MIDWESTERN STATE VS. UT-PERMIAN BASIN
Thursday, March 2, 2017 | 8:30 p.m.
Allen Event Center | Allen, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (14-13); UT-Permian Basin (23-5)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: LoneStarConference.org  
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network 
Live Stats: LoneStarConference.org 
 
ON THE COURT
Eighth-seeded Midwestern State opens Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament play against top seed UT-Permian Basin in the quarterfinal round Thursday night at the Allen Event Center. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1- Midwestern State owns the highest winning percentage of any LSC program in the postseason tournament at 28-9 (.757) just ahead of rival Tarleton State at 28-15 (.651).
2- The Mustangs claimed their seventh LSC Postseason Tournament title rolling to three double-digit wins over Eastern New Mexico, Cameron and Angelo State in 2016. MSU also claimed postseason tournament championships in 1999, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2013.
3- Midwestern State boasts a 10-3 mark in games played since the LSC Postseason Tournament moved to the Allen Event Center in 2012. The Mustangs have played in the title game four times in Allen claiming titles in 2012 and 2016.
4- Midwestern State had a string of eight consecutive first-round wins snapped by Cameron (87-84/OT) in 2015 then bounced back in resounding style with a 112-68 win over Eastern New Mexico in 2016. Overall, the Mustangs are 12-4 all-time in first-round LSC tournament games.
5- The No. 1 seed is 5-0 in opening round play since the Lone Star Conference moved to its current postseason tournament format in 2012. The top has won by an average margin of 22.6 points per game claiming double-digit victories in four of five matchups.
 
HOW THE EIGHTH SEED HAS FARED
2012: No. 1 Midwestern State 64, No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce 52
2013: No. 1 Midwestern State 92, No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce 84
2014: No. 1 Tarleton State 89, No. 8 West Texas A&M 70
2015: No. 1 Tarleton State 80, No. 8 Eastern New Mexico 50
2016: No. 1 Midwestern State 112, No. 8 Eastern New Mexico 68
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
 
TEAM NOTES
* Last season, Midwestern State became the first Lone Star Conference member to win seven league titles in 10 years since Stephen F. Austin pulled off the feat between 1932-41. The Mustangs have also claimed nine LSC championships since joining the league in 1996-97 which is five more than any other program has won over the time as Tarleton State and Central Oklahoma won four each.
* Midwestern State boasted the longest string of 20-win seasons heading into the 2016-17 season with eight. In order to extend the streak, the Mustangs need six consecutive victories. That would mean an eighth LSC Postseason Tournament title and a fourth NCAA Division II South Central Region championship.
* MSU fell to Cameron in the regular season finale 91-64 last Tuesday in Lawton. It was largest deficit in a loss since falling 81-52 at West Texas A&M on Jan. 20, 2005.
* The Mustangs have held a lead in every game this season.
* MSU had held second-half leads in 10 of 13 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 15th nationally forcing 17.41 per game. The Mustangs have forced at least 14 turnovers in 24 of 27 games this season.
* The Mustangs forced 20-or-more turnovers in eight games this season.
* Midwestern has scored 502 points off of 471 turnovers this season -- an average of 18.6 points per game.
* The Mustangs rank 27th in offensive rebounds per game (13.22), 41st in field goal percentage defense (41.9), 45th in turnover margin (2.5) and 47th in steals per game (7.8) in NCAA Division II.
* Midwestern State has committed the third fewest fouls in the Lone Star Conference, but rank 188th nationally with 517 in 27 games -- an average of 19.1 fouls per game.
 
PLAYER NOTES
#0- Junior guard Brandon Neel ranks fifth in the Lone Star Conference scoring 15.9 points per game during league play. He has scored in double figures in 19 of his last 21 games.
#4- Junior guard Shawn Nottingham scored four points and grabbed six rebounds the last time out against Cameron. Nottingham ranks second in the LSC with 1.6 steals per game while recording at least two steals in 13 of 22 games.
#10- Senior guard Pat Smith scored in double figures in eight of his last 10 games including his first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 10 assists against Western New Mexico. He has knocked down a 3-pointer in 25 of 27 games this season and has 2-or-more in 13 games.
#14- Junior guard De'Quaan Haggerty appeared in his 16th game last week at Cameron. 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 buried four 3-pointers to deliver his third double-figure output of the season finishing with 18 points last Tuesday at Cameron. Jenkins is shooting 40.7 percent from the arc making two triples per game.
#24- Sophomore forward Nemanja Krtolica ranks 15th in the LSC with 44 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 7.9 points a game when committing at least four fouls. Richards has tallied 10-or-more points in 13 games this season including a campaign-best 18 points against Western State (Colo.) and Eastern New Mexico. He has scored in double figures in three of his last four games while shooting 51.4 percent (19-of-37) from the field during the stretch to go along with 5.0 rebounds a game.
#33- Junior forward Igor Ibaka is second in the Lone Star Conference and ranks 11th in NCAA Division II with 13 double-doubles. He has 12 double-double efforts in his last 18 games. Ibaka is averaging a near double-double during LSC play with 13.2 points and is third in the league grabbing 9.6 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. Powell has buried a triple in three of his last four games going for seven points in 11 minutes the last time out at Cameron.
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
* UT-Permian Basin claimed a Lone Star Conference championship in its first year in the league. It was the Falcons' second league title as an NCAA Division II men's basketball program. UTPB claimed a share of its lone Heartland Conference title in 2010-11.
* UT-Permian Basin was 2-5 in five Heartland Conference Postseason Tournament trips during its tenure in the league from 2006-16. The Falcons fell in the title game of the four-team tournament field in 2011 (86-67) and 2015 (78-70) -- both times to Texas A&M International.
* UT-Permian Basin lost its final three games in Heartland Conference tournament play falling in the opening round each of the last two seasons. The Falcons' last win was an 81-79 overtime upset of top seed Arkansas-Fort Smith in 2014.
* The Falcons rolled off wins in each of their last four games and have won 13 of 14 dating back to an 83-70 loss to Midwestern State on Jan. 7.
* UT-Permian Basin carries a No. 15 ranking in the D2SIDA Media Poll and is 23rd in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' D2 Poll.
* The Falcons are the top team in NCAA Division II in terms of rebound margin (+12.1) while rating second in defensive rebounds per game (31.19), second in total rebounds (1199), second in made free throws (579), third in free throw attempts (778), 10th in scoring offense (89.6 ppg) and 12th in field goal percentage defense (40.0).
* UT-Permian Basin leads the Lone Star Conference in assists per game (15.9), defensive rebounds per game, field goal percentage (47.4), free throw percentage (74.4), rebound margin, scoring offense, 3-point field goal percentage (36.2) and total rebounds.
* Junior guard Daeshon Francis ranks third in the Lone Star Conference scoring 18.3 points per game shooting an efficient 57.4 percent from the field, while getting to the free throw line 6.9 times per game converting at a 78.4-percent rate. Francis has scored 20-or-more points in 11 games this season with an LSC-high of 25 against West Texas A&M (2/4).
* Senior guard Johnnie Lacy ranks fifth in the LSC knocking down 2.67 3-pointers per game. Lacy scores 15.9 points connecting on 35.8 percent from the arc, but gets to the free throw line 5.9 times per game hitting at an 87.4-percent clip. Lacy bombed in five 3-pointers to finish with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists the last time out against Texas A&M-Commerce.
* Junior guard James McPherson tops the LSC knocking down 43.3 percent of his 3-point shots and is second in the league connecting on 3.44 per game. He averages 14.8 points scoring in double figures in 23 of the 25 games in which he played more than 5 minutes. McPherson has connected at a 55.3 percent clip (21-for-38) over the last four games averaging 20.3 points a game during the stretch.
* The 6-7, 270-pound Josh Morris gives UTPB a fourth double-digit scoring threat averaging 10.7 points while shooting 73.7 percent from the field.
* Junior guard Sammy Allen is one of the top ball chasers in the country ranking seventh in NCAA Division II and topping the LSC with 11.6 rebounds per game. He has 10-or-more rebounds in 18 games posting at least 15 seven times with a high of 20 on two occasions (Western New Mexico, Tarleton State).
* The Falcons roster features players from 12 different states and another from London.
* Andy Newman boasts a 71-42 (.628) mark in his fifth season at the helm of the UT-Permian Basin men's basketball program. Newman spent the previous 10 seasons as an assistant at Cal State-Fullerton going 14-18 as the Titans' interim head coach in 2012-13.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
* Midwestern State and UT-Permian Basin meet for the sixth time on the hardwood Thursday night at the Allen Event Center.
* The Mustangs own a 3-2 edge in the series which dates back to the 2007-08 season.
* The home team has won every game of the series with MSU claiming three wins at D.L. Ligon Coliseum including an 80-73 victory earlier this season.
* UTPB won both meetings in Odessa taking an 83-72 victory on Dec. 1, 2008 then beat MSU 92-85 to even the season series last month at the Falcon Dome.
 
THIS SEASON AGAINST UT-PERMIAN BASIN
 
MSU 86, UT-Permian Basin 79 | Dec. 13, 2016 | D.L. Ligon Coliseum
* Midwestern State overcame a 20-point deficit (27-7 at 11:12/1st) to beat UT-Permian Basin 80-73. The 20-point deficit was the largest for an MSU squad to overcome since Midwestern trailed Trinity (Texas) 50-29 with 19:46 to play before rallying for an 86-79 win on Dec. 18, 2016 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
* Junior guard Brandon Neel notched season highs with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while fellow junior Devante Pullum poured in 22 points and dished out six assists to lead four Mustangs in double figures.
* Senior guard Pat Smith (4 assists, 3 rebounds) and junior forward Igor Ibaka (5 rebounds) pitched in 10 points for MSU.
* James McPherson bombed in four triples on his way to 16 points and seven rebounds to pace UT-Permian Basin while Josh Morris (7 rebounds, 5 assists), Johnny Lacy (4 triples) and Daeshon Francis (6 rebounds) all had 14 points.
 
#19 UT-Permian Basin 92, MSU 85 | Feb. 8, 2017 | Falcon Dome
* UT-Permian Basin's Johnnie Lacy hit a pair of 3-pointers to spark an 11-0 run to break open a close game midway through the second half which culminated with a three-point play by Josh Morris to give the Falcons an 82-70 lead over MSU with 8:16 to play.
* Midwestern State took a 50-48 lead into the half shooting 59.3 percent as a team in the first frame and would finish the game at 56 percent.
* UT-Permian Basin produced 11 more shot attempts on 12 offensive rebounds.
* Junior forward Igor Ibaka paced the Mustangs with 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting going 10-of-12 from the charity stripe to go along with four rebounds, while junior guard Brandon Neel matched a season high with 22 points.
* MSU junior guard B.J. Jenkins chipped in 15 points and hit three 3-pointers, while senior forward Magnus Richards scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds.
* Lacy paced UTPB with 21 points connecting on four 3s, while junior guard James McPherson connected on five triples to finish with 20 points.
* UT-Permian Basin junior forward Josh Morris went 8-of-9 from the field falling just shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine 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 135-49 mark (.734) 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
The Midwestern State/UT-Permian Basin winner advances to play the victor of Friday night's quarterfinal between Texas A&M-Commerce and Cameron in the Lone Star Conference semifinals. The matchup is slated for Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. in the Allen Event Center.