinas do not have a double-figure scorer but have seven players averaging at least 4.1 points per game.
• Senior forward Angelica Wilson leads the way with 7.9 points and rates fourth in the LSC with 8.4 rebounds per game. The Alcorn State transfer leads the league with four point/rebound double-doubles this season.