Midwestern State (13-13, 10-10) vs. #23 West Texas A&M (24-4, 16-4)
Lone Star Conference Championship
Thursday, March 1, 2018 | 2:30 p.m.
Dr Pepper Arena | Frisco, Texas
MSU trails the all-time series 17-52 | Mustangs are 2-3 vs. WT in neutral site meetings | Lady Buffs have won nine-straight
Live Stats: LoneStarConference.org | Radio: ESPN 95.5 FM | Audio: Mustangs Digital Network | Video: LoneStarConference.org
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
 
MUSTANGS AT THE LSC TOURNEY: MSU Texas opens play at the 2017-18 Lone Star Conference Championships at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco on Thursday against 23^rd-ranked West Texas A&M. Midwestern State has won the LSC Tournament twice in its history, the first coming in the 2000-01 season and the last during the 2012-13 campaign.
 
The Mustangs are 0-2 against the Lady Buffs this season, losing 64-46 in Canyon (Jan. 4) and 78-67 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Feb. 10). MSU's last win over WT came on Jan. 7, 2015, in a 77-64 victory in Wichita Falls.
 
- Last appearance: March 2, 2016 vs. #11/9 West Texas A&M (L, 63-44)
- Last win: March 4, 2015 vs. Eastern New Mexico (W, 70-49)
- Last championship: March 9, 2013 vs. West Texas A&M (W, 85-83 OT)
- Against WT at LSC Tournament: MSU is 1-3 against the Lady Buffs with three of the four games decided by three points or fewer.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The LSC's top eight teams advanced to the LSC Championship Tournament, beginning on Thursday, March 1. The tournament champion earns the league's automatic qualification bid to the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball South Central Regional.
 
THURSDAY, MARCH 1
Game One – (6) Cameron vs. (3) Texas A&M-Commerce, 12 p.m.
Game Two – (7) Midwestern State vs. (2) West Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m.
Game Three – (5) Tarleton State vs. (4) Eastern New Mexico, 6 p.m.
Game Four – (8) Texas Woman's vs. (1) Angelo State, 8:30 p.m.
 
SATURDAY, MARCH 3
Game Nine – Game One winner vs. Game Two winner, 12 p.m.
Game 10 – Game Three winner vs. Game Four winner, 2:30 p.m.
 
SUNDAY, MARCH 4
Game 13 – Game Nine winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m.
 
THE RAINMAKER: Senior guard Whitney Taylor etched her name atop the all-time three point list in a 69-55 loss to Cameron on Feb. 20, passing former teammate Lisa Hampton's record of 154 3-pointers from 2011-15. Since a 15-point night against Texas Woman's on Jan. 18, the Melissa native has gone into double figures three times over a 10-game stretch, averaging 8.3 points per game and shooting 33.3 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from beyond the arc.
 
CATHCART PROVIDING A SPARK: Sophomore Liz Cathcart has been a sparkplug for the Mustangs since returning from injury on Feb. 8 against UT Permian Basin. The Spring Branch native is averaging 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds for MSU. Cathcart went a perfect 7-for-7 against Western New Mexico on Feb. 17, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
 
MICHELINE THE MACHINE: Senior forward Micheline Mercelita tallied her seventh double-double of the season against the Lady Buffs in the last meeting on Feb. 10. The Edinburg product is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.4 points while leading the Mustangs in rebounding, pulling down 8.2 boards per game.
 
RYDELL RIDING HIGH: Senior guard Kristin Rydell has come on strong in the last month of the season. Since Jan. 27, the Hutto product is averaging 10.9 points per game and has scored at least nine points in seven of nine games during that stretch. Rydell has gone into double-figures seven times this season, including back-to-back outings against Cameron and Texas Woman's to close out the regular season.
 
LADY BUFFS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS: 23^rd-ranked West Texas A&M enters the tournament with a 24-4 overall record and winners of nine-straight. After a rough patch in the middle of the season in which WT went 1-4, the Lady Buffs have won nine in a row and are winning by an average of 20.2 points. Sophomore guard Lexy Hightower leads the offense, providing 14.4 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting, going 44.1 percent from 3-point land. Senior forward Madison Parker is WT's leading rebounder, pulling down 6.1 caroms while adding 10.8 points per game.