MIDWESTERN STATE (9-4, 9-4 LSC)
vs ANGELO STATE (1-9, 1-9 LSC)
Saturday, Feb. 20 – 3:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: Angelo State leads 38-31
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- After a small hiatus due to inclement weather, the Midwestern State women's basketball team is back in action this weekend. The squad will face off in a Lone Star Conference West Division match against Angelo State on Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.
 
FIVE STORY LINES
 
1 |  In this West Division battle, the Mustangs and Rams fight to climb in the standings. Currently, MSU sits at third while ASU is at fifth in the division standings. The full Lone Star Conference point rankings (as of Feb. 14) sees Midwestern State at the top of the table with a 4.077 ranking and Angelo State at 13th with 2.350.  The top eight teams advance to the LSC Postseason Tournament set for campus sites from March 2-7. The rating system is an average of points earned per game in a graduated system considering your opponent's record ranging from three points for a home win against a sub-.250 team to seven points for a win against a team with better than a .750 record on the road. A team receives 0-2.5 points in a loss. As for the other West Division foes, neither team has taken on UT Permian Basin yet. MSU dropped one game against Lubbock Christian (54-84) while ASU went 0-2 versus the Eagles (55-65, 46-77). Midwestern split with West Texas A&M and Angelo fell in both games against the Lady Buffs.
 
2 |  With a 9-4 mark, the Mustangs are off to their best start through 13 games since the 2014-15 team went 11-2 and 23-7 overall. MSU is on an 8-0 home win streak, starting on Feb. 15, 2020, against UT Tyler. Their last win was Feb. 8, against St. Edward's with a 74-67 score. The team is undefeated at home for five total games this year at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. On the road, the squad is 4-4 for the season.
 
3 |  Winning the battle on the boards has been the greatest predictor of success for Midwestern State under coach Christopher Reay. The Mustangs are 10-4 when controlling an edge on the boards since Reay took over last season and in eight of their nine wins this season. MSU ranks third in the LSC and 48th in NCAA Division II with a +4.9 rebound margin. Senior guard Haevyn Risley leads the team in total rebounds and rebounds per game with 85 and 6.5. With these numbers, she ranks at eighth in the LSC for total rebounds and tenth for rebounds per game. She lead the Mustangs last time out against St. Edward's with 15 points and 14 rebounds on Feb. 8. The Rams sit at a -6.9 rebound margin for the season, ranking 15th in the conference.
 
4 |  Sophomore guard Frances King leads MSU in helpers for the season (51) which turns into third best in the conference and 78th in NCAA Division II. She also sits at 3.9 assists per game, fourth in the LSC and 72nd in the nation. The Rockdale, Texas, native has at least one assist in every game, with her best performance bringing six assists against Cameron on Dec. 11. For the Rams, sophomore guard leads with 37 total assist and 3.7 assists per game. Her assist per game is at seventh in the LSC.
 
5 |  Senior guard Morgan Lenahan is second for MSU with 80 rebounds for the season and 6.2 rebounds per game. Lenahan leads the team in defensive rebounds per game (5.6) and ranks sixth in the Lone Star. The Haddonfield, N.J., native is first for the team in scoring with 12.8 points per game and tallied double figures in ten of 13 games this season. Against St. Edward's on Feb. 8, Lenahan went for 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Mustangs. She booked a campaign-high 25 points in a win over West Texas A&M on Jan. 2, then had 21 points in a victory over Texas A&M-Commerce on Jan. 10.

HEAD COACH CHRISTOPHER REAY is almost to the end 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 13-10 (.770) heading into Saturday's game. 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.
 
THE SERIES WITH THE RAMS
  
Midwestern State and Angelo State meet for the 69th time with 35 of the meetings coming at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs have history and the current home unbeaten streak on their side for Saturday's game. They are 22-13 when playing the Rams at home. MSU's last win was on Dec. 19, 2019, when they routed ASU 76-64 in Wichita Falls. Prior to that, Midwestern State lost four straight home games to Angelo State from 2016 to 2019. Overall, the Mustangs are on the down side of the series with the Rams leading 38-31 dating back to 1978.