Midwestern State (7-5, 4-2) vs. Western New Mexico (0-14, 0-6)
Lone Star Conference game
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com |
Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM |
Audio: Mustangs Digital Network |
Video: Mustangs Digital Network
MUSTANGS NOTES
- Midwestern State opens up a two-game homestand at the confines of D.L. Ligon Coliseum, beginning on Thursday against Western New Mexico.
- Midwestern State's Noel Johnson became the program's all-time leader claiming her 133rd career coaching victory with a 72-66 win at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Dec. 19th.
- The Mustangs (7-5) are off to their best start since going 13-1 at the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
- MSU has lost three-straight games for the first time this season after riding a four-game winning streak from Nov. 30 to Dec. 19. Last week, the Mustangs dropped a pair of road games to second-ranked West Texas A&M (64-46) and UT Permian Basin (59-57).
- The Mustangs are 4-2 at the friendly confines of D.L. Ligon Coliseum this season.
- MSU is currently in third-place in the Lone Star Conference standings with a 4-2 record in league play. West Texas A&M leads the way with a 6-0 record, followed by Texas A&M-Commerce at 6-1.
- The Mustangs are fourth in the Lone Star Conference grabbing 15.3 offensive rebounds per game resulting in 11.6 second chance points per game.
- Additionally, Midwestern State is fourth in total rebounds, grabbing 42.7 caroms per game and have won the rebound battle in seven of their 12 games this season.
- The Mustangs post assists on 63.8 percent of its made field goals (162-of-254) ranking fourth in the LSC with 13.5 assists per game.
- MSU is fourth in the LSC in 3-point field goal defense, allowing the opposition to 27.2 percent from the arc. In the last matchup with UTPB, the Mustangs surrendered a season-high nine three pointers to the Falcons, connecting on 45.0 percent from long range.
- Senior guard Whitney Taylor leads MSU and ranks 17th in the LSC in scoring at 10.8 points per game. The Melissa, Texas native shoots 30.9 percent from the field while ranking fourth in the LSC with 2.1 made triples per game.
- Taylor is second on MSU's all-time 3-point list with 134 career 3s, needing 21 to break the program record. She passed Andrea Buben (132 3s/2006-10) on Saturday with a dagger at the 6:12 mark in the fourth quarter against UTPB. Former teammate Lisa Hampton (154 3s/2011-15) remains at the top of the chart.
- Taylor returned to double figures scoring after a two game hiatus against the Falcons, pouring in 10 points. She has scored at least 10 points in eight of the Mustangs 12 games this season.
- 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. 7th.
- Senior forward Micheline Mercelita is second on the team scoring 9.4 points per game and ranks 12th in the LSC with a team-leading 6.7 rebounds per game.
- Mercelita saw her four-game stretch of scoring in double figures snapped on Saturday against the Falcons. The senior is averaging 12.0 points per game over the last five games while grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game over that stretch.
- Mercelita boasts a trio of double-doubles this season after her performance against Southern Nazarene with 20 points and 10 rebounds. She's gone for 15 points and 10 rebounds against Oklahoma Christian (11/11) and 13 points and 10 rebounds at Texas A&M-Kingsville (12/19).
- The forward also ranks seventh in the LSC, averaging 3.0 offensive boards per game.
- Senior guard Kristin Rydell has come alive over the last six games, pouring in 9.8 points per game on 21-of-51 shooting from the field (41.2 percent) with 11 3-pointers, including a season-high three treys against UTPB on Saturday. The run includes a season-high 16-point effort at Texas A&M-Kingsville (12/19) which followed a 9-point, 8-board performance against Texas A&M-Commerce (12/2) and a 10-point showing at Angelo State (12/7).
- Rydell is third on the team, scoring 7.5 points per game while pulling down 3.3 boards in 22.1 minutes.
- Senior guard Jasmine Richardson has scored at least five points in seven of her last nine game, including a campaign-high of 11 points at Angelo State (12/7). She is fourth on the team, scoring 6.6 points per game to go along with 2.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game.
- Richardson is sixth in the Lone Star Conference with 2.9 assists per game and holds a 1.3 assists/turnover ratio, good for third in the LSC.
- Sophomore Liz Cathcart scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds in 24 minutes her last time out at Angelo State. She is averaging 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17 minutes a game this season. She has missed the last six games due to injury.
- Junior forward Chelsea Adams is sixth on the team in scoring with 5.5 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds per game. She scored a season-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting with a 3-poitner in MSU's win over Tarleton State on Dec. 2nd.
- 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 5.1 points while also pulling down 4.2 rebounds 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.
- Seven players carry averages of 5.0 points or better through the season's first 12 games including Taylor (10.8), Mercelita (9.4), Rydell (7.5), Richardson (6.6), Cathcart (5.9), Adams (5.5) and Reynolds (5.1).
- Noel Johnson is in her 10th season at the helm of the MSU women's basketball program with an overall record of 133-129 (.508). 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 WESTERN NEW MEXICO
- Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin meet for the 10th-time overall and third-time as conference foes on the hardwood Thursday evening at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- MSU leads the overall series 7-2 which dates back to the 1992 season. Prior to a sweep of WNMU last year, the last meeting between the two teams came in a Western New Mexico win on Feb. 28, 1996 in Silver City, N.M.
- The last win in the series by the Mustangs came on Feb. 18, 2017 in an 86-73 contest in Wichita Falls.
- Midwestern State is 3-1 all-time against WNMU in games played in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Mustangs are 0-14 on the season, 0-6 in Lone Star Conference play and 0-7 on the road.
- Junior guard Ciara Fields leads WNMU in scoring with 12.1 points and also pulls down 3.9 boards per game.
- Freshman guard Cassandra Vickery is second on the team with 9.5 points per game, but has not played for the Mustangs since Dec. 16.
- Junior guard Takiyah Lopez ranks third on the team with 8.9 points per game and is the top three-point threat for the Mustangs with 22 made treys on the season.
- Senior forward Myla Woods-Brown leads WNMU on the glass with 4.6 rebounds per game off the bench.
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