THE RUNDOWN
CANYON – The MSU Mustangs were unable to overcome a strong second half by second-ranked West Texas A&M as MSU lost the clash of the two remaining unbeaten teams in Lone Star Conference, 64-46.
 
Despite the 18-point setback, the Mustangs held the No. 2 team in check for much of the night. MSU led for much of the early portion of the contest before surrendering the lead for good with just over six minutes to play in the second quarter.
 
In the second half, Midwestern was limited to 6-of-25 shooting (24.0 percent) and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Despite the cold shooting, the Mustangs entered the fourth quarter down just eight at 48-40.
 
The Mustangs connected on just 2-of-15 shots in the final period, allowing the Lady Buffs to stretch out the lead and close out the game.
 
Hannah Reynolds paced the MSU offense, putting up 11 points while Jasmine Richardson grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
 
The loss is the second-straight by MSU which moved to 7-4 on the season and 4-1 in Lone Star Conference play.
  
NOTES
- Midwestern State limited West Texas A&M to just 15.0 percent from beyond the arc, the lowest the Lady Buffs have shot this season.
- The Mustangs outrebounded West Texas A&M 40-38, marking just the second time this season WT has been beaten on the glass.
- On the offensive end, MSU grabbed 11 boards, but was only able to produce six second chance points off the caroms.
- The Mustangs connected on two 3-pointers which matches a season low. MSU shot 2-of-18 from beyond the arc earlier this season at St. Mary's and went 2-of-15 earlier this week against Southern Nazarene.
- Freshman center Hannah Reynolds led the Mustangs with 11 points. The Prosper native eclipsed the double-digit plateau for the second time this season while pulling down six rebounds.
- Senior forward Micheline Mercelita scored in double-figures for the fourth-straight game with a 10-point outing against the Lady Buffs.
- Senior guard Whitney Taylor drained an early 3-pointer and now needs two more treys to move past Andrea Buben (132 3s/2006-10) for second on the all-time list.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State remains on the road, traveling to UT Permian Basin on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 in Odessa. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.