WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State takes on Texas A&M-Kingsville in a Lone Star Conference matchup Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
THE RACE FOR THE POSTSEASON
The top 12 finishing teams in the overall league standings advance to the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament set for March 3-8 culminating with the final three rounds at Comerica Center in Frisco. The division winners are guaranteed a spot in the field, but the seeding is set by the order of finish counting all conference games. Midwestern State enters Thursday night's matchup a game and a half behind St. Mary's for the 12th and final berth in the tournament with 10 games to play.

Lone Star Conference Men's Standings
Team (Overall Record)	LSC Record
West Texas A&M (19-1)	11-1
St. Edward's (17-2)	11-2
Texas A&M-Kingsville (14-5)	10-3
Texas A&M-Commerce (13-6)	9-4
Angelo State (12-4)	8-4
Lubbock Christian (11-6)	8-4
Dallas Baptist (14-4)	8-4
Tarleton State (11-7)	7-5
UT Permian Basin (14-8)	7-6
Oklahoma Christian (7-10)	6-7
Eastern New Mexico (5-12)	5-7
St. Mary's (9-10)	5-8
Cameron (5-13)	4-8
Arkansas-Fort Smith (8-11)	4-9
Midwestern State (3-15)	3-9
Western New Mexico (4-15)	3-10
Texas A&M International (3-16)	1-12
Not eligible for postseason play
UT Tyler (6-12)	3-10

  
LAST TIME OUT
Midwestern State overcame a 14-point deficit to lead by as many as five points before falling to Arkansas-Fort Smith – 66-62 – Saturday afternoon at Stubblefield Center. Freshman guard Evan McCarthy scored eight consecutive points hitting back-to-back 3-pointers from the right wing before weaving through the UAFS defense for a layup to ignite a 14-2 run as the Mustangs surged to a 53-52 lead after D'monta Harris and Trae Jones connected for consecutive triples. But the Lions outscored MSU 13-5 over the final five minutes of the game to clinch the victory. Harris hit six 3-pointers to lead MSU with 22 points, while sophomore Jalin Brown added 10 points and six rebounds. Brian Halems poured in a game-high 29 points for Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
YOU HAVE TO LEAD TO WIN…
Midwestern State has held an advantage in all 18 games this season and has led after halftime in 13 contests. The Mustangs have led for a combined 251 minutes this season or 34.4 percent of all games. Further, MSU has held leads in the final five minutes or overtime in 11 games and in the final minute of regulation or overtime on eight occasions. The Mustangs held the lead for more than half of the game in five of six games from Dec. 9 (vs. Angelo State) to Jan. 2 (at UT Tyler).
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Kingsville compete for the 52nd time on the hardwood Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs lead the overall series which dates back to the 1976-77 season, 38-13. Midwestern claimed victories in three of the last four meetings including a 69-68 win in the 2018-19 season finale at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs are 19-5 all-time against Texas A&M-Kingsville at Ligon Coliseum and have won the last 11 games against the Javelinas under the dome. TAMUK's last won 82-72 on Jan. 19, 2008.
 
ABOUT THE JAVELINAS
Three of Texas A&M-Kingsville's five losses this season have come against nationally ranked Lone Star Conference foes. The Hoggies (14-5) stand third in the conference with a 10-3 mark with those loses coming at No. 15 Dallas Baptist (72-55) and No. 6 St. Edward's (73-64) before falling at home to No. 4 West Texas A&M (75-64) at home last week. Texas A&M-Kingsville continues to be a menace on the defensive end limiting the opposition to 67.9 points per game (39th in NCAA D2/third in the LSC), but its true strength in on the boards. The Javelinas are 70th in NCAA D2 and second in the LSC in rebound margin (+4.0) and are particular strong on the offensive end earning 12.06 second-chance opportunity per game to rank third in the league and 63rd nationally. Top scorer Rashon Thomas comes off of the bench to score 14.4 points per game shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range. The senior guard has scored 20-or-more points in three of his last four games and is coming off of a season-high 26 points last time out against Eastern New Mexico. Junior guard Tre Flowers gives the Hoggies a second double-figure scoring option at 11.2 points per game. Nine players have appeared in at least 18 games this season and play at least an average of 13.4 minutes per game. Former Texas A&M-Kingsville standout Johnny Estelle has posted a 76-82 mark (.481) in his sixth season at the helm of his alma mater.
 
DEFENDING THE ARC
Midwestern State ranks amongst the best in defending the 3-point arc. The Mustangs rank third in the LSC and 28th in NCAA Division II limiting the opposition to 31.2 percent shooting from deep. Only seven of MSU's 18 opponents have shot greater than 32.1 percent. The Mustangs also rank in the top half of the conference in blocked shots per game (2.8 / 8th), defensive rebounds per game (25.44 / 6th), field goal percentage defense (43.4 / 6th), free throw percentage (74.6 / 3rd) and 3-point field goals per game (9.6 / 6th).
 
TRENDS
Midwestern State held leads in each of its 18 games this season including double-digit second half advantages against Colorado State-Pueblo, Central Missouri, UT Permian Basin, Angelo State, UT Tyler and Cameron. The opposition has outscored the Mustangs 18.7-10.1 in points off of turnovers per game this season and 12.1-8.7 in second-chance points. Midwestern posted a season-high 15 points off of turnovers against UT Permian Basin, then matched it against Cameron (1/18). The Mustangs had a campaign-best 14 second-chance points against Central Missouri and matched it against St. Mary's.
 
RAINING 3s
Midwestern State connected on at least seven 3- pointers in all but one game this season. The Mustangs rank sixth in the Lone Star Conference and 57th in NCAA Division II averaging 9.6 made triples per game while connecting on 34.5 percent from beyond the arc as a team. MSU drilled at least 10 3-pointers on eight occasions as a team including a season-high 14 treys at Texas A&M-Commerce (1/4). The Mustangs have attempted at least 30 3-pointers six times this season. As a program, Midwestern State has made at least one 3-pointer in 543 consecutive games dating back to the 2001-02 season.
 
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 269-136 record (.664) 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 (with at least seven makes) and is the fifth 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 and again by Westminster's Jai Jai Ely against Chadron State on Jan. 10. 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 also turned in double-double performances against Texas Wesleyan (20 points, 12 rebounds), Texas A&M-Commerce (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Cameron (14 points, 11 rebounds). He has connected on 38.2 percent of his 3-point tries. Harris is 22nd in the LSC in scoring at 14.1 points per game, but ranks as the 14th-best rebounder in the league pulling down 6.3 boards per game.
 
DARING DARIUS
Senior guard Darius Thompson leads the Mustangs in scoring at 15.4 points per game logging double figures in 13 of his 15 games. The Memphis, Tenn. native poured in a season-high 23 points on the strength of four 3-pointers against St. Mary's (Texas) (1/11) while adding six rebounds and four assists. Thompson boasts three double-doubles this season going for 21 points 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). He garnered his third double-double of the campaign going for 10 points and 10 assists at UT Permian Basin (12/5). Thompson then matched a then season-high with 21 points against Texas A&M-Commerce (1/4) scoring the final eight points as the Mustangs mounted a 14-4 run in the last 58 seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime. Thompson has hit a 3-pointer in in 14 of 15 games this season and is shooting 46.8 percent from the field. He has a knack for blocking shots with 11 in his first 15 games. Thompson is 12th in the conference in scoring. He has missed the last two games with an injury.
 
TRAE BALL
Sophomore guard Trae Jones has connected on multiple 3-pointers in 10 games this season. He knocked down a career-best six triples to finish with a collegiate-high 19 points against Cameron (1/19). Jones drained four triples to finish with 18 points at Western New Mexico (12/14), then buried four more treys to notch 14 points against No.7 St. Edward's (1/9). Jones, who has tallied in double figures six times this season, averages 7.7 points per game.
 
BROWN ERUPTS FOR DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Sophomore forward Jalin Brown set career highs with 21 points and 12 rebounds against Western New Mexico (12/14). The Denton native shot 6-of-8 from the field hitting a pair of 3-pointers and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe while dishing out four assists against WNMU. Brown added his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds while leading the Mustangs to a 59-44 win at UT Tyler (1/2). Brown averages 6.9 rebounds per game – the eighth most in the Lone Star Conference this season.
 
McBUCKETS MAKING AN IMPACT
Evan McCarthy brings a scoring punch for the Mustangs scoring 8.6 points per game in his true freshman campaign. The Mansfield native has scored in double figures in six games this season. He drilled four triples while going 5-for-6 from the field for a campaign-best 19 points against Angelo State (12/19) to ignite a four-game run of scoring in double digits going for 10 points against Lubbock Christian (12/21), 13 at UT Tyler (1/2) and 11 at Texas A&M-Commerce (1/4). McCarthy enjoyed a breakout against No. 7 West Texas A&M (11/14) canning three triples to finish with 14 points. For the season, McCarthy is shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from the arc (25-of-57).
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State faces Texas A&M International Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Division II Game of the Week at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The game broadcasts on ESPN3 with tip time at 4 p.m.