Midwestern State (8-5, 5-2) vs. Eastern New Mexico (8-6, 4-3)
Lone Star Conference game
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018 | 2 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 concludes a two-game homestand at the confines of D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Saturday against Eastern 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 (8-5) are off to their best start since going 13-1 at the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
- MSU snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday with a 64-47 win over Western New Mexico.
- The Mustangs improved to 5-2 at the friendly confines of D.L. Ligon Coliseum this season and the five home wins are the most by MSU since the Maroon and Gold went 13-2 at home during the 2014-15 campaign.
- MSU is currently in third place in the Lone Star Conference standings with a 5-2 record in league play. West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Commerce are tied atop the standings with a 6-1 record.
- Midwestern State has done an outstanding job of getting to the free throw line, leading the LSC with 357 free throw attempts, but the Mustangs are shooting just 59.4 percent from the charity stripe. On the defensive end, MSU has the third-fewest fouls in the league.
- The Mustangs lead the Lone Star Conference, grabbing 16.0 offensive rebounds per game resulting in 11.8 second chance points per game.
- Additionally, MSU is fourth in total rebounds, grabbing 43.2 caroms per game and have won the rebound battle in eight of their 12 games this season.
- The Mustangs record assists on 62.0 percent of its made field goals (173-of-297) ranking fifth in the LSC with 13.3 assists per game.
- Defensively, Midwestern State is third in the league, holding opponents to 35.3 percent from the field and limiting the opposition to 26.7 percent from deep, good for fourth in the league. In conference play alone, the Mustangs rank second defensively, allowing just 33.9 percent shooting.
- In league play, MSU is averaging 5.29 blocked shots per game, the second-highest in the LSC.
- Senior guard Whitney Taylor leads MSU and ranks 16th in the LSC in scoring at 10.6 points per game. The Melissa, Texas native shoots 32.1 percent from the field while ranking fourth in the LSC with 1.9 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 has scored at least 10 points in eight of the Mustangs 13 games this season, but has failed to reach double figures in three of the last four games.
- 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 9.8 points per game and ranks 11th in the LSC with a team-leading 6.9 boards per game.
- Mercelita has scored in double digits in five of the last six games, averaging 12.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game over that span.
- Mercelita earned her fourth double-double of the season against Western New Mexico on Thursday. The Edinburg product scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Mustangs. Her three other double-double performances came against Southern Nazarene (Dec. 30; 20 points/13 rebounds), Oklahoma Christian (Nov. 11; 15 points/10 rebounds) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (Dec. 19; 13 points/10 rebounds).
- The forward also ranks fifth in the LSC, averaging 3.1 offensive boards per game.
- Senior guard Kristin Rydell ranks third on the team, scoring 7.2 points per game while grabbing 3.2 boards in 21.6 minutes.
- The Hutto native is averaging 9.0 points per game in her last seven games on 21-of-54 shooting from the field (38.9 percent) with 11 3-pointers, including a season-high three treys against UTPB (Jan. 6). 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).
- Senior guard Jasmine Richardson has scored at least five points in seven of her last 10 games, including a campaign-high of 11 points at Angelo State (Dec. 7). She ranks fourth on the team, scoring 6.4 points per game to go along with 2.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game.
- Richardson is ninth in the Lone Star Conference with 2.7 dimes per game.
- 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 seven games due to injury.
- Junior forward Chelsea Adams is sixth on the team in scoring with 5.8 points to go along with 4.2 rebounds per game. She's coming off a season-high six rebound performance against the Mustangs while adding nine points.
- The Dallas native has pulled down at least five boards in six of the last eight games and is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game over that stretch.
- 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 5.0 points while also pulling down 4.0 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.
- Senior forward Avery Queen is coming off a season-high six rebound, four block performance against WNMU. The six rebounds matched a previous season-high set against Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 2.
- Junior guard Chelcie Kizart is coming off a breakout performance against WNMU where she recorded season highs in points (11), minutes (23), field goals (4), field goal attempts (10), rebounds (6) and steals (4).
- Seven players carry averages of 5.0 points or better through the season's first 12 games including Taylor (10.6), Mercelita (9.8), Rydell (7.2), Richardson (6.4), Cathcart (5.9), Adams (5.8) and Reynolds (5.0).
- Noel Johnson is in her 10th season at the helm of the MSU women's basketball program with an overall record of 134-129 (.510). 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 EASTERN NEW MEXICO
- Midwestern State and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 48th-time overall and 41st-time as conference foes on the hardwood Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- MSU leads the overall series 27-20 which dates back to the 1986 season.
- Eastern New Mexico has claimed the last three head-to-head meetings. Prior to that run by the Greyhounds, the Mustangs claimed eight-straight against ENMU from 2013-16.
- The last win in the series by the Mustangs came on Jan. 9, 2016 in a 61-55 contest in Wichita Falls.
- Midwestern State is 15-8 all-time against ENMU in games played in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Greyhounds enter the matchup with an 8-6 overall record and a 4-3 mark in league play.
- Senior guard Mikaehla Connor leads the Greyhounds with 11.4 points per game while also grabbing 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
- Sophomore forward Shelby Jones is second on the team in both scoring and rebounding. The Clovis, N.M. native is scoring 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season.
- Senior post Daeshi McCants leads ENMU, grabbing 6.8 rebounds and scoring 7.1 points per game this season.
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