MIDWESTERN STATE
vs UC COLORADO SPRINGS

Friday, Nov. 12 -- 7:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: UCCS leads 1-0
 

MIDWESTERN STATE 
vs COLORADO STATE-PUEBLO

Saturday, Nov. 13, -- 8 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: Tied 4-4

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State opens the season by hosting the Ashbrook Classic Friday and Saturday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The Mustangs take on a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents beginning with UC Colorado Springs Friday night at 7:30 before closing the classic against Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday night at 8.

The games are available via streaming video on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. A free audio stream featuring the Voice of the Mustangs -- Pete Stein -- is also available at MSUMustangs.com/streaming.

GOING TO THE GAMES? All fans must purchase tickets online, then present the QR code to scan at the gate for admittance. No walk-up tickets are available. Purchase your tickets at www.msumustangs.com/tickets.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

1 |  Midwestern State opens the season at home for the second time since 2015 and have won the last three season openers on its home floor including a 100-63 victory over Mid-American Christian in 2011, a 103-51 win over Oklahoma City in 2015, and an 80-75 victory over Rogers State in 2018. Overall, Midwestern State is 52-23 in season openers dating back to its first season as a four-year institution in 1946-47. The Mustangs are 32-4 in season openers in Wichita Falls.

2 |  Midwestern State was picked to finish sixth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll of coaches, sports information directors and selected media. The Mustangs finished with an 11-8 mark during the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season advancing to the LSC Postseason Tournament quarterfinals for the second straight season.

3 |  Midwestern State returns three All-Lone Star Conference performers from last season's 11-8 squad. Senior forward Luke Hamilton earned second-team honors as the team's third leading scorer at 11.2 points per game. He also ranked fifth on the team pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game. Hamilton connected on 40.4 percent of his 3-point shots and ranked second in the LSC and 16th in NCAA Division II hitting 3.2 3s per game. Junior guard Terrell Wilson (12.8 ppg) and senior forward Jermane Carter (10.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg) garnered third-team honors. The Mustangs also return senior forward Jalin Brown (7.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg), who made all 19 starts for the Mustangs in 2020-21. Sophomore Pierre Sanders (10.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) earned eight starts last season. Senior John Weger; juniors Evan McCarthy, Drake Dusek, and Josh Ogunlade; and sophomore Amaechi Chukwu and Travis Massey also return for the Mustangs.

4 |  UC Colorado Springs was picked to finish fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll. The Mountain Lions closed the 2020-21 season with a 7-9 conference only record to finish seventh in the RMAC. UCCS landed two players on the RMAC Preseason Players to Watch list including All-RMAC first-teamer Alijah Comithier and transfer Jon'il Fugett. Comithier averaged 19.1 points last season, while Fugett scored 12.9 points per game and connected on 35.3 percent of his 3-pointers at West Texas A&M. Jeff Culver is in his 10th season as head coach at UCCS sporting a 138-111 overall record.

5 |  Colorado State-Pueblo was picked to finish 15th in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll. The Thunderwolves finished the 2020-21 season with a 3-15 conference only record to finish 14th in the RMAC. Matt Hammer enters his third season as head coach at Colorado State-Pueblo sporting a 14-32 record (.304).

HEAD COACH JUSTIN LESLIE begins his third season at the helm of the Midwestern State men's basketball program. 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. MSU also closed the 2020-21 regular season with four straight wins advancing the LSC Postseason Tournament for the second straight year with an 11-8 overall record. 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 285-150 mark (.655) in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach including a 19-29 record (.396) at MSU.

THE SERIES AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN LIONS

Midwestern State and UC Colorado Springs meet for the second time on the hardwood Friday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs opened the Justin Leslie era and the 2019-20 season with a 69-61 loss to UC Colorado Springs at the Gallogly Events Center in Colorado Springs. Darius Thompson and D'monta Harris scored 14 points each to lead MSU. 

THE SERIES AGAINST THE THUNDERWOLVES

Midwestern State and Colorado State-Pueblo meet for the ninth time on the hardwood Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The teams have split the previous eight meetings. It will be just third time the Mustangs and Thunderwolves play at D.L. Ligon Coliseum with MSU winning 68-57 on Nov. 23, 2014 and CSU-P claiming an 87-74 victory on Nov. 24, 2015. 

NEXT UP

Midwestern State takes on Central Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 20 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.

-- MSUMustangs.com --