Midwestern State vs. Lubbock Christian
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.
Rip Griffin Center | Lubbock, Texas
Series: MSU leads 28-11
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StangGang Men's Basketball Podcast (1/26)
 
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Midwestern State battles No. 14 Lubbock Christian in a Lone Star Conference West Division home-and-home series.
 
The Mustangs and Chaps play Wednesday night at Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock with a 7:30 p.m. start time before squaring off Saturday afternoon in D.L. Ligon Coliseum beginning at 5:30.
 
CROWD RESTRICTIONS
Attendance at Rip Griffin Center is limited to 50-percent capacity.
 
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 281-146 mark (.658) in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach including a 15-25 record (.375) at MSU.
 
AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS
Midwestern State snapped a 15-game slide against teams ranked in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Top 25 with a 92-81 win over No. 9 St. Edward's on Jan. 2 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. It was the Mustangs' first win over a nationally ranked opponents since beating No. 11 West Texas A&M 84-78 on Jan. 5, 2017. MSU's last win against a Top 10-ranked opponent came against Tarleton State (66-63) on Jan. 13, 2016 -- also at Ligon Coliseum. Since, the Mustangs fell 112-105 to St. Edward's in overtime on Jan. 3 in Ligon Coliseum, then lost consecutive one-point battles last weekend at No. 15 Dallas Baptist. Midwestern State is 40-74 all-time against teams ranked in the NABC Top 25 including a 15-38 mark against those ranked in the Top 10.
 
MUSTANGS TEAM NOTES
* A point rating system is being utilized to determine the eight-team field for the Lone Star Conference Championship. The public version released this week has Midwestern State tied for ninth in the overall rankings with a 3.00 ranking. The Mustangs are behind West Texas A&M (5.00), DBU (4.05), Texas A&M-Kingsville (3.85), Lubbock Christian (3.56), St. Edward's (3.50), UAFS (3.36), UT Permian Basin (3.13) and Angelo State (3.05).
* Midwestern State received votes in last week's National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Division II Poll. The Mustangs previously received votes in the national poll on Nov. 29, 2016.
* 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 7-4 record is the best mark through 11 games since the 2016-17 squad sported the same mark.
* Midwestern State extended its run of games with at least one 3-pointer to 565 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 also equaled 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 135 made 3-pointers this season. The Mustangs average 12.3 made triples per game which is 2.3 more than their single-game program record of 10 per game set last season. The 12.3 made triples per game rank fifth in NCAA Division II. The Mustangs are also attempting nearly five more 3-pointers per game (32.9) than last season's record pace of 28.6 3-point attempts per game.
* Midwestern State leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks 14th in NCAA Division II pulling down 14.09 offensive rebounds per game. The Mustangs have grabbed at least 10 offensive caroms in all but one game this season with a high of 21 in a season opening win at Cameron (412/11). Midwestern has turned the offensive rebounds into 147 second-chance points through 11 games -- 13.4 points a contest.
* Midwestern State ranks 13th in NCAA Division II and leads the LSC with a +8.5 rebound margin. The Mustangs have out-boarded opponents by a double-figure margin in five games this season and out-rebounded the opposition in nine of 11 games this season.
 
MUSTANGS INDIVIDUAL NOTES
* Junior Derrick Ogechi leads the Mustangs in scoring at 14.5 points per game. He has scored in double figures in nine of 11 outings including a season-high of 21 at Mary Hardin-Baylor. The 6-3 guard connected on 63.6 percent of his shots from the field with a combined 11 3-pointers to tally 19 and 20 points at No. 15 Dallas Baptist last weekend. He leads the LSC and ranks 19th in NCAA Division II with 3.45 triples per game and is 11th in the LSC pulling down 6.7 boards per game.
* Sophomore Terrell Wilson matched a career high with 23 points on 8-of-19 shooting while going a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe Saturday at Dallas Baptist to up his season average to 14.5 points per game. Terrell ranks seventh in the league with 3.9 assists per game and is ninth with a 48.3 field goal percentage.
* Freshman Pierre Sanders scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half of Sunday's 91-90 loss at DBU. The Hutto native is third on the squad dropping in 10.5 points while dishing out 4.3 assists per game. He ranks fifth in the league with a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio.
* Junior forward Luke Hamilton gives the Mustangs a fourth double-figure scorer at 10.1 points per game. He has knocked down at least two triples in 10 of 11 outings this season to rank third in the LSC with three 3-point makes per game. His 43.4 3-point percentage is fourth in the league.
* Junior Jermane Carter notched his top two scoring games of the season last weekend at No. 15 Dallas Baptist. The 6-7 forward went for a season-high 19 points with six rebounds on Friday before going for 18 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting on Saturday. Carter has grabbed at least four offensive rebounds in seven of his nine games this season leading the LSC and ranking fifth nationally pulling in 4.7 offensive boards per game. He leads the team and rates sixth in the league at 8.1 rebounds per game.
 
ABOUT THE CHAPS
No. 14-ranked Lubbock Christian is the lone unbeaten squad remaining in the Lone Star Conference at 8-0. The Chaps boasts the league's top defense ranking sixth in NCAA Division II in scoring defense all 60.8 points per game and eighth in field goal percentage defense (39.2). LCU is also one of the most efficient offensive attacks in the nation rating second in the LSC and seven nationally with a team field goal percentage of 51.4. Senior forward Parker Hicks leads a trio of Chaps averaging in double figures at 16 points per game, while shooting 59.8 percent from the field. Senior guard Lloyd Daniels adds 14.9 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting, while sophomore Rowan Mackenzie chips in 12 points on 54.2 percent shooting. Todd Duncan boasts a 165-104 record (.613) in his 10th season at the helm in Lubbock.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State and Lubbock Christian meet for the 40th time on the hardwood Wednesday night at Rip Griffin Center. The Mustangs own a 28-11 edge in the series which dates back to the 1971-72, but the Chaps have won the last four meetings including all three with both programs as members of NCAA Division II. LCU upset top-seeded Midwestern State in the opening round of the 2016 South Central Regional before winning both games last season including a 79-61 win in the opening round of the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament. Overall, Midwestern State is 10-7 against the Chaps in games played in Lubbock.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State and Lubbock Christian play the final game of their LSC West Division series Saturday afternoon in Wichita Falls. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.