ODESSA, Texas – Midwestern State searches for its first win of the season in its Lone Star Conference opener Thursday night at UT Permian Basin. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. It would also be the Mustangs' first victory in five tries at the Falcon Dome.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Midwestern State produced its highest and lowest scoring input in a half all in one game as the Mustangs fell 72-67 to Central Missouri on Nov. 26 in the MIAA Thanksgiving Challenge at Kansas City's Municipal Arena. MSU connected at a 50-percent clip (14-28) in the first half going 8-of-13 from the arc to build its biggest lead of the season taking a 50-31 halftime lead over the Mules. The Mustangs managed to shoot 24 percent from the floor in the second half (6-25) going 0-for-12 from 3-point range while being outscored 41-17 to take their sixth consecutive loss. Senior guard Darius Thompson led the way with his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while D'monta Harris and Reggie Rivera tallied 11 points each.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin meet for the 12th time on the hardwood Thursday night at the Falcon Dome in Odessa. UTPB leads the series which dates back to the 2007-08 season by a 7-4 margin. MSU is searching for its first win in its fifth trip to the Falcon Dome. In fact, all four of the Mustangs' victories in the series have come in Wichita Falls as UT Permian Basin also claimed LSC Postseason Tournament quarterfinal round victories in Allen in 2017 and Denton in 2018. Here are the results of the all-time series between the Mustangs and Falcons:
 

Date	Result	Location
2/16/19	UT Permian Basin 80, Midwestern Stat 61	Odessa, Texas
1/10/19	Midwestern State 73, UT Permian Basin 65	Wichita Falls
3/2/18	#20 UT Permian Basin 82, Midwestern State 68	Denton, Texas
2/8/18	#13 UT Permian Basin 79, Midwestern State 76	Wichita Falls
1/6/18	#8 UT Permian Basin 88, Midwestern State 71	Odessa, Texas
3/2/17	#23 UT Permian Basin 81, Midwestern State 70	Allen, Texas
2/9/17	#19 UT Permian Basin 92, Midwestern State 85	Odessa, Texas
1/7/17	Midwestern State 80, UT Permian Basin 73	Wichita Falls
12/30/08	Midwestern State 67, UT Permian Basin 60	Wichita Falls
12/1/08	UT Permian Basin 83, Midwestern State 72	Odessa, Texas
11/20/07	Midwestern State 89, UT Permian Basin 61	Wichita Falls

   
ABOUT THE FALCONS
UT Permian Basin rides a seven-game winning streak into Thursday night's showdown with Midwestern State. The Falcons broke the 100-point barrier in each of their last three games ranking second in the Lone Star Conference and 13th in NCAA Division II in scoring at 94.7 points per game. Senior guard Pat Dembley leads the LSC and ranks 10th nationally scoring 24.2 points per game. The Minneapolis, Minn. native earned USBWA National Player of the Week honors after scoring a season-high 42 points against Western New Mexico on Nov. 23. He is joined in double figures by junior guard Jordan Horn (16 ppg), junior forward Carson Newsome (13.2 ppg) and junior forward Donoven Carlisle (10.6 ppg). Second-year UTPB coach Josh Newman owns a 21-17 record (.553) after posting a 168-100 mark (.627) in nine season at the helm at Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
DEFENDING THE ARC
Midwestern State ranks amongst the best in defending the 3-point arc. The Mustangs rate fourth in the LSC and 51st in NCAA Division II limiting the opposition to 29.8 percent shooting from deep. Only two of MSU's six opponents have shot greater than 30.8 percent. The Mustangs also rank in the top half of the conference in blocked shots per game (2.8 / 6th), field goal percentage defense (42.2/7th), defensive rebounds per game (25.5/8th) and 3-point field goals per game (8.8/8th).
 
TRENDS
Midwestern State held leads in each of its six games this season including double-digit in the second half against Colorado State-Pueblo and Central Missouri. The opposition has outscored the Mustangs 19.8-8.8 in points off of turnovers per game this season and 11.3-8.2 in second-chance points. Midwestern posted a season-high 14 points off of turnovers against Colorado State-Pueblo and had a campaign-best 14 second-chance points against Central Missouri.
 
ALL ABOARD WITH COACH LESLIE
Justin Leslie makes the move to Wichita Falls following a highly successful run at Azusa Pacific. He led his alma mater to an average of 22 wins per season in his 12 season at the helm including nine 20-win campaigns, two Pacific West Conference titles and an NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance in 2015.  Currently, Leslie boasts a 266-127 record (.677) as a collegiate head coach.
 
HARRIS SETS SINGLE-GAME MARK FOR MARKSMANSHIP
Senior guard D'monta Harris connected on eight of his nine 3-point attempts at Central Oklahoma (11/20). The 88.9-percent accuracy is the best in a single game in program history and is the fourth best in NCAA Division II this season. North Georgia sophomore Josh Cottrell nailed all seven his 3-point attempts against Erskine (11/9). The feat was matched by Kutztown junior Tarojae Brake on Nov. 23 against Clarion. Saint Michael's senior Jordan Guzman was 9-for-10 from the arc against Caldwell (11/8). NCAA single-game shooting percentage is based on seven made 3-pointers.
 
HARRIS RIPS NETS FOR 36
Senior guard D'monta Harris connected on 13-of-15 shots including 8-of-9 from the arc for a career-high 36 points on Nov. 20 at Central Oklahoma. The Pontiac, Mich. native completed his second consecutive double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. Harris ranks fifth in the Lone Star Conference and 61st in NCAA D2 with a 46.2 3-point percentage, while rating fourth in the league and 72nd nationally knocking down 3.0 triples a game. Harris is 10th in the LSC in scoring at 17.5 points per game, but ranks as the fourth-best rebounder in the league pulling down 7.7 boards per game. He is second in the LSC grabbing 5.5 defensive caroms a contest.
 
DARING DARIUS
Senior guard Darius Thompson ranks second on the squad at 16.5 points per game logging double figures in each of MSU's six games. The Memphis, Tenn. native poured in a season-high 21 with 11 rebounds against Texas Wesleyan (11/16), then added a second double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Central Missouri (11/26). Thompson has connected on at least two 3-pointers in each game this season and is shooting 49.4 percent from the field. He has a knack for blocking shots with seven in his first six games to rank fourth in the LSC with 1.17 swats a contest. Thompson is 10th in the conference in field goal percentage.
 
JB HITTING THE BOARDS
Sophomore forward Jalin Brown snared at least eight rebounds in four of Midwestern State's six games this season. The Denton, Texas native ranks seventh in the Lone Star Conference with averaging 7.7 boards per game. He narrowly missed his first double-double of the season with nine points and nine rebounds the last time out against Central Missouri. Brown grabbed eight rebounds in each of his first three contests this season (UC Colorado Springs, Colorado State-Pueblo, West Texas A&M) and connected for his first 3-pointer of the season last week against Central Missouri.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State returns to action at Western New Mexico on Saturday, Dec. 14. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (Central Time). The nine-day layoff is to accommodate finals week at MSU.