Midwestern State at UT Permian Basin
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017 | 5:30 p.m.
Falcon Dome | Odessa, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (6-14, 3-11 LSC); UT Permian Basin (7-14, 3-11 LSC)
Live Stats: UTPBFalcons.com
Video: UTPBFalcons.com
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM 

Midwestern State at West Texas A&M
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 | 2 p.m.
First United Bank Center | Canyon, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (6-14, 3-11 LSC); West Texas A&M (17-6, 10-4 LSC)
Live Stats: GoBuffsGo.com
Video: GoBuffsGo.com
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM 


THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State takes on its final weekend road trip of the regular season this week as the Mustangs look to remain in contention for a Lone Star Conference Tournament spot while facing UT Permian Basin and West Texas A&M.
 
The Mustangs open up at UT Permian Basin on Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against the Falcons inside Falcon Dome in Odessa. MSU then travels north to face West Texas A&M in a 2 p.m. contest Saturday at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.
 
LAST TIME ON THE COURT
- Midwestern State went 1-1 on the road last weekend following a last-second 46-45 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville and a 65-45 defeat to No. 13 Angelo State
- Junior guard Jasmine Richardson recorded her second game-winning field goal with under three seconds to play this season with a layup with 2.9 seconds remaining to cap off a fourth quarter comeback for the Mustangs
- Jennifer Arbuckle and Micheline Mercelita each tallied 11 points to lead MSU while Whitney Taylor also reached double figures with 10 points
- Mercelita posted her third double-double of the season with 11 rebounds to her stat line
- Midwestern State was held to its second-lowest shooting percentage of the season with a 29.9 percent clip in the loss to Angelo State
- The Rambelles led the entire way but the Mustangs stayed within single digits late into the third quarter before ASU pulled away
- Taylor led MSU with 12 points while Kristin Rydell added 10 for the Mustangs offense
 
 A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
- Midwestern State enters the week tied for ninth in the Lone Star Conference standings, two games out of the top eight which will advance to the LSC Tournament next month in Allen
- The Mustangs are 6-14 on the season with a 3-11 mark in LSC play
- MSU comes in averaging 62.5 points per game while shooting 39.1 percent from the floor
- Turnovers have been costly in several games for the Maroon and Gold this season with an average of 19 per contest
- The Mustangs have committed at least 18 miscues in all but two of their losses this season
- Junior guard Whitney Taylor leads the Mustangs with 13.3 points per game this season for 11th in the LSC
- Taylor is averaging 2.4 three-pointers an outing, shooting 48-of-135 (35.6%) on the year
- Junior guard Kristin Rydell joins Taylor in creating a dangerous duo behind the arc, knocking down 33 three-pointers and averaging 9.3 points per game
- Junior post Avery Queen ranks third in scoring for the Mustangs with 7.2 points while coming in ninth in the league with 0.9 blocks per game
- Freshman guard Leanna James is averaging 3.9 assists for fourth in the conference with seven games of five or more assists
- Junior forward Micheline Mercelita provides a spark for MSU off the bench, leading the Mustangs with 5.4 rebounds per game
- Mercelita has recorded all three of MSU's double-doubles this season (13 pts, 10 reb. vs. Newman, 17 pts, 14 reb. vs. UT Permian Basin, 11 pts, 11 reb. vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville)
 
THE JOHNSON ERA
- Noel Johnson is in her ninth season at the helm of the Midwestern State women's basketball program, leading the Mustangs to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-15
- Johnson has compiled a 124-120 career mark (.508) in her time at MSU, surpassing Kim Griffee (1984-92) for second on the program's all-time coaching wins list following her 121st victory on Dec. 31, 2016 against Texas Wesleyan
- Johnson now just sits behind Shannon Burks, who recorded 132 wins in nine seasons at MSU from 1999-2008
- In 2013, Johnson was named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Small College Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to their first Lone Star Conference title in 11 years while advancing to the NCAA South Central Region finals with a 26-6 record
- Johnson earned LSC Coach of the Year accolades in 2012 after leading MSU to its first trip to the league's postseason tournament since 2003 with a 19-8 record and third-place finish in the LSC
 
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
- UT Permian Basin is tied for ninth with Midwestern State in the LSC standings with a 7-14 season record and 3-11 mark in conference play
- The Falcons lead the LSC and rank 13th nationally with 8.3 three-pointers per game, shooting at a 32.3 percent clip
- UTPB comes in third in the conference and 55th in the country with a 74.0 free-throw percentage
- Junior guard Briana Caro ranks second in the league and 46th in the country with 2.5 three-pointers per game while leading the Falcons with 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds
- Senior guard Niva Taito also averages double figures with 12.4 points, ranking second in the LSC with an 83.6 free-throw percentage and knocking down an average of 2.1 triples per game
- Junior guard Sierra LaGrande has also been hot for the Falcons behind the arc with an average of 2.1 three-pointers per outing on a team-high 41.5 shooting percentage for 33rd in the country while averaging 8.4 points

LAST TIME VERSUS UT PERMIAN BASIN
- UT Permian Basin erased a nine-point fourth quarter deficit before holding on in overtime for an 82-78 win on Jan. 7 in Wichita Falls
- The Falcons stretched their lead to six with one minute remaining in the extra period while fending off a late push by the Mustangs
- Whitney Taylor scored a team-high 19 points with eight rebounds while Micheline Mercelita posted her second double-double of the season with a career-best 17 points and 14 rebounds

INSIDE THE SERIES
- UT Permian Basin earned its first-ever win over Midwestern State in the meeting in January with the Mustangs carrying a 5-1 lead in the all-time series
- MSU is 1-0 in Odessa with the Mustangs recording a 77-67 victory on Dec. 18, 2013
 
SCOUTING THE LADY BUFFS
- West Texas A&M enters the week winners of four straight to sit in a tie for third in the LSC with a 17-6 record and 10-4 mark in conference play
- The Lady Buffs are one of the top shooting teams in the nation with a 48.8 percentage from the field for second in the country while firing at a 36.3 clip from long range for 27th nationally
- WT ranks 20th in the country in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 57.0 points per game on the year
- Senior guard Sasha Watson paces the Lady Buffs with 13.9, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game -- leading the league in assists and steals – while shooting a 51.8 percentage from the floor
- Senior post Maddison Wild (10.7 ppg) and senior guard Alie Decker (10.1 ppg) also average double figures for WT with Wild leading the team with 6.3 rebounds

LAST TIME VERSUS WEST TEXAS A&M
- West Texas A&M shot 53.6 percent while outscoring Midwestern State 50-31 in the second half to pull away for a 79-53 win over the Mustangs on Jan. 5 in Wichita Falls
- Kristin Rydell led MSU with 15 points while Whitney Taylor notched double digits with 10 points

INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern State and West Texas A&M square off on the hardwood for the 67th time Saturday in Canyon with the Lady Buffs carrying a 49-17 lead in the all-time series dating back to 1976
- WT has won six straight and nine of the last 10 in the series going back to Jan. 2014
- The Lady Buffs have also won three in a row against MSU in First United Bank Center and have been victorious in 12 of the last 13 meetings back in Canyon since 2004
- WT is 12-2 in games played at the FUBC and holds a commanding 26-4 advantage at home with MSU's wins coming in 1993, 2001, 2003 and 2013
 
UP NEXT
- Midwestern State plays host to Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico next week inside D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs first face off against ENMU Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before welcoming WNMU for a 2 p.m. Saturday matchup.