THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State played stingy defense and kept UT Permian Basin to 31.3 percent shooting to earn its first Lone Star Conference win of the season, 79-57, on Thursday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Five different players scored in double figures as the Mustangs tallied 23 assists on 26 made field goals.
 
The Mustangs assisted on each of the first 12 field goals and shot an even 50 percent from the floor, going 26-of-52 for their first league win since Feb. 17, 2018.
 
MSU Texas played its best 3-point defense of the season, keeping the Falcons to 2-for-20 from beyond the arc, including a 0-for-14 start through the midway point of the fourth quarter.
 
Senior guard Chelcie Kizart scored at least 10 points for the fourth time in the last five games, going for 15 points and a career-best seven assists. The St. Paul, Minn., native went 4-of-5 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
 
Senior guard Anni Scholl poured in a career-best 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and connecting on a pair of 3-pointers. The Henrietta product grabbed five boards and added a block and an assist.
 
Junior guard Courtney Kerr, sophomore guard Kityana Diaz and forward Hannah Reynolds all finished with 10 points.
 
Kerr started 3-for-3 from beyond the arc before finishing 3-for-5 with two rebounds and two assists.
 
Diaz matched a career-performance, pulling down a team-leading six rebounds while Reynolds was a one-man wrecking crew in the middle, tallying six blocks and second time in the last three games the Prosper native has had at least five rejections.
 
Sarah Bersang and Khali Pippins-Tryon paced the Falcons offense with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
 
The Maroon and Gold opened the contest hot, starting 9-of-14 from the floor to build a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, closing on a 14-5 run and holding UTPB scoreless for the final 2:53.
 
Reynolds closed the first half with four blocks and helped the Mustangs to an 8-0 run in the final minute to take a 38-29 lead into the break.
 
MSU Texas limited the Falcons to under 30.0 percent in the third and fourth quarter to close out the victory.
 
The Mustangs improve to 4-8 overall and 1-4 in LSC play while the Falcons drop to 3-10 overall and 0-5 in league action.
 
GAME NOTES
- Midwestern State snapped a six-game Lone Star Conference losing streak dating back to Feb. 17, 2018
- MSU Texas improved to 8-2 overall against UT Permian Basin and 5-1 at home
- The Mustangs limited UTPB to 2-20 from beyond the arc, the lowest 3-point field goal percentage of the season
- The 57 points allowed were the fourth lowest of the season
- MSU Texas shot 50.0 percent or better for the third time, going 26-of-52 from the field
- MSU Texas assisted on the first 12 field goals of the game and finished with 23, the third most of the year
- Chelcie Kizart scored in double figures for the fourth time in the last five outings while dishing out a career-high seven assists
- Hannah Reynolds rejected six shots to move into a tie with Rosy Ofoegbu (2007-08) and Aqueelah Watkins (2009-10) for the eighth most in single season history
 
UP NEXT
MSU Texas returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 12, against Western New Mexico. Tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is slated for 2 p.m.