WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State travels north to Oklahoma City on Thursday night for a Lone Star Conference Divisional matchup against Oklahoma Christian. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m. from the Payne Athletic Center.

LAST TIME OUT
Elizabeth Cathcart scored 18 points and blocked a Maighan Hedge three-point attempt with four seconds remaining as MSU Texas held off Cameron, 82-77, to sweep the Red River Rivalry. Mica Schneider recorded her second career double-double with a 13-point, 11-rebound afternoon and the Mustangs scored 56 points in the second half to pull away late. 
 
PLAYOFF RACE HEATING UP
Midwestern State moved into a tie for eighth place in the Lone Star Conference with Saturday's win at Cameron. The Mustangs (7-7, 5-5) have won two straight games. The top 12 teams qualify for the postseason. UT Tyler is ineligible for postseason play as they transition from Division III to Division II. 
 

Lone Star Conference Women's Standings
Team (Overall Record)	LSC Record
Texas A&M-Commerce (17-0)	11-0
West Texas A&M (16-3)	9-1
Lubbock Christian (14-2)	8-2
St. Edward's (11-5)	7-4
St. Mary's (8-7)	7-4
Angelo State (9-5)	6-4
Tarleton State (12-5)	6-5
Eastern New Mexico (11-5)	5-5
Midwestern State (7-7)	5-5
Oklahoma Christian (5-10)	5-6
Arkansas-Fort Smith (8-9)	5-6
Cameron (5-11)	4-6
Texas A&M-International (7-10)	4-7
Texas Woman's (6-9)	4-7
UT Permian Basin (7-10)	4-7
Western New Mexico (6-9)	3-8
Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-10)	2-9
Not eligible for postseason play
UT Tyler (3-12)	1-10

SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma Christian owns a 7-5 edge over Midwestern State in a series that started in 1979. Oklahoma Christian won last season's meeting 76-75 on an Addy Clift jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining. MSU has never won in Oklahoma, posting an 0-3 overall mark (0-2 in Oklahoma City and 0-1 in Bethany).
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Elizabeth Cathcart became the first Mustang to win the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week award after averaging 20.5 PPG in a pair of wins over Cameron last week. Cathcart scored a career-high 23 points, including 13 points in the second half to lift Midwestern State to a come-from-behind win over Cameron on January 15. The senior shot 9-of-15 from the floor. Then last Saturday, the senior scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and recorded three blocks as the Mustangs swept the Red River Rivalry. Cathcart's block of Maighan Hedge's game-tying three-point attempt with four seconds remaining secured the win for MSU Texas.
 
DIAZ DAZZLES AGAIN
Kityana Diaz is averaging 11.3 PPG over her last three games after tying a season-high with 13 points on January 18. The junior is shooting 50% from the floor (9-of-18) during the three games. 
 
CASHING IN AT THE FREE THROW LINE
The Mustangs set a new season-high for made free throws with 25 in Saturday's win at Cameron. MSU Texas has made 20 or more free throws in four of their last five games. 

CATCHING UP WITH COACH JOHNSON
Noel Johnson is in her 12th season as the Head Coach of the Midwestern State Women's Basketball team. Last season, Johnson led MSU to a 12-16 (9-11) mark and a sixth place finish in the Lone Star Conference South Division. Overall, the Mustangs have compiled a 158-161 (.495) record under Johnson's guidance. She became the winningest coach in program history on December 19, 2017 when MSU beat Texas A&M-Kingsville 72-66 to land her 133rd career victory.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Oklahoma Christian had their two game winning streak snapped over the weekend with a 91-64 loss to No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce. Maddison Collyer (15 points) and Kendall Blackburn (11 points) reached double figures for an Eagles team that conceded 29 first quarter points. Overall, the Eagles have dropped six of their last eight games. Collyer is the lone OC player to average in double figures, scoring 11.4 points per game while post presence Katie Mayo scores 9.9 points per game and averages 7.5 rebounds per game. 

UP NEXT
The road trip concludes on Saturday with a divisional contest against Arkansas-Fort Smith. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.