Midwestern State (8-12, 5-8 LSC) at Texas A&M-Commerce (14-7, 9-4 LSC)
Lone Star Conference Game
Sat. Feb. 9 | 2 p.m.
A&M-Commerce Field House | Commerce, Texas
Live Stats: LionAthletics.com | Watch: LionAthletics.com | Listen: ESPN 95.5
Series Notes: MSU Texas leads 43-24 | Mustangs have lost six of the last seven meetings with the Lions | MSU Texas is 16-15 in Commerce, dropping four of the last five
First Meeting: MSU Texas won 77-66 in Wichita Falls on Nov. 7, 1976
Last Meeting: Texas A&M-Commerce won 70-57 in Wichita Falls on Jan. 3, 2019
Last MSU Texas Win: MSU Texas won 69-66 in Wichita Falls on Dec. 2, 2017
Last A&M-C Win: Texas A&M-Commerce won 70-57 in Wichita Falls on Jan. 3, 2019
 
Scouting the Lions: Texas A&M-Commerce at No. 4 in the Lone Star Conference standings…the Lions have won four of their last five outings with the lone loss coming to No. 20 Angelo State (84-70)…A&M-C leads the LSC with 78.0 points per game and ranks fourth in field goal percentage at a 41.3 percent clip…the Lions surrender 65.1 points (7^th LSC) on 41.2 percent shooting (8^th LSC)…A&M-C enters the matchup as the top rebounding team in the LSC, boasting a +9.6 rebounding margin…Chania Wright leads the squad and ranks 11^th in the league at 13.3 points per game…Princess Davis closely follows at 12.9 points per game, good for the 14^th most in the LSC…Zhibareva Ekaterina leads the squad and ranks 13^th in league action with 6.2 rebounds per game…
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State treks to Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday looking to rebound after seeing its win streak snapped by Tarleton State on Thursday night. Tipoff at the A&M-Commerce Field House is slated 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 147-150 (.495) 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 69.2 points per game, the seventh highest in the LSC on 40.3 percent shooting. The Maroon and Gold are coming off a 25.4 percent shooting night against Tarleton State.
 
Sultans of Swat
MSU Texas leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks fifth nationally with 5.4 blocks per game. Defensively, the Maroon and Gold are holding opponents to 38.2 percent shooting from the floor this season, the fourth 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 5.4 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 14 of 20 games this season.
 
The 109 blocks this season rank as the third-most in team history and 19 behind the program record of 128 set in the 2014-15 season with a minimum of seven games remaining.
 
Reynolds Keeps Climbing
Sophomore forward Hannah Reynolds continues to climb the MSU Texas all-time blocks list. The Prosper native sits at fifth all-time with 80 career rejections. She trails Shambreka Jones' (2012-15) fourth place mark of 85 by five. Reynolds needs 58 more blocks to match Monica Miller's (1991-95) all-time record of 138.
 
Additionally, the sophomore's 48 stuffs this year rank as the fifth most in team history. She needs one more to match Monica Miller's (1994-95) 49 rejections for fourth all-time. Reynolds needs 10 blocks to match Shambreka Jones' (2014-15) single season record of 58.
 
Cathcart Converts
Junior Liz Cathcart climbed into the top-five on the single season free throw percentage chart (min. 50 made) at 83.1 percent. The Spring Branch native has converted a team-high 54 attempts in 65 trips to the free throw line, good for the fourth-best free throw percentage in single season history.
 
Model of Efficiency
The Mustangs offense has limited turnovers and maximized possessions for a 0.97 assist/turnover ratio, the fourth best in the LSC. Mica Schneider (2.5) and Chelcie Kizart (1.0) rank second and eighth, respectively, in the league in assist/turnover ratio. Schneider's 4.0 assists per game ranks fifth in the LSC while Kizart sits in eight at 3.1. The 15.2 assists per game currently ranks as the eighth-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 11 games this season, posting a 7-4 record. In games that the opponent pulls down the same or more rebounds, the Maroon and Gold are 1-8, 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 seven of the 13 Lone Star Conference games this season (tied Eastern New Mexico, 39-39).
 
Player Notes
#2 Chelcie Kizart (11.9 PPG / 3.1 APG / 4.7 RPG)
Started 20 games at point guard and averages 27.9 minutes…shooting 41.6 percent from the floor, 36.8 percent from 3-point range and 69.8 percent at the free throw line…19^th leading scorer in the LSC and leads the team at 11.9 points per game…ranks sixth in the LSC with 3.1 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)…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)...scored 15 points and distributed five assists and matched a season-high with three steals against Texas A&M-Kingsville (1/24)…produced a career-high 19 in the win against Eastern New Mexico (2/2)…named LSC Offensive Player of the Week for performance against WT and ENMU…coming off her fifth-straight game with at least 10 points, going for 15, 16, 15, 19 and 10 against Texas A&M-Kingsville, Angelo State, West Texas A&M, Eastern New Mexico and Tarleton State (2/7) …has 11 games with at least 10 points and 10 games with at least four assists…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 19 vs. Eastern New Mexico (2/2) / [same]
Assists: 7 vs. UTPB (1/10) / [same]
Rebounds: 8, twice, last at Tarleton State (2/7) / [same]
Steals: 3, thrice, last at Texas A&M-Kingsville (1/24) / [4, twice, last at Western New Mexico (2/17/18)]
Blocks: 1, four times, last vs. Eastern New Mexico (2/2) / [same]
 
#3 Annette Dukes (6.2 PPG / 0.3 APG / 3.5 RPG)
Appeared in 19 games off the bench, averaging 12.9 minutes…shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 71.8 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)…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)…collected nine points and four rebounds in an upset of No. 14 West Texas A&M, going 4-of-5 for the floor and knocking down a 3-pointer (1/31)…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 17, twice, last vs. Western New Mexico (1/12) / [same]
Assists: 1, six times, last vs. Tarleton State (2/7) / [same]
Rebounds: 10 vs. Dallas Christian (11/17) / [same]
Steals: 2, twice, last vs. West Texas A&M (1/31) / [same]
Blocks: 1, three times, last vs. Eastern New Mexico (2/2) / [same]
 
#4 Mica Schneider (8.4 PPG / 4.0 APG / 3.0 RPG)
Appeared in 20 games while making 12 starts and averaging 25.4 minutes…shooting 33.9 percent from the floor, 20.0 percent from 3-point land and 76.6 percent from the free throw line…fifth-leading scorer on the team at 8.4 PPG…ranks third in the LSC with 4.0 assists per game and second in the league with a 2.6 assist/turnover ratio…scored in double figures in six times this season…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 second most assist in the LSC this season (12/19)…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)…went for 12 points and six assists in a loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville (1/24)…added nine points,, four assists and three rebounds with no turnovers in a loss to Angelo State (1/26)…credited with an assist in all but two games this season and has at least three dimes in each of the last 11 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 (10.9 PPG / 1.3 APG / 6.9 RPG)
Appeared in all 20 games while making 18 starts and averaging 27.0 minutes…shooting 42.7 percent from the floor and 56.1 percent from the free throw line…second on the team with 10.9 points per game and ranks 18^th in the LSC…top shot-blocker in the LSC with 48 blocks (24^th in NCAA DII) and averaging 2.4 per game (22^nd in NCAA DII)…team leader with 6.9 rebounds per game (12^th LSC)…scored in double figures 13 times on the season with three double-doubles…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)…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)…credited with her second double-double of the season in a loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville, posting 10 points and a career-best 13 rebounds (1/24)…has three or more blocks in eight games this season…scored in double-figures in nine of the last 13 games with double-doubles in three of the last seven outings…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 23 vs. Cameron (1/15) / [same]
Assists: 5 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
Rebounds: 13, twice, last vs. Eastern New Mexico (2/2) / [same]
Steals: 3 vs. Cameron (1/15) / [same]
Blocks: 8 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (1/3) / [same]
 
#14 Kityana Diaz (8.8 PPG / 1.3 APG / 3.4 RPG)
Appeared in all 20 games while making 16 starts and averaging 20.5 minutes…shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, 29.4 percent from 3-point range and 66.1 percent from the free throw line…third leading scorer on the team with 8.8 points per game and has scored in double figures in seven games this season…ranks 13^th in the LSC with 1.5 steals per game… nine games this season with multiple steals…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)…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)…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 (1/17)…handed out three assists in the upset of No. 14 WT after recording just one in the previous five games (1/31)…
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 (4.0 PPG / 1.7 APG / 4.1 RPG)
Appeared in 18 games and making seven starts…averages 19.2 minutes…shooting 36.8 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from the free throw line…scored in double figures twice this season…made four-straight starts against Eastern New Mexico, West Texas A&M, St. Mary's and UT Tyler (12/19)…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)…recorded a career-high nine rebounds against Texas A&M-Kingsville, including five on the offensive end (1/24)…poured in a career-best 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting and going 6-of-8 from the free throw line against Angelo State (1/26)…
Season Highs / [Career Highs]
Points: 13 at Angelo State (1/26) / [same]
Assists: 4, twice, last vs. UTPB (1/10) / [same]
Rebounds: 9 at Texas A&M-Kingsville (1/24) / [same]
Steals: 2 at Texas Woman's (1/17) / [same]
Blocks: 1, three times, last vs. Tarleton State (2/7) / [same]
 
#24 Courtney Kerr (3.9 PPG / 0.8 APG / 1.1 RPG)
Appeared in 20 games and made two starts while averaging 16.0 minutes…shooting 34.9 percent from the floor, 25.0 percent from 3-point range and 64.7 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)…
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: 2 at Angelo State (1/26) / [same]
Blocks: 1, four times, last at Texas A&M-Kingsvlle (1/24) / [same]
 
#25 Anni Scholl (3.7 PPG / 1.3 APG / 3.4 RPG)
Appeared in 20 games while making four starts…averages 17.2 minutes…shooting 25.6 percent from the field, 19.2 percent from beyond the arc and 91.3 percent from the free throw line…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)…grabbed a career-best three steals against Eastern New Mexico (2/2)…scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in consecutive games (2/7)…
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: 3 vs. Eastern New Mexico (2/2) / [same]
Blocks: 2 vs. West Texas A&M (1/31) / [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 (9.3 PPG / 1.0 APG / 4.0 RPG)
Appeared in all 20 games, making 16 starts and averaging 23.6 minutes…shooting 41.4 percent from the floor and 83.1 percent from the free throw line…fourth leading scorer on the team…nine games in double-figures…83.1 percent from the free throw line is fourth best in single season history…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)...added 11 points with a go-ahead 3-pointer in the upset of No. 14 West Texas A&M (1/31)…dropped 16 on 7-of-12 shooting against Eastern New Mexico (2/2)
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)]
 
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Up Next
MSU Texas returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 14, at Western New Mexico.