Midwestern State (6-9, 3-5 LSC) at Texas A&M-Kingsville (7-8, 4-4 LSC)
Lone Star Conference Game
Thurs. Jan. 24 | 5:30 p.m.
Steinke Center | Kingsville, Texas
Live Stats: JavelinaAthletics.com | Watch: JavelinaAthletics.com | Listen: ESPN 95.5
Series Notes: MSU Texas leads 28-17 overall and is 13-10 in games played on the road | Mustangs are 13-2 in the last 15 meetings and 6-1 in last seven road matchups
First Meeting: MSU Texas won 76-60 in Kingsville on Nov. 25, 1994
Last Meeting: MSU Texas won 66-61 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Feb. 1, 2018
Last MSU Texas Win: MSU Texas won 66-61 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Feb. 1, 2018
Last TAMK Win: 60-47 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Dec. 19, 2016
 
Scouting the Javelinas: Texas A&M-Kingsville enters Thursday's matchup with a 7-8 overall record and a 4-4 mark in LSC play…TAMK currently sits fifth in Lone Star Conference play as the first half of league play wraps up this weekend…the Javelinas have won four of their last five contests, including an upset of then-No. 2 West Texas A&M, 86-84, on Jan. 10 at the Steinke Center…after a 2-6 start to the season, TAMK turned the corner at the start of 2019, going 4-2 since the beginning of January…the Javelinas average 59.9 points per game (9^th LSC) on 34.5 percent shooting (10^th LSC) while giving up 67.1 points per game (10^th LSC) on 40.3 percent shooting (8^th LSC)…TAMK gives up 40.9 rebounds per game (11^th LSC) to rank dead last in rebounding margin at -4.6…the 364 free throws by the Javelinas rank No. 1 in the LSC and 41^st nationally, but they only convert at a 66.8 percent clip (10^th LSC)…junior guard Brynae Thompson leads the LSC with 15.9 points per game and has five games with at least 20 points…senior forward Cloe Lane ranks second on the team and 21^st in the LSC with 10.9 points and is also second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game…Lane also ranks second in the LSC with 2.3 steals per game, trailing Angelo State's Marquita Daniels by 1.2…junior guard Rachel Tapps orchestrates the offense with a team-high 1.8 assists per game…
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State aims to win its second-straight road game as it travels to Kingsville to take on the Javelinas on Thursday. The Mustangs are looking for their fourth win in the last five games. Tipoff at the Steinke Center is slated for 5:30 p.m.
 
Storylines
Year 11 of Noel Johnson Era
The Noel Johnson era enters its 11th season in 2018-19 after becoming the winningest coach in program history on Dec. 19, 2017 in a 72-66 win at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
Overall, the Mustangs have posted a 145-147 (.497) record under Johnson's guidance with three-straight NCAA Division II South Central Regional berths from 2013-15 and a regional title game appearance during a historic run in 2012-13.
 
Offensively Speaking
The Mustangs average 70.9 points per game, the 14^th best mark in MSU Texas history and sixth highest in the LSC on 41.7 percent shooting, the 15^th highest field goal percentage in school history.
 
Sultans of Swat
MSU Texas leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks sixth nationally with 5.5 blocks per game. Defensively, the Maroon and Gold are holding opponents to 36.5 percent shooting from the floor this season, the second lowest in the LSC.
 
The Mustangs boast three of the top 11 single game team blocking performances (10 - vs. St. Mary's, 12/15/18; 9 - vs. UT Tyler, 12/19/18; 9 - vs. Texas A&M-Commerce, 1/3/19) while the 5.5 blocks per game would shatter the previous team record of 4.3 set in the 2014-15 season. MSU Texas has at least five blocks in 11 of 15 games this season, but has combined for five rejections in the last two games (CU, 3; TWU, 2).
 
The 83 blocks this season rank as the sixth-most in team history and 45 behind the program record of 128 set in the 2014-15 season with a minimum of 11 games remaining.
 
Schneider Sparks Fourth Quarter Run
Trailing Texas Woman's, 54-39 entering the fourth quarter, MSU Texas outscored the Pioneers 37-18 to complete the comeback. Junior Mica Schneider scored 17 of her 19 points in the final 10 minutes, going 4-of-6 from the floor, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 from the free throw line to spark the offense. Sophomore Kityana Diaz added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in the final stanza as the Mustangs came two points shy of doubling their output from the first 30 minutes. The Maroon and Gold locked down the Pioneers defensively, holding TWU to 1-of-10 from the field. Both teams combined to shoot 43 free throws in the final quarter alone.
 
Reynolds Keeps Climbing
Sophomore forward Hannah Reynolds continues to climb the MSU Texas all-time blocks list. The Prosper native sits at sixth all-time with 71 career rejections. She trails Jel-ani Armstrong's (2002-04) fifth place mark of 75 by four and Shambreka Jones (2012-15) fourth place record of 85 by 14. Reynolds needs 67 more blocks to match Monica Miller's (1991-95) all-time record of 138.
 
Additionally, the sophomore's 39 stuffs this year match Dorcas Perkins (1982-83) for the sixth most in team history. She needs seven more to match Jel-ani Armstrong's (2003-04) 46 rejections for fifth all-time. Reynolds needs 19 blocks to match Shambreka Jones' (2014-15) single season record of 58.
 
Model of Efficiency
The Mustangs offense has limited turnovers and maximized possessions for a 0.99 assist/turnover ratio, the fourth best in the LSC. Five different players have at least 20 assists in Mica Schneider (58), Chelcie Kizart (45), Haevyn Risley (25), Anni Scholl (23) and Kityana Diaz (22). MSU Texas has assisted on 241 of 381 (63.3 percent) made field goals. The 16.1 assists per game currently ranks as the sixth-best in program history, trailing the all-time record of 18.8 set by the 1996-97 squad.
 
Battle of the Boards
The Mustangs have held an advantage in rebounds in eight games this season, posting a 5-3 record. In games that the opponent pulls down the same or more rebounds, the Maroon and Gold are 1-6, with the lone win coming in the victory over UTPB. Additionally, MSU Texas is 4-1 when holding a +8 advantage on the glass. The Mustangs have been outrebounded in five of the eight Lone Star Conference games this season (tied Eastern New Mexico, 39-39).
 
Player Notes
#2 Chelcie Kizart (9.7 PPG / 3.0 APG / 4.6 RPG)
Started 14 games at point guard and averages 27.2 minutes…shooting 43.2 percent from the floor, 38.6 percent from 3-point range and 69.2 percent at the free throw line…26^th leading scorer in the LSC and second on the team…ranks seventh in the LSC with 3.0 assists per game…scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in season opener against Oklahoma Christian, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor (11/9)...dropped a career-high 17 against Dallas Christian, going 4-of-5 from 3-point range (11/17)…set a personal high with five assists in the win over UT Tyler coming off the bench (12/19)…matched a career best with 17 points in a loss to Henderson State (12/29)…matched a career best with 17 points against Tarleton State, connecting on four 3-pointers and going 6-of-9 from the floor (1/5)…scored her 200^th career point and grabbed career rebound No. 100 in the loss to Tarleton State (1/5)…posted her second-straight game in double-figures with a 15-point, seven assist, five rebound effort against UTPB (1/10)...poured in 13 for her third-straight double-digit scoring outing, going 6-of-10 from the floor (1/12)…has six games with at least 10 points and six games with at least four assists…averaging 11.4 points in the last five games, scoring 17, 15, 13, 5 and 7 while shooting 21-of-42 (50.0 percent) from the floor and 7-of-20 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc…averaging 6.0 rebounds in the last six games…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 17, thrice, last vs. Tarleton State (1/5) / [same]
Assists: 7 vs. UTPB (1/10) / [same]
Rebounds: 8 vs. Oklahoma Christian (11/9) / [same]
Steals: 3, twice, last at Henderson State (12/29) / [4, twice, last at Western New Mexico (2/17/18)]
Blocks: 1, twice, last at West Texas A&M (12/1) / [same]
 
#3 Annette Dukes (6.4 PPG / 0.4 APG / 3.9 RPG)
Appeared in 14 games off the bench, averaging 13.5 minutes…shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 70.3 percent from the free throw line…scored her first career double-double in the win over Dallas Christian, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on 77.8 percent shooting (11/17)…made MSU Texas debut against Newman with six points and five rebounds in 10 minutes against Newman (11/10)…came off the bench for eight points against West Texas A&M (12/1)…scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes of action against UT Tyler (12/19)...matched a season-best with 17 points in 20 minutes against Western New Mexico, going 7-of-8 from the free throw line (1/12)…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 17, twice, last vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [same]
Assists: 1, five times, last vs. Cameron (1/15) / [same]
Rebounds: 10 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Steals: 2 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Blocks: 1, twice, last vs. Cameron (1/15) / [same]
 
#4 Mica Schneider (8.2 PPG / 3.9 APG / 3.0 RPG)
Appeared in 15 games while making nine starts and averaging 25.3 minutes…shooting 33.9 percent from the floor, 20.3 percent from 3-point land and 71.4 percent from the free throw line…fifth-leading scorer on the team at 8.2 PPG…ranks fifth in the LSC with 3.9 assists per game and third in the league with a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio…handed out a career-high five assists against Newman (11/10)…scored six points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds against Texas Wesleyan (11/16)…scored career-best 10 points in win over Dallas Christian (11/17)…matched career-high with 10 point outing at West Texas A&M (12/1)…added nine points and seven rebounds in upset of 21^st-ranked St. Mary's (12/15)…recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 12 assists in a win over UT Tyler, good for the second-most assists in team history and most assist in the LSC this season (12/19)…scored in double figures for the fourth time this season with 10 points on 50.0 percent shooting against Tarleton State (1/5)…recorded her 100^th career assist against Western New Mexico (1/12)…broke a career-high with 19 points in the comeback against Texas Woman's, scoring 17 of her 19 in the fourth quarter and all 19 in the second half (1/17)…snapped a string of 13-straight missed 3-pointers against the Pioneers (1/17)…credited with an assist in all but two games this season and has at least three dimes in each of the last six games…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 19 at Texas Woman's (1/17) / [same]
Assists: 12 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Rebounds: 7, twice, last vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
Steals: 3, thrice, last at Texas Woman's (1/17) / [same]
Blocks: 2, twice, last vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [3 vs. UT Permian Basin (2/8/18)]
 
#11 Hannah Reynolds (11.8 PPG / 1.2 APG / 6.2 RPG)
Appeared in all 15 games while making 13 starts and averaging 26.3 minutes…shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 56.8 percent from the free throw line…leads the team with 11.8 points per game and ranks 16^th in the LSC…top shot-blocker in the LSC with 39 blocks (22^nd in NCAA DII) and averaging 2.6 per game (18^th in NCAA DII)…second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game (15^th LSC)…scored in double figures 11 times on the season…scored 13 in the season-opener against Oklahoma Christian, shooting 60.0 percent from the floor and added nine rebounds (11/9)…broke through for double-digit boards against Texas Wesleyan with 11 (11/16)…scored 13 points in back-to-back games against Dallas Christian and at Eastern New Mexico (11/29)…added a career-best 19 points in the win over UT Tyler, going 9-of-16 from the floor with six rebounds (12/19)...broke the single game block record with eight rejections against Texas A&M-Commerce and turned in her best all-around performance with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and eight blocks while shooting 63.6 percent from the floor (1/3)...poured in 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the loss to Tarleton State (1/5)…tacked on 10 points, five rebounds and six blocks against UT Permian Basin (1/10)…held scoreless for the first time this season against Western New Mexico, going 0-for-5 from the floor with seven rebounds and three blocks (1/12)…named LSC Defensive Player of the Week for her performance against UTPB and WNMU (1/15)…went for a career-best 23 points on 10-of-21 shooting (47.6 percent) and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season against Cameron (1/15)…recorded the most points by a MSU Texas player since Whitney Taylor scored 23 against Cameron on Jan. 17, 2017 (1/15)…followed her career performance with a 13-point, five assist, two block outing against Texas Woman's (1/17)…has three or more blocks in seven games this season…averaging 13.4 points, 1.9 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks over the last eight games…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 23 vs. Cameron (1/15) / [same]
Assists: 5 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
Rebounds: 11 vs. Texas Wesleyan (11/16) / [same]
Steals: 3 vs. Cameron (1/15) / [same]
Blocks: 8 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
 
#14 Kityana Diaz (9.6 PPG / 1.5 APG / 3.7 RPG)
Appeared in all 15 games while making 13 starts and averaging 19.8 minutes…shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, 29.0 percent from 3-point range and 68.8 percent from the free throw line…third leading scorer on the team with 9.6 points per game and has scored in double figures in seven games this season…ranks 11^th in the LSC with 1.7 steals per game… nine games this season with multiple steals, including three of the last four…scored in double figures for the first time in her career with 12 points against Newman (11/10)…scored a career-best 14 points, going 8-of-11 from the free throw line while adding four assists in the win over Dallas Christian (11/17)…added 11 points and six rebounds at Eastern New Mexico (11/29)…matched a season-high with six rebounds in the win over St. Mary's (12/15)…continued to improve her career totals, going for a high of 15 points against UT Tyler on 7-of-7 shooting with a rebound and two assists along with three steals (12/19)…poured in 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals against UT Permian Basin (1/10)…came one point shy of matching her career-best in win over Western New Mexico, dropping 14 with six boards and two steals (1/12)…added nine points, five rebounds, two steals and a block against Cameron (1/15)…broke a career-high with 16 points, including nine in the fourth quarter of the comeback win against Texas Woman's, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc…averaging 10.8 points on 31-of-55 (56.4 percent shooting in the last eight games with 1.8 steals per game…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 16 at Texas Woman's (1/17) / [same]
Assists: 4 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Rebounds: 6, four times, last vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [same]
Steals: 3, four times, last vs. UTPB (1/10) / [same]
Blocks: 1, five times, last vs. Cameron (1/15) / [same]
 
#15 Haevyn Risley (3.8 PPG / 1.9 APG / 3.5 RPG)
Appeared in 13 games and making six starts…averages 19.2 minutes…shooting 36.5 percent from the floor and 30.6 percent from the free throw line…grabbed three rebounds in her MSU Texas debut against Oklahoma Christian (11/9)…made four-straight starts against Eastern New Mexico, West Texas A&M, St. Mary's and UT Tyler (12/19)…pulled down six rebounds in the win over UT Tyler (12/29)…matched a season-high with six boards against A&M-Commerce (1/3)...set a season-best with four assists against Tarleton State (1/5)…recorded a career-high 10 points and eight rebounds, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field while adding three assists in the win over Western New Mexico (1/12)…added six points and three rebounds against Cameron (1/15)…grabbed seven rebounds in the comeback win over Texas Woman's (1/17)…broke out of a 2-for-18 (11.1 percent) slump from Dec. 19 – Jan. 5 by going 11-for-19 (57.9 percent) in the last four games while averaging 6.5 points over that stretch…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 10 vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [same]
Assists: 4, twice, last vs. UTPB (1/10) / [same]
Rebounds: 8 vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [same]
Steals: 2 at Texas Woman's (1/17) / [same]
Blocks: 1, twice, last vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
 
#24 Courtney Kerr (4.3 PPG / 0.9 APG / 1.1 RPG)
Appeared in 15 games and made two starts while averaging 17.0 minutes…shooting 34.8 percent from the floor, 25.0 percent from 3-point range and 66.7 percent from the free throw line…has three games in double figures this season…scored a career-high 12 points against Newman, going 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range (11/10)…scored 11 points and pulled down three rebounds in her first career start against Dallas Christian (11/17)…matched a career best with three rebounds against Henderson State (12/29)…hit a season-best three 3-pointers against UT Permian Basin before finishing with 10 points (1/10)…matched a season-high with two assists against Cameron (1/15)
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 12 vs. Newman (11/10) / [same]
Assists: 2, five times, last vs. Cameron (1/15) / [4 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (12/19/16)]
Rebounds: 3, twice, last vs. Henderson State (12/29) / [same]
Steals: 1, eight times, last vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [2 vs. Angelo State (2/3/18)]
Blocks: 1, thrice, last vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
 
#25 Anni Scholl (3.8 PPG / 1.5 APG / 3.5 RPG)
Appeared in 15 games while making her lone start of the season against UT Tyler…averages 16.5 minutes…shooting 25.4 percent from the field, 21.4 percent from beyond the arc and 88.9 percent from the free throw line…scored a career-best 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting with five rebounds and four assists against Dallas Christian (11/17)…knocked down three 3-pointers, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and grabbed five rebounds against St. Mary's (12/15)…set a new career-best with seven rebounds against UT Tyler (12/19)…dropped a career-best 12 points on a pair of 3-pointers with five rebounds against UT Permian Basin (1/10)…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 12 vs. UTPB (1/10) / [same]
Assists: 4 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Rebounds: 7 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Steals: 2, three times, last vs. Tarleton State (1/5) / [same]
Blocks: 1, five times, last vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [3 vs. Newman (11/20/16)]
 
#32 Erin Alexander (7.5 PPG / 1.4 APG / 6.5 RPG)
Started six games at forward and appeared in 10 outings…averages 24.1 minutes…shooting 52.1 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent (2-of-4) from 3-point range and 76.7 percent from the free throw line…made her MSU Texas debut against Oklahoma Christian, scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds in 34 minutes (11/9)…recorded her first career double-double against Dallas Christian with 11 points and 11 rebounds…produced a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks against St. Mary's (12/15)…named Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week for helping hold St. Mary's and UT Tyler to 35.5 points and 19.5 shooting from the floor (12/19)…added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting against Tarleton State with two blocks and two steals (1/5)…has grabbed at least five rebounds in all but one game this season…shot better than 50.0 percent in seven games…has not played since Jan. 5 against Tarleton State…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 11 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Assists: 3, twice, last at Eastern New Mexico (11/29) / [same]
Rebounds: 12 vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
Steals: 4 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Blocks: 3 vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
 
#43 Liz Cathcart (9.0 PPG / 1.2 APG / 4.2 RPG)
Appeared in all 15 games, making 11 starts and averaging 22.0 minutes…shooting 43.0 percent from the floor and 80.8 percent from the free throw line…fourth leading scorer on the team…seven games in double-figures…scored 14 points in the season opener against Oklahoma Christian, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line (11/9)…scored a career-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting (72.7 percent) in her first start of the season against Texas Wesleyan (11/16)…followed up with a 14 point outing against Dallas Christian, picking up a career-best four steals in the process…posted double-figures in her third-straight game with 10 points and five rebounds at Eastern New Mexico (11/29)…went for 16 against UT Tyler on 6-of-10 shooting with 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the year (12/19)…collected her 200th career rebound against Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3)...posted 11 points and six rebounds in the win over Western New Mexico, going 5-of-6 from the free throw line (1/12)…credited with eight points and five rebounds in the loss to Cameron (1/15)…scored 11 points, going 7-of-10 from the free throw line, and grabbed eight rebounds in the comeback win over Texas Woman's (1/17)…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 18 vs. Texas Wesleyan (11/16) / [same]
Assists: 3, thrice, last vs. UT Tyler (12/29) / [6 vs. Texas A&M International (11/12/16)]
Rebounds: 11 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Steals: 4 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Blocks: 2, twice, last vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [3 vs. Cameron (2/20/18)]
 
Mustangs on ESPN 95.5
Midwestern State women's basketball airs live on ESPN 95.5 FM beginning the pregame show 15 minutes prior to tipoff.
 
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All Midwestern State home games are set for broadcast on the Mustangs Digital Network both live and on demand at MSUMustangs.tv. Season passes are available for $30 while single games run $9 each.
 
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Up Next
MSU Texas returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 26 against Angelo State.