DENTON, Texas - The Mustangs take on Texas Woman's on Saturday afternoon in a pivotal Lone Star Conference contest. Tipoff from Kitty Magee Arena is set for 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Midwestern State closed out their storied rivalry with Division I bound Tarleton State with a 78-64 loss on Thursday night. The Mustangs raced out to an early 7-2 lead before the Texans closed the first quarter on a 15-2 run. Down by as much as 20 points in the second half, MSU Texas closed the deficit to nine at 71-62 with 51 seconds remaining before Tarleton State finished the game on a 7-2 run. Kityana Diaz tied a career-high with 16 points while Hannah Reynolds and Elizabeth Cathcart each scored 12 points. 
 
PLAYOFF RACE HEATING UP
Midwestern State remained tied with Oklahoma Christian for 11th place in the race for the postseason following Thursday's loss to Tarleton State. The Mustangs hold just a 0.5 game lead over UT Permian Basin for the final playoff spot. The top 12 teams qualify for the postseason. UT Tyler is ineligible for the playoffs as they transition from Division III to Division II. 
 

Lone Star Conference Women's Standings
Team (Overall Record)	LSC Record
Texas A&M-Commerce (21-0)	15-0
West Texas A&M (20-4)	13-2
Lubbock Christian (18-3)	12-3
Eastern New Mexico (16-5)	10-5
Tarleton State (16-5)	10-5
Angelo State (12-7)	9-6
Cameron (10-11)	9-6
St. Mary's (10-10)	9-7
Arkansas-Fort Smith (11-10)	8-7
St. Edward's (12-9)	8-8
Oklahoma Christian (6-13)	6-9
Midwestern State (8-11)	6-9
UT Permian Basin (9-13)	6-10
Texas A&M International (8-14)	5-11
Texas Woman's (6-13)	4-11
Western New Mexico (7-13)	4-12
Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-14)	3-13
Not eligible for postseason play
UT Tyler (3-16)	1-14

SERIES HISTORY
MSU Texas holds a 38-25 edge in the all-time series with Texas Woman's. The Mustangs have won two straight meetings from the Pioneers and three of the last four. The teams have split the last six meetings inside Kitty Magee Arena.

SAVVY SENIOR
Elizabeth Cathcart reached double figures for the 16th time this season in Thursday's loss to Tarleton State. The senior scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Cathcart leads the Mustangs in scoring at 14.1 PPG, a number that places her eighth in the Lone Star Conference. 

DIAZ DELIVERS AGAIN
Kityana Diaz tied a career-high with 16 points on Thursday night and has now scored in double figures in four of her last eight games. The Amarillo, Texas native is up to 6.3 PPG.

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 158-164 (.491) 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.

PLAY FOR KAY
Support the Mustangs in the 2020 Play4Kay National Free Throw Challenge. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund's mission is to extend and improve the lives of those who are battling cancer on the way to finding a cure, by raising money for research and assisting the underserved. The Midwestern State Women's Basketball team is partnering with the Kay Yow Cancer fund by joining the 2020 Play4Kay National Free Throw Challenge. The Mustangs are competing against other college basketball teams around the country to see who can raise the most money for those battling cancer. You can support the Mustangs by pledging for every free throw MSU Texas makes during the month of February by going to msumustangs dot com forward slash Play4Kay.
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Texas Woman's dropped their fourth straight game on Thursday night, falling to Cameron, 74-69. The Pioneers have lost eight of their last nine and sit at 6-13 (4-11) on the season. Ma'K'La Woods scored 11 points against the Aggies last time out and has scored in double figures in three straight games.  TWU has been without the services of leading scorer Carissa Moody (11.0 PPG) since she was injured in a game on January 2. As a team, the Pioneers hold opponents to 28.8% from deep (69th in Division II).

UP NEXT
The start of a four-game homestand as the Mustangs host No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce on February 13.