Midwestern State vs. UT Tyler
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 | 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas
Series: MSU leads 3-0
Listen | Watch | Live Stats
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State goes for a Lone Star Conference crossover sweep of UT Tyler Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff 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.
 
ALL ABOARD WITH COACH LESLIE
Justin Leslie started his second season at the helm of the Midwestern State men's basketball program with a sweep of Cameron last weekend in Lawton. The Mustangs battled to an 8-21 mark in 2019-20 but closed the regular season by winning four out of five games to qualify for the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament. Prior to MSU, Leslie posted a 266-121 overall record (.687) at Azusa Pacific leading the Cougars to nine 20-win campaigns, two Pacific West Conference titles, seven postseason tournament appearance and an NCAA Division II Elite Eight showing in 2015. Overall, Leslie owns a 281-143 mark (.663) in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach including a 15-22 record (.405) at MSU.
 
MUSTANGS TEAM NOTES
* Midwestern State opened the season with at least five consecutive wins for the first time since the 2011-12 squad rolled out to a 13-0 start. MSU's 7-1 record is the best mark through eight games since the 2015-16 squad was also 7-1.
* Midwestern State extended its run of games with at least one 3-pointer to 562 games dating back to the 2001-02 season. The Mustangs matched a school record burying 19 3-pointers in a 93-70 win at Mary Hardin-Baylor on Jan. 9th in Belton. MSU connected at a 40.4-percent clip from beyond the arc on a school single-game record 47 attempts. The Mustangs matched a school record originally set against East Central (Okla.) during the 2008-09 season behind an individual record of 10 triples by All American Nolan Richardson.
* Midwestern State tops the Lone Star Conference and is third in all of NCAA Division II with 102 made 3-pointers this season. The Mustangs average 12.8 made triples per game which is nearly three more than their single-game program record of 10 per game set last season. The 12.8 made triples per game rank second in NCAA Division II behind Glenville State, who is averaging 13.5 3s per contest in just three games. The Mustangs are also attempting nearly five more 3-pointers per game (33.5) than last season's record pace of 28.6 3-point attempts per game.
* Midwestern State leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks 10th in NCAA Division II pulling down 15.6 offensive rebounds per game. The Mustangs have grabbed at least 14 offensive caroms per game this season with a high of 21 in a season opening win at Cameron (12/11). Midwestern has turned the offensive rebounds into 115 second-chance points through eight games -- 14.4 points a contest.
* Midwestern State ranks seventh in NCAA Division II and leads the LSC with a +11.3 rebound margin. The Mustangs have out-boarded opponents by a double-figure margin in five of eight games this season and have not been out-rebounded this season.
 
MUSTANGS INDIVIDUAL NOTES
* Junior guard Derrick Ogechi delivered his fourth consecutive double-figure effort leading the Mustangs with 18 points in Friday's win over UT Tyler. He has connected on 16 3-pointers over his last four games.
* Sophomore guard Terrell Wilson struggled to his worst shooting performance of the season going 1-for-11 to finish with two points Friday night against UT Tyler. He was coming off of back-to-back 20-point efforts going for 23 against St. Edward's (1/3) and 21 versus Mary Hardin-Baylor (1/9). However, Wilson found a way to contribute to the winning effort dishing out seven assists and making two steals. He remains second on the team sporting averages of 12.5 points and 4.3 assists per game.
* Junior forward Jermane Carter continues to get the job done on the offensive glass. He delivered his second straight double-figure rebound performance going grabbing a season-high 11 caroms Friday against UT Tyler. Carter has grabbed at least five offensive rebounds in four of his six games this season.
* Junior forward Luke Hamilton leads the Lone Star Conference knocking down 3.5 triples per game and is fourth in the league in 3-point shooting accuracy at 48.3 percent. He rates third on the team averaging 11.8 points per game and has knocked at least two triples in every game this season.
* Freshman guard Pierre Sanders notched his fifth double-figure scoring effort going for 10 points with four rebound, four assists and four steals in Friday's win over UT Tyler. The Hutto High grad buried two 3-pointers for the second consecutive game and for the fourth time this season. He is tied with teammate Terrell Wilson for fifth in the LSC with 4.3 assists per game and is third in the league with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
UT Tyler was picked to finish 14th in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll. The Patriots posted an 8-19 record in 2019-20 and are off to a 1-7 start this season. UT Tyler's lone win came against non-D2 foe Dallas Christian (106-67). The Patriots suffered league sweeps to UT Permian Basin, Lubbock Christian and St. Edward's. UT Tyler dropped the first games of the series by a margin of 19.6 points but narrowed the gap to 7.3 points in the second games. The games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum are the Patriots second and third road contests this season. Seniors Micah Fuller (14.9 ppg), Da'Zhon Wyche (11.9 ppg) and Solomon Thomas (11.0) average in double figures for UT Tyler. Louis Wilson sports a 9-26 record (.257) in his second season at the helm at UT Tyler. He was 95-46 (.674) in five seasons at Adams State from 2010-15.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and UT Tyler meet for the fourth time on the hardwood Saturday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs enjoyed a season sweep of the Patriots in the first two meetings last season beating UTT 59-44 in Tyler (1/2/20) and 68-65 in Wichita Falls (2/15/20) before claiming a 76-59 win in the series opener on Friday.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State is slated to face Dallas Baptist for a pair of games at Burg Center on Jan. 22 and 23 in Dallas. The Mustangs and Patriots play Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 3.