WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Elizabeth Cathcart scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to notch her first double-double of the season, but Midwestern State, playing for the first time in 16 days, started off slow, and could not recover in an 84-73 loss to Henderson State on Monday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The Mustangs turned the ball over seven times in the opening quarter to find themselves in a 23-17 hole. Markayla Johnson's layup with 8:12 remaining in the first half cut the deficit to 27-23 before Lani Snowden's three-pointer sparked a 10-2 run for Henderson State. 

"You could tell we had not played in over two weeks and that really hurt us," MSU Head Coach Noel Johnson said. "It took us about three quarters to get in a rhythm."

Henderson State pushed the lead to 17 points at 64-47 late in the third when Maci Mains connected from deep. The sophomore poured in 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting off the bench.

MSU showed signs of life in the fourth, clawing to within 10 at 80-70 with 3:18 left when Shawnisay Millar connected on two free throws. Millar scored a season-high 15 points in her first MSU start. But Lexis Weber's three-point play on the next HSU possession put the game out of reach.

Hailey Estes led all players with 24 points. Estes, who came in averaging a double-double (14.0 PPG & 10.0 RPG), also grabbed 12 rebounds. 

After a challenging non-conference slate, Midwestern State opens Lone Star Conference play on Thursday night against UT Permian Basin.

"Obviously, you want to play against the best to be the best," Johnson said. "We want to seek out the best in other conferences to play."

GAME NOTES
- Midwestern State dropped to 2-2 on the season; Henderson State improved to 6-1
- Khaki Simpson scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds off the bench
- Hannah Reynolds swatted three shots for the second time this season
- The Mustangs went 2-of-11 from deep while the Reddies shot 11-of-25 from three
- The 16-day layoff is the longest in-season break for MSU since a similar 16-day stretch during the 2011-2012 season