Midwestern State (6-14) vs. St. Mary's (7-13)
Monday, Jan. 29, 2018 | 6 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 faces St. Mary's (Texas) in its final non-conference matchup of the season Monday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Mustangs are playing under the dome for the sixth time in their 21st overall game this season. MSU 3-2 on its home floor this season.
- Nelson Haggerty boasts a 141-64 record (.688) 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 ranks second in the Lone Star Conference and ranks 36th in NCAA Division II by forcing 16.21 turnovers per game and is also second in the LSC in team steals per game with 7.9 ranking 52nd nationally.
- MSU is fourth in the league in turnover margin at +1.9.
- The Mustangs average 18.1 points off of turnovers per game accounting for 22.5 percent of their total output.
- Midwestern tops the Lone Star Conference in offensive rebounds per game (12.95) while averaging 15.2 second-chance points a contest.
- Midwestern is fourth in the league in scoring at 80.3 points per game, but 10th in scoring defense allowing 84.8 points a game.
- MSU ranks 94th in NCAA D2 in scoring at 80.3 points per game. The Mustangs have scored 80-or-more points in 11 games this season.
- The Mustangs are second in the LSC and 73rd in NCAA D2 with a 74.0 team free throw percentage.
- MSU has held a lead in 19 of its 20 games this season holding more than a 2-point edge in all but two of those games. The Mustangs are 4-5 in games in which they held a lead of at least 10-or-more points this season.
- Senior guard Brandon Neel ranks fourth in the LSC and 113th in NCAA Division II in scoring at 18.2 points per game.
- Neel boasts 17 games with at least 10 points this season and seven 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. Neel connected on a season-high five 3-pointers on his way to 27 points at Tarleton State on Jan. 27th which stands as his high during league play. He also poured in a team-high 24 points in MSU's win over Rollins on Dec. 18th.
- Neel ranks fourth in the LSC during league play scoring 17.6 points per game.
- Neel tops MSU and is 11th in the LSC pulling down 5.9 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 4.5 assists per game and is ninth in steals per game with 1.4. 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 has scored in double digits in each of his last eight games including a 24-point effort at West Texas A&M. He has scored at least 10 points in 14 of his last 15 outings.
- Pullum is averaging 15.7 points, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game over his last 15 games while shooting 47.9 percent from the field (80-of-167) to bring his season scoring average from 8.0 to 13.8 points per game.
- Pullum ranks third in the LSC and 105th in NCAA D2 in free throw percentage at 83.8 percent (62-of-74).
- Pullum rates sixth in the Lone Star Conference during league play averaging 17.3 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). He was a perfect 7-for-7 with five 3-pointers in the first half against Tarleton State (1/27) finishing with 21 points.
- Sophomore guard Logan Hicks ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.8 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 35.8 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from the arc (36-for-115).
- Senior guard Trey Kennedy scores 8.6 points per game notching 10-or-more points in eight 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.
- Kennedy erupted for 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting including two 3-pointers while going 4-for-5 from the charity stripe at Texas A&M-Commerce (1/25). He added four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes of action.
- 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 seven times this season after setting season highs in his second double-double of the season going for 17 points and 13 rebounds against Eastern New Mexico (1/13). That bettered his previous bests of 16 points against Western State (11/18) and Southern Indiana (12/19). He notched his first 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 three of his last seven 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). He shrugged off illness to score eight points and pull down nine rebounds in 12 minutes against Eastern New Mexico (1/13). Bail was perfect 5-for-5 from the field with a 3-pointer to finish with 13 points and six rebounds at Texas A&M-Commerce (1/25).
- Redshirt-freshman Charles Callier connected on two 3-pointers to notch escalating season highs of eight points against Western New Mexico (1/11) and nine points versus Eastern New Mexico (1/13).
- Junior forward Ola Ayodele exploded for a team individual high of 14 rebounds making his first start of the season last week at Cameron. The London, England native is averaging 8.3 points, 11 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 32.7 minutes a game while making starts in the last three games for the Mustangs.
- Sophomore guard Romello Walker returned from injury to play two minutes in the first half last week at Cameron. It was his first action since Nov. 25th against Florida Southern. He missed seven games. Walker is averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game.
VERSUS ST. MARY'S
- Midwestern State and St. Mary's (Texas) meet for the 33rd time on the hardwood Monday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- The Rattlers hold a 17-15 edge in the series which dates back to the 1975 NAIA National Tournament. MSU won the first meeting 65-60 over 7th-ranked STMU in Kansas City.
- St. Mary's has won the last two meetings and three of the last four. This is the fourth consecutive season the programs have squared off in a non-conference game.
- Midwestern State is 12-4 all-time against the Rattlers in games played at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
- St. Mary's is on a four-game slide coming into Monday night's matchup with Midwestern State falling to Rogers State, Arkansas-Fort Smith, St. Edward's and Dallas Baptist.
- The Rattlers play their sixth game against Lone Star Conference opponents this season. St. Mary's split a home-and-home with Texas A&M-Kingsville while also playing Angelo State, Tarleton State and UT Permian Basin.
- St. Mary's (3-6) is currently eighth in the standings of the nine-team Heartland Conference.
- Junior forward Petar Radojicic paces the Rattlers in scoring at 13.8 points per game while pulling down a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game.
- Junior guard Juwan Green pitches in 11 points while dishing out 2.8 assists per game.
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