MIDWESTERN STATE AT UT-PERMIAN BASIN
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Falcon Dome | Odessa, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (13-9, 6-7); UT-Permian Basin (18-4, 9-3)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: UTPBFalcons.com 
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network   
Live Stats: UTPBFalcons.com 
 
MIDWESTERN STATE AT WEST TEXAS A&M
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 | 4 p.m.
First United Bank Center | Canyon, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (13-9, 6-7); West Texas A&M (19-6, 7-5)
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM
Watch: GoBuffsGo.com 
Listen: Mustangs Digital Network
Live Stats: GoBuffsGo.com 
 
ON THE COURT
Midwestern State closes out its first Lone Star Conference four-game road stretch this week at UT-Permian Basin and West Texas A&M.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1- Midwestern State needs to beat Eastern New Mexico head-to-head or claim two wins over the final five games to clinch a spot in the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament set for March 2-5 at the Allen Event Center. The Mustangs are just two games out of third.
2- The Mustangs have dropped three consecutive Lone Star Conference for the second time this season. MSU lost four consecutive league games last season, but has not dropped five straight in 2002-03.
3- Eight of MSU's nine losses have come by single digits and four have been by five-or-fewer points. The Mustangs' lone double-digit defeat came 72-61 at Texas A&M-Commerce.
4- UT-Permian Basin (9-0) and West Texas A&M (11-0) are a combined 20-0 on its respective home floors this season. UTPB has won its last 13 games at the Falcon Dome, while WT won its last 12.
5- Midwestern State and West Texas A&M are tied 6-6 in this season's Highway 287 Challenge Cup. It's the fourth year the schools have been pitted in the series as one point has decided the winner in each of the previous three years. West Texas A&M won in 2013-14 (13-12) and 2014-15 (12-11) before MSU claimed a 12.5-11.5 win in 2015-16.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
 
TEAM NOTES
* Midwestern State failed to shoot at least 30 percent as a team for just the second time this season going 19-of-67 (28.4 percent) from the field Saturday against Angelo State.
* MSU shot 41.8 percent from 3-point range going 28-for-67 during it current three-game slide, but shot just 33.9-percent from inside the arc while going 40-for-68 (58.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
* The Mustangs have lost five of their last six games but have only been outscored by seven total points during the stretch which includes a 21-point win over Texas A&M-Commerce.
* MSU faces its sixth nationally ranked opponent of the 2016-17 season Thursday night at No. 19 UT-Permian Basin. The Mustangs are 2-3 against nationally ranked competition this season with wins over No. 23 Arkansas-Fort Smith and No. 11 West Texas A&M. Midwestern is 15-14 against nationally ranked opponents during the Nelson Haggerty era (2011-present).
* Midwestern State remains one of the best at forcing turnovers in all of NCAA Division II ranking 12th nationally forcing 18.09 per game. The Mustangs have forced at least 14 turnovers in 19 of 21 games this season.
* The Mustangs forced 20-or-more turnovers in eight games this season.
* Midwestern has scored 435 points off of 399 turnovers this season -- an average of 19.8 points per game.
* The Mustangs rank 18th in field goal percentage defense (40.5), 27th in turnover margin (+3.3), 28th in offensive rebounds per game (13.45) and 35th in steals per game (8.2) in NCAA Division II.
* Midwestern State has committed the second fewest fouls in the Lone Star Conference, but rank 158th nationally with 414 in 22 games -- an average of 18.8 fouls per game.
 
PLAYER NOTES
#0- Junior guard Brandon Neel had his 14-game streak with at least 10 points snapped when he finished with five last Thursday at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Neel rebounded to knock down three 3-pointers while going 5-for-8 from the field for 13 points before leaving the game with two minutes to go in the first half Saturday at Angelo State. He ranks fifth in the LSC during league play averaging 15.3 points per game.
#4- Junior guard Shawn Nottingham delivered his third double-figure scoring game of the season going 5-for-10 to finish with 13 points and seven rebounds Saturday at Angelo State. He has 22 steals over his last nine game snatching a campaign-best four against the Rams.
#10- Senior guard Pat Smith is averaging 15.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists scoring in double figures over his last five games. He notched his second highest scoring game of his career going for 22 points with three triples while going 11-for-13 from the line Saturday at Angelo State. Smith has connected on 9-of-22 3-pointers (40.9 percent) over the last three games after having his 13-game run with at least one triple halted against Texas A&M-Commerce on Jan. 26.
#14- Junior guard De'Quaan Haggerty played a total of 15 minutes during last week's road trip to Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State. He has knocked three triples this season. He is the nephew of MSU head coach Nelson Haggerty.
#20- Junior guard B.J. Jenkins knocked down a triple in each of his last six games while shooting 40 percent (14-of-35) from the arc. He broke out with 28 points with 3-pointers against Tarleton State on Jan. 28, but has not scored in double figures in any other game.
#24- Sophomore forward Nemanja Krtolica ranks 13th in the Lone Star Conference pulling down just less than two offensive rebounds per game.
#32- Senior forward Magnus Richards' offensive production is solidly connected his ability to avoid foul trouble. Richards averages 12.2 points per game in his 11 games with fewer than four fouls. Richards scores 7.0 points a game when committing at least four fouls. Richards has tallied 10-or-more points in 10 games this season including a campaign-best 18 points against Western State (Colo.) and Eastern New Mexico.
#33- Junior forward Igor Ibaka is second in the Lone Star Conference and ranks eighth in NCAA Division II with 12 double-doubles. He has 10 double-double efforts in his last 13 games. Ibaka is averaging a double-double during LSC play with 12.8 points and is second in the league grabbing 10.7 boards a contest. He has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of his last eight games.
#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 missed the last two games with an injury.
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
* UT-Permian Basin brings the South Central Region's longest winning streak into Thursday night's matchup with Midwestern State. The Falcons' eight straight are matched by Fort Lewis (Colo.) and Westminster (Utah) out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
* UT-Permian Basin's 12-game home court winning streak is the second longest in the LSC trailing only West Texas A&M, which has won 17 consecutive games in Canyon. UTPB's last loss under the Falcon Dome came against Texas A&M International (78-73) on Jan. 16, 2016.
* UT-Permian Basin carries a No. 13 ranking in the D2SIDA Media Poll and is 19th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' D2 Poll.
* The Falcons are the top team in NCAA Division II in terms of rebound margin (+12.5) while rating second in defensive rebounds per game (31.41), third in total rebounds (992), ninth in field goal percentage defense (39.2), 10th in made free throws (437), 11th in scoring offense (89.7 ppg) and 14th in free throw attempts (589).
* UT-Permian Basin leads the Lone Star Conference in assists per game (16.2), defensive rebounds per game, free throw percentage (74.2), rebound margin, scoring offense and total rebounds.
* Junior guard Daeshon Francis ranks third in the Lone Star Conference scoring 18.4 points per game shooting an efficient 58 percent from the field, while getting to the free throw line 6.2 times per game converting at a 77.2-percent rate. Francis has scored 20-or-more points in nine games this season and is coming off of a 25-point effort against West Texas A&M.
* Senior guard Johnnie Lacy ranks fourth in the LSC knocking down 2.73 3-pointers per game. Lacy scores 15.5 points connecting on 34.7 percent from the arc, but gets to the free throw line 5.5 times per game hitting at an 86.9-percent clip.
* Junior guard James McPherson tops the LSC knocking down 40.6 percent of his 3-point shots and is second in the league connecting on 3.14 per game. Her averages 14.0 points scoring in double figures in 19 of the 20 games in which he played more than 5 minutes.
* The 6-7, 270-pound Josh Morris gives UTPB a fourth double-digit scoring threat averaging 10.3 points while shooting 72.4 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 11.2 rebounds per game. He has 10-or-more rebounds in 13 games posting at least 15 five times with a high of 20 against Western New Mexico.
* The Falcons roster features players from 12 different states and another from London.
* Andy Newman boasts a 66-41 (.617) 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 assist 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 fifth time on the hardwood Thursday night at the Falcon Dome.
* The Mustangs own a 3-1 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 the only previous meeting in Odessa taking an 83-72 victory on Dec. 1, 2008.
 
LAST TIME VERSUS UT-PERMIAN BASIN
* 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, 2003 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.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS
* West Texas A&M dropped four of five on its most recent road trip, but the Buffs return to the comfortable confines of the First United Bank Center beginning Thursday night against Cameron.
* WT boasts an LSC-best 17-game home court winning streak dating back to MSU's last trip to Canyon when the Mustangs took a 74-65 victory on Jan. 6, 2016. The Buffs are a perfect 11-0 on its home floor this season.
* West Texas A&M top all of NCAA Division II in free throw made (524) and attempted (723) while ranking third in 3-point field goal attempts (738), ninth in total rebounds (968), 18th in scoring offense (88.3 ppg), 25th in total steals (193) and 25th in turnover margin (+3.4).
* The Buffaloes top the Lone Star Conference in 3-point field goal attempts, free throws attempted and made, made 3-point field goal per game (9.8), total 3-point field goals made (244) and total assists (364).
* Junior guard David Chavlovich became WT's all-time leading scorer Saturday at UT-Permian Basin with 1,582 points. He leads the LSC and ranks 46th nationally scoring 20.2 points per game shooting 39.1 percent from the field and a career-low 32.1 percent from the arc (69-for-215). Chavlovich, who boast 14 20-point games this season, earns 6.1 free throw attempts a game while shooting 74.3 percent from the charity stripe.
* Junior guard Jordan Evans is the only other Buff averaging in double figures with 13.7 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 19 of 24 games including four games in the 20s.
* Sophomore guard Carl White (9.8 ppg), senior guard Eric Golightly (9.0 ppg), junior guard Jerrod Walton (8.7 ppg), senior guard Joseph Prince (8.4 ppg) and sophomore forward Ryan Quaid (8.4 ppg) (7.1 ppg) give the Buffs seven scoring options averaging better than eight points per game.
* Tom Brown boasts a 57-28 mark (.671) in his third season at his first collegiate head coaching job at West Texas A&M. Previously, he was part of Mike Leaf's staff at Winona State from 1998-2014 which claimed national championships in 2006 and 2008.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
* Midwestern State meets West Texas A&M for the 67th time on the hardwood Saturday night at the First United Bank Center.
* WT leads the series which dates back to the 1947-48 season by a 35-32 margin, but MSU has won nine of 11 meetings with the Buffs during the Nelson Haggerty era (since the start of the 2011-12 season).
* West Texas A&M holds a 25-9 all-time lead in the series in games played in the Canyon/Amarillo area including a 10-4 edge since the First United Bank Center opened in 2002.
* The Buffs won nine of the first 10 against MSU at the FUBC, but the Mustangs have in three of their last four trips to the facility claiming victories in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
* MSU swept the season series in 2015-16.
 
LAST TIME VERSUS WEST TEXAS A&M
* Midwestern State snapped No. 11 West Texas A&M's 10-game winning streak by taking an 84-78 result at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Jan. 5, 2017.
* Senior guard Davante Pullum led a pack of five Mustangs in double figures falling just shy of a double-double with 21 points and nine assists while Igor Ibaka notched a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
* Also in double figures of MSU were junior guard Brandon Neel (19 points), senior forward Magnus Richards (13 points, 9 rebounds) and senior guard Pat Smith (11 points, 4 rebounds).
* Junior guard David Chavlovich paced WT with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists banking in two long triples off of the glass in the closing minutes.
 
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 134-45 mark (.749) 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 returns to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for its final two home games of the season. The Mustangs play host to Eastern New Mexico on Thursday and Western New Mexico on Saturday.