Texas A&M-Commerce def. Midwestern State, 70-57
Lone Star Conference Game
Thurs. Jan. 3 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Recap | Box Score | Game Book (PDF)
 
Scouting the Lions: A&M-C enters the matchup with a 6-4 overall record and a 1-1 mark in league play…the Lions have won four of their last five contests, including three straight over Texas A&M-Kingsville, Northeastern State and Dallas Christian…A&M-C ranks third in the LSC with 74.9 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting while allowing 61.3 points per game on the defensive end…senior Princess Davis orchestrates the offense, delivering 4.9 assists per game and is the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.5 points…sophomore Chania Wright tops the Lions offensively with 13.0 PPG and has scored in double-digits in all but two contests this season…
 
Midwestern State (3-7, 0-3 LSC) vs. Tarleton State (8-3, 1-2 LSC)
Lone Star Conference Game
Sat. Jan. 5 | 2 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com | Watch: Mustangs Digital Network | Listen: ESPN 95.5
Series History: MSU Texas leads 37-33 overall and 20-12 at home | Last Meeting: TexAnns won 86-81 in Stephenville on Jan. 27, 2018
 
Scouting the TexAnns: Tarleton State enters the weekend with an 8-3 overall record and a 1-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play…the TexAnns are averaging 86.5 points per game on their four game winning streak…overall TSU ranks fourth in the LSC with 73.9 points per game on 43.2 percent shooting while giving up 64.7 points per game on the defensive end…three players for the TexAnns are averaging better than 13.0 points per game, led by Kaylee Allen and Mackenzie Hailey with 15.0 apiece…defensively TSU is one of the best teams at forcing turnovers, ranking 12^th-nationally in steals per game at 12.3…Tarleton is coming off an 83-79 loss to Cameron on Thursday despite having three players with at least 20 points....Kaylee Allen (25), Katie Webster (21) and Mackenzie Hailey (20) combined for 66 of the 79 points...
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas –  Midwestern State continues a four-game homestand on Saturday welcoming Tarleton State to D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 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 142-145 (.494) 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.
 
Sultans of Swat
MSU Texas leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks fourth nationally with 5.9 blocks per game. Defensively, the Maroon and Gold are holding opponents to 35.4 percent shooting from the floor this season. 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 5.9 blocks per game would shatter the previous team record of 4.3 set in the 2014-15 season.

Reynolds Breaks Blocks Record
Sophomore forward Hannah Reynolds broke the MSU Texas single-game record with eight blocks on Thursday against Texas A&M-Commerce. Reynolds performance was the best in the Lone Star Conference this season, passing Texas Woman's London Archer's previous high of six against Texas Wesleyan on Dec. 8. Furthermore, the effort matches the eighth-best NCAA DII performance this season. The Prosper native's 56 career blocks rank sixth all-time, tying Michelle Mims (1985-89). She needs 19 more to match Jel-ani Armstrong's (2002-04) fifth-place mark of 75. Additionally, Reynolds' 24 rejections this season are the 16th most in single season history.
 
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. Mica Schneider (40) and Chelcie Kizart (29) boast 69 of the team's 163 dimes on the season, coming off 259 made field goals. The 16.3 assists per game from MSU Texas currently ranks as the fourth-best in program history, trailing the all-time record of 18.8 by 1996-97.
 
Player Notes
#2 Chelcie Kizart (8.8 PPG / 2.9 APG / 4.0 RPG)
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)…started all but one game this season…has five games with at least four assists…needs two points to reach 200 and six rebounds for 100 in her career (1/3)...
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 17, twice, last at Henderson State (12/29) / [same]
Assists: 5 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [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 (6.7 PPG / 0.4 APG / 3.9 RPG)
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)...
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 17 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Assists: 1, four times, last vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Rebounds: 10 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Steals: 2 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Blocks: 0
 
#4 Mica Schneider (8.6 PPG / 4.0 APG / 3.3 RPG)
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…scored at least eight points in each of the last seven outings…needs 10 assists for 100 in her career (1/3)
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 12 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Assists: 12 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Rebounds: 7, twice, last vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
Steals: 3, twice, last at Henderson State (11/10) / [same]
Blocks: 2 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [3 vs. UT Permian Basin (2/8/18)]
 
#11 Hannah Reynolds (11.6 PPG / 1.0 APG / 5.7 RPG)
Leads the team with 11.6 points per game…top shot-blocker in the Lone Star Conference with 24 blocks and averages 2.4 blocks per game while ranking 44th and 68^th nationally…scored at least 10 points in seven games, dropping 13 on three separate occasions…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)...
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 19 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Assists: 5 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
Rebounds: 11 vs. Texas Wesleyan (11/16) / [same]
Steals: 2 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [3 at Western New Mexico (2/17/18)
Blocks: 8 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
 
#14 Kityana Diaz (8.9 PPG / 1.7 APG / 3.5 RPG)
Made eight starts this season...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)…shot 50.0 percent in three-straight games and better than 40.0 percent in five-straight outings…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…scored eight points in each of the last two outings (1/3)...whistled for at least two fouls in all 10 games, four games with four fouls while fouling out of three contests...
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 15 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Assists: 4 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Rebounds: 6, twice, last vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
Steals: 3, thrice, last vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Blocks: 1, four times, last vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3/19) / [same]
 
#15 Haevyn Risley (2.8 PPG / 1.4 APG / 3.1 RPG)
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)...
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 7 vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
Assists: 2, four times, last vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
Rebounds: 6, twice, last vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
Steals: 1, six times, last vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
Blocks: 1, twice, last vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
 
#24 Courtney Kerr (4.4 PPG / 0.8 APG / 1.1 RPG)
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)…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 12 vs. Newman (11/10) / [same]
Assists: 2, thrice, last at Henderson State (12/29) / [4 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (12/19/16)]
Rebounds: 3, twice, last vs. Henderson State (12/29) / [same]
Steals: 1, seven times, last at Henderson State (12/29) / [2 vs. Angelo State (2/3/18)]
Blocks: 1, thrice, last vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
 
#25 Anni Scholl (3.8 PPG / 1.6 APG / 3.8 RPG)
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)…shot 0-11 from the field in each of the last two games, including 0-7 from 3-point range, with five rebounds in each game (1/3)...
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 11 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Assists: 4 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Rebounds: 7 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Steals: 2 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Blocks: 1, three times, last vs. Henderson State (12/29) / [3 vs. Newman (11/20/16)]
 
#32 Erin Alexander (7.2 PPG / 1.6 APG / 7.1 RPG)
Started six games at forward…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 against St. Mary's (12/15)…tallied 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)…has grabbed at least five rebounds in every match this season…scored nine points with six rebounds against Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3)...
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 11 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Assists: 3, twice, last at Eastern New Mexico (11/29) / [same]
Rebounds: 11 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Steals: 4 vs. UT Tyler (12/19) / [same]
Blocks: 3 vs. St. Mary's (12/15) / [same]
 
#43 Liz Cathcart (9.0 PPG / 1.4 APG / 4.0 RPG)
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)...
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.
 
Mustangs Digital Network
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 Thursday, Jan. 10 against UT Permian Basin. Tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is set for 5:30 p.m.