MIDWESTERN STATE VS. CAMERON
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Aggie Gym | Lawton, Okla.
Records: Midwestern State (14-12); Cameron (16-11, 9-8)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: CameronAggies.com 
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network 
Live Stats: CameronAggies.com  
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State renews the Red River Rivalry Tuesday night against Cameron at Aggie Gym in Lawton. It's the regular season finale for both teams. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1- Midwestern State can clinch a berth in next week's Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament at the Allen Event Center with a win over Cameron.
2- With a win the Mustangs would be the No. 6 seed if Angelo State loses one game, Texas A&M-Kingsville loses twice and UT-Permian Basin clinched the No. 1 seed. MSU is the No. 7 seed with a win and one Angelo State loss this week. The Mustangs are the No. 8 seed with a win and Angelo State wins both games this week.
3- Midwestern State gets in with a loss to Cameron if Angelo State beats Eastern New Mexico or if the Rams lose both games this week.
4- Midwestern State misses the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament in just one scenario. The Mustangs are out if they lose and Eastern New Mexico beats Angelo State. The Rams would then have to beat Western New Mexico Saturday in Silver City to seal MSU's fate.
5- Midwestern State has lost five consecutive road games dating back to a 108-104 overtime win at Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 14, 2017.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
 
TEAM NOTES
* Midwestern State has held a lead in every game this season.
* For the season, MSU had second-half leads in 10 of 12 losses and were tied after intermission in another.
* Midwestern State remains one of the best at forcing turnovers in all of NCAA Division II ranking 12th nationally forcing 17.84 per game. The Mustangs have forced at least 14 turnovers in 24 of 26 games this season.
* The Mustangs forced 20-or-more turnovers in eight games this season.
* Midwestern has scored 496 points off of 465 turnovers this season -- an average of 19.1 points per game.
* The Mustangs rank 32nd in offensive rebounds per game (13.16), 32nd in field goal percentage defense (41.5), 38th in turnover margin (2.8) and 39th in steals per game (8.0) in NCAA Division II.
* Midwestern State has committed the second fewest fouls in the Lone Star Conference, but rank 168th nationally with 476 in 26 games -- an average of 18.3 fouls per game.
 
PLAYER NOTES
#0- Junior guard Brandon Neel scored in 18 points in both games last week against Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico. He ranks fifth in the LSC in scoring during league play at 16.2 points per game. He has scored in double figures in each of his last five games and in 19 of the last 20.
#4- Junior Shawn Nottingham scored in double figures for the fourth time this season going for 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with a 3-pointer in Saturday's win over Western New Mexico. Nottingham ranks second in the LSC in steals at 1.6 per game while recording two or more in 13 of 21 games this season.
#10- Senior guard Pat Smith ranks third on the team in scoring with a career-best 12.3 points per game. He notched his first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 10 assists in Saturday's win over Western New Mexico. Smith has knocked down a 3-pointer in 24 of 26 games this season and has 2-or-more in 13 games.
#14- Junior guard De'Quaan Haggerty appeared in his 15th game Saturday against Western New Mexico. He has accounted for 12 points this season hitting 3-pointers against St. Gregory's, Western New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico and another against WNMU. He is the nephew of MSU coach Nelson Haggerty.
#20- Junior guard B.J. Jenkins was limited to six minutes fighting through illness Thursday against Eastern New Mexico. He didn't take a shot against the Greyhounds to snap a run of eight straight games with a made 3-pointer. He knocked down a triple to finish with six points starting a new streak Saturday against Western New Mexico. Jenkins buried eight triples on his way to 28 points against Tarleton State, then notched his second double-figure game with 15 points at UT-Permian Basin.
#24- Sophomore forward Nemanja Krtolica ranks 15th in the LSC with 43 offensive rebounds this season. He notched a double-double earlier this season against Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) going for career highs of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
#32- Senior forward Magnus Richards' offensive production is solidly connected his ability to avoid foul trouble. Richards averages 12.8 points per game in his 13 games with fewer than four fouls. Richards scores 7.2 points a game when committing at least four fouls. Richards has tallied 10-or-more points in 12 games this season including a campaign-best 18 points against Western State (Colo.) and Eastern New Mexico. He is coming off of a 16-point, 4-rebound effort Saturday against Western New Mexico.
#33- Junior forward Igor Ibaka is second in the Lone Star Conference and ranks 10th in NCAA Division II with 13 double-doubles. He has 12 double-double efforts in his last 17 games. Ibaka is averaging a near double-double during LSC play with 13.9 points and is third in the league grabbing 9.9 boards a contest. Ibaka notched his third 20-point effort of the season connecting on 7-of-11 shots while going a perfect 9-for-9 from the line for 24 points and 10 rebounds Thursday against Eastern New Mexico. He added another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds Saturday against Western New Mexico.
#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. Powell knocked down a 3-pointer to score six points Saturday against Western New Mexico.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
* Cameron fell to 1-3 in overtime games this season taking an 83-71 loss to Eastern New Mexico Saturday afternoon at Aggie Gym.
* The Aggies fared well on the road during league play going 6-3, but struggled to a 3-5 showing at home against Lone Star Conference opponents.
* Cameron one of the best young backcourt combinations in NCAA Division II in sophomores Tyus Momoh (12.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg) and J.V. Long (11.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.1 apg).
* The duo ranks second (Long/2.26) and third (Momoh (2.15), respectively, in the LSC for assist-to-turnover ratio. Overall, the Aggies top the LSC in team assist-to-turnover ratio, fewest turnovers and turnovers per game.
* Senior guard Delvonte Pierre ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points while pulling down 5.4 rebounds per game. The Lawton native buried six 3-pointers on his way to his second double-double of the season with 28 points and 11 rebounds the first time through against MSU. Pierre canned seven treys for a season-high 31 points Saturday against Eastern New Mexico.
* Sophomore Tyler Williams (11.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and senior Trey Hall (10.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg) add to the Aggies scoring depth.
* Andrew Brown is enjoying success in his first season as head coach at Cameron after going 119-112 in eight seasons at his alma mater -- Northwestern Oklahoma State -- from 2007-15. He served as top assistant to Nate Gamet at Cameron last season.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and Cameron renew the Red River Rivalry for the 74th time Tuesday night at Aggie Gym.
* The Mustangs own a 47-26 edge in the series which dates back to the 1968-69 season.
* The 74-game series rates as the eighth longest in program history.
* MSU is 16-4 against Cameron since 2007, but the Aggies claimed their first victory under the dome since 1990 taking an 80-75 win at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last season. Cameron won for a second consecutive time in Wichita Falls for the first time in series history claiming an 83-74 victory last month under the dome. The Mustangs had won 17-straight games since taking a 75-68 loss to the Aggies on Dec. 15, 1990.
* Last season, the Mustangs clinched the Lone Star Conference championship on Cameron's home floor with a 79-59 victory on Feb. 27, 2016 before knocking the Aggies out of the LSC Postseason Tournament with an 88-72 semifinal win on March 4, 2016 at the Allen Event Center.
* Cameron owns a 19-15 edge over Midwestern State in games played at Aggie Gym, but the Mustangs have won six of the last seven dating back to the 2006-07 season. CU's only victory during the run came by a 64-63count on Jan. 23, 2013.
* Who could forget Chris Hagan's 50-point explosion in a 91-82 win over Cameron on Dec. 13, 2010? The junior transfer from Rice hit eight 3-pointers on his way to setting MSU's single game scoring mark.
 
LAST TIME VERSUS CAMERON
* Cameron combined Delvonte Pierre's perfect first-half shooting with three second-half triples from freshman Jordan Lewis to outlast Midwestern State 83-74 on Jan. 17 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
* The loss snapped Midwestern's season long, six-game winning streak.
* Pierre was 7-for-7 from the field with five 3-pointers to score 19 points before the half. He would finish with a game-high 28 points.
* Lewis scored each of his season-high 11 points in the second half.
* Tyler Williams (13 pts), J.V. Long (12 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and Elish Benjamin (11 pts) also scored in double figures for the Aggies.
* MSU junior guard Brandon Neel notched a team-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with two 3-pointers.
* MSU junior guard Shawn Nottingham tallied 15 of his season-best 17 points in the first half go along with five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
* Junior forward Igor Ibaka notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
 
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 135-48 mark (.738) 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
With a win, Midwestern State advances to the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament from March 2-5 at the Allen Event Center.