Midwestern State vs. UT Tyler
Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Series: MSU leads 3-0
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Weekly Stang Gang Women's Basketball Podcast with Christopher Reay
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State looks to extend its home court success Friday night against UT Tyler. Tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
CROWD RESTRICTIONS
Attendance for all weekend games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is limited to 25 percent capacity. All tickets must be purchased online at MSUTicketsOnline.com. The will be no walk-up sales. All spectators are required to wear face coverings at all times and practice social distancing of at least 6 feet.
 
EVENT COVERAGE
The game streams live on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. A video stream is available at the cost of $10 for a daily pass at LoneStarConferenceNetwork/msu. A complimentary audio stream is also available at the same site.
 
REAY TAKES THE REINS
Christopher Reay is in the midst of his first full season at the helm of his alma mater. He guided the Mustangs to a 4-6 mark over the final 10 games in 2019-20 serving in an interim role following Noel Johnson's leave of absence to continue her fight against ovarian cancer. His career coaching record stands at 7-8 (.467) heading into weekend play. Reay served as the top assistant for the previous 10 campaigns playing a hand in guiding MSU to three consecutive NCAA Division II South Central Regionals from 2012-15 as MSU claimed a Lone Star Conference regular and postseason tournament titles in 2012-13. Reay competed two seasons at Midwestern State in 2006-07 and 2007-08 after transferring from SMU helping MSU to an LSC postseason tournament championship and a regional semifinal appearance in 2007.
 
CONTINUING THE LEGACY
Dianna Jones takes over as the top assistant at Midwestern State. Jones was a key cog in the Mustangs' three runs to the NCAA Division II South Central Regionals and for MSU's Lone Star Conference championship squad in 2012-13. She earned first-team All-LSC honors as a senior after gaining honorable mention as a junior. She was the league's freshman of the year in 2012. Jones, who was a member of Waco Midway High's Class 4A title squad in 2009, served as an assistant coach at Temple College last season. She played professionally in Egypt, Mexico and El Salvador.
 
MUSTANGS TEAM NOTES
* Midwestern State moved into this week's edition of the D2SIDA South Central Region rankings at No. 7. The Mustangs own wins over No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce (4-1) and No. 4 West Texas A&M (3-1). Lubbock Christian (4-0) tops the rankings followed by Western Colorado (6-1), TAMUC, WT, Colorado Mesa (7-2), Texas A&M International (5-1), MSU, Colorado School of Mines (5-2), Angelo State (0-0) and Black Hills State (5-3).
* Midwestern State extended its home court winning streak to five games with an 85-82 over Texas A&M-Commerce Sunday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. It is MSU's longest winning streak under the dome since the Mustangs claimed six consecutive victories at Ligon Coliseum during the 2018-19 season. MSU's last loss came to Texas A&M-Commerce (92-77) on Feb. 13, 2020. The Mustangs have won seven of their last nine on Gerald Stockton Court.
* Midwestern State ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference and 70th in NCAA Division II in rebound margin at +1.4. The Mustangs have out-rebounded the opposition in all three wins this season and are 6-1 with Christopher Reay as head coach when controlling the glass.
* Midwestern State rates third in the LSC and 22nd in NCAA Division II chasing down 14.6 offensive rebounds per game. The Mustangs tallied double-digit second-chance points in each of their three victories. MSU has amassed 60 second-chance points in five games this season for an average of 12 points per contest.
* Midwestern State ranks third in the LSC and 52nd nationally scoring 72.4 points per game. The Mustangs are on pace for their best scoring season since tallying 73.0 points per game in 2011-12.
 
MUSTANGS INDIVIDUAL NOTES
* Senior guard Morgan Lenahan leads Midwestern State in scoring ranking eighth in the Lone Star Conference at 14.4 points per game. She boasts a pair of 20-point performances including a season-high 25 points in a win over West Texas A&M, then booked 21 points in a victory over Texas A&M-Commerce. Outside of a 2-point performance in the season opener, Lenahan is averaging 18.0 points per game over the last four games.
* Junior forward Shawnisay Millar dropped in a career-high 18 points in Sunday's victory over Texas A&M-Commerce. It was her third double-digit effort of the season. She ranks third in the LSC with 24 made free throws and is second in the league with 33 free throw attempts.
* Sophomore guard Frances King ranks second in the Lone Star Conference averaging 4.6 assists per game dishing out at least four assists in all five games this season. She is the Mustangs' fourth leading scorer at 9.2 points per game. She rates fourth in the LSC and 23rd in NCAA Division II with a 93.8 free throw percentage (15-of-16).
* Junior forward Haevyn Risley is the reigning LSC Defensive Player of the Week after making three steals and grabbing four rebounds -- saddled with four fouls -- while helping the Mustangs hold Texas A&M-Commerce to 2-of-15 shooting to spur a 17-2 run in the fourth period of an 85-82 win. The Mustangs overcame a 15-point deficit in the final seconds of the third period. Risley is MSU's third leading scorer at 9.4 points per game and ranks ninth in the LSC averaging 6.4 rebounds per game. She is shooting 68.8 percent from the field (22-of-32).
* Sophomore guard Eternity Jackson has come on the strong the last three games averaging 7.6 points and 3.3 assists over the past three games. She scored a career nine points in the series opening win over West Texas A&M (1/2) before knocking down two 3-points to finish with eight points while dishing out four assists in the rematch in Canyon (1/4). Jackson continued her stellar play with an all-around six-point, five-rebound and four-assist performance in the win over Texas A&M-Commerce (1/10).
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
UT Tyler was picked to finish 15th in the 2020-21 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll. The Patriots posted a 3-23 mark in 2019-20 season and opened the campaign suffering series sweeps at the hands of Lubbock Christian and St. Edward's. UT Tyler scores 36.5 points per game and is on the short end of a -33.3 scoring margin per game. Freshman forward Taylor Jackson paces the Patriots in scoring at 10.0 points per game. Veteran coach Jeannette Mosher is 16-38 (.296) in her third season at the helm at UT Tyler. She boasts a 456-249 record (.647) in 27 seasons as a collegiate head coach. She was 407-146 during a 20-year run at D3 SUNY Cortland (.736) and 33-65 (.337) in four seasons at D3 Alfred.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and UT Tyler meet for the fourth and fifth time on the hard wood Friday and Saturday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs won the previous three meetings including two victories in Wichita Falls -- 64-60 on Feb. 15, 2020 and a 95-36 on Dec. 19, 2018.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State battles Texas Woman's in a Lone Star Conference crossover series next week at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton. Tip time for Friday's game is set for 5 p.m., while the Mustangs and Pioneers are slated for a start time of 3 p.m. on Saturday.