Midwestern State (5-11, 2-5) vs. Eastern New Mexico (7-8, 2-4)
Lone Star Conference game
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018 | 4 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 looks to win consecutive games for the second time this season when the Mustangs take on Eastern New Mexico Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- MSU currently sits eighth in the Lone Star Conference standings just a ½-game behind Texas A&M-Kingsville and Eastern New Mexico.
- Nelson Haggerty boasts a 140-61 record (.697) in his seventh season at the helm. He has guided the Mustangs to four Lone Star Conference championships (2012-14, 16) and five NCAA Division II tournament appearance advancing to the Elite Eight in 2012.
- Midwestern State leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks 20th in NCAA Division II by forcing 17.38 turnovers per game and also tops the LSC in team steals per game with 8.6 ranking 24th nationally.
- MSU is second in the league in turnover margin at +3.1.
- The Mustangs average 19.7 points off of turnovers per game accounting for 24.5 percent of their total output.
- Midwestern tops the Lone Star Conference in offensive rebounds per game (12.88) while averaging 15.6 second-chance points a contest.
- Midwestern is fourth in the league in scoring at 80.4 points per game, but 10th in scoring defense allowing 84.8 points a game.
- MSU ranks 100th in NCAA D2 in scoring at 80.4 points per game. The Mustangs have scored 80-or-more points in nine games this season.
- The Mustangs top the LSC and 38th in NCAA D2 with a 75.4 team free throw percentage.
- MSU has held a lead in 15 of its 16 games this season. The Mustangs are 3-4 in games in which they held a lead of at least 10-or-more points this season.
- Senior guard Brandon Neel ranks fifth in the LSC and 117th in NCAA Division II in scoring at 17.7 points per game.
- Neel boasts 13 games with at least 10 points this season five games of 20-or-more. He poured in a season-high 30 points at Western State (Colo.), had 27 versus Southwestern Assemblies of God and 26 against Colorado Mesa. He poured in a team-high 24 points in MSU's win over Rollins on Dec. 18th.
- Neel tops MSU and is 10th in the LSC pulling down 6.2 rebounds per game.
- Neel notched his second double-double of the season scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in a win at Texas A&M-Kingsville (12/30).
- Senior guard Devante Pullum ranks second in the LSC 4.8 assists per game and is sixth in steals per game with 1.5. The Little Elm High product has scored in double figures in six consecutive games from Nov. 24th-Dec. 18th including a campaign-best 26-point, 6-assists effort at Angelo State.
- Pullum is averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game over his last 10 outings while shooting 50.5 percent from the field (52-of-103) to bring his season scoring average to 12.8 points per game.
- Pullum ranks third in the LSC and 104th in NCAA D2 in free throw percentage at 84.2 percent (48-of-57).
- Pullum rates fourth in the Lone Star Conference during league play averaging 17.0 points per game.
- Pullum's two best scoring games have come during conference play scoring 26 at Angelo State (12/7) and 24 at West Texas A&M (1/4).
- Sophomore guard Logan Hicks ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game notching double-figures in each of MSU's first seven games this season. He had a season-high 19 points in the opener against Arkansas-Fort Smith (11/10). He matched his season high with 19 points while pulling down a campaign-best seven rebounds versus Western New Mexico (1/11).
- Hicks is shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from the arc (30-for-92).
- Senior guard Trey Kennedy scores 9.1 points per game notching 10-or-more points in seven games including a season-best 25 points on 11-of-25 shooting against Western State on Nov. 18th. He put up performances of 17 points against Saint Leo and 14 versus Florida Southern at the Florida Southern Thanksgiving Classic.
- Senior forward Nick Powell has scored at least eight points in nine games this season and is averaging 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game.
- Powell buried his first five 3-pointers against Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 2nd to finish with a season-high 17 points and also grabbed seven rebounds.
- Powell connected on at least one triple in each in a five-game stretch (Nov. 30th-Dec. 19th) while shooting 11-of-20 (55 percent) from beyond the arc during the stretch before going 0-for-2 at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- Senior forward Josh Huntley has scored in double figures six times this season including matching season bests of 16 against Western State (11/18) and Southern Indiana (12/19). He notched his lone double-double of the campaign with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Southwestern Assemblies of God (11/21).
- Junior forward Wanaah Bail poured in a season-high 18 points shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field while going 7-for-8 at the free throw line at Angelo State on Dec. 7th.
- Bail scored in double figures in two of his last three games going for 12 points and five rebounds at Texas A&M-Kingsville (12/30) and 12 points and seven boards at UT Permian Basin (1/6).
- Sophomore guard Romello Walker has missed the last seven games due to injury. Despite averaging 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, he possesses the top +/- statistics for MSU. The Mustangs have outscored the opposition by a total of 34 points in Walker's 85 minutes of court time for a +4.86 points per game average.
VERSUS EASTERN NEW MEXICO
- Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 49th time on the hardwood Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Mustangs own a 32-16 edge in the series which dates back to the 1948-49 season.
- Eastern New Mexico snapped MSU's 11-game winning streak in the series with a 72-69 victory last season at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Prior to the ENMU win, Midwestern State won 20 of 21 meetings from Feb. 22, 2007 through Jan. 14, 2017.
- The Mustangs are 16-6 all-time against the Greyhounds in games played at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- ENMU second-year coach Tres Segler served seven years on the Midwestern State staff from 2009-16.
- The Hounds are riding a three-game winning streak into Ligon Coliseum coming out of the Christmas break with victories over Lubbock Christian (82-73), Western New Mexico (105-91) and Cameron (70-67).
- Eastern New Mexico has posted a 7-8 mark against the eighth toughest schedule in NCAA Division II (.630). In comparison, MSU's slate is the 38th toughest in D2 (.575).
- The Greyhounds rank fifth in the LSC in scoring offense (77.2) and is eighth in scoring defense allowing 79.5 points per game.
- Senior guard Lamarquis Thompson leads a trio of Hounds averaging double figures at 11.2 points per game. He shoots 57 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from the arc.
- Senior Jamani Pierce adds 10.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. The 6-7 forward boasts three 20-point performances this season including a campaign-best 21 points in the season opener against Fort Lewis.
- Junior guard Zach Parker chips in 10.4 points per game scoring at least 20 points twice this season with a campaign-best 25 at Dixie State.
- Freshman Devin Pullum scores 9.7 points a game, but is ninth in the LSC averaging 14.8 points a game during LSC play. Four of his five double-figure efforts have come during league play. He scored a career-best 24 points hitting six 3-pointers at Tarleton State on Dec. 9th.
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