ODESSA, Texas -- Midwestern State's growing commitment to the defensive end of the floor gained an added focus Saturday afternoon at the UTPB Gym Complex.

The Mustangs knew they needed to control DaJuan Jones to put the Falcons in check.

MSU wasted no time putting the plan into action by scoring the first 17 points of the game while causing UT Permian Basin to misfire on its first 14 shots of the game.

The hot start and continued attention to detail added up to a dominating 68-53 win for the Mustangs.

"That was a fantastic defensive game," MSU coach Justin Leslie said. "We knew they were an efficient offensive team. We weren't going to give (Jones) any easy outs to get people going. He is a quarterback on the floor. I have been watching him pick teams apart all year. I knew we had to cut the head off of the snake. That was the game plan."

Jones came into the game averaging 14.4 points per game while ranking second in NCAA Division II with 7.9 assists per game. He finished with six points on 2-of-12 shooting with three assists and three rebounds.

"The key is crowding his vision," Leslie said. "I give a lot of credit to the top of our zone and there was so much talk behind him. It was a true, team defensive effort."

Midwestern State never let its defensive intensity fade. The Falcons didn't score a single point until Quinntez Grimes hit a jumper just over 10 minutes into the game.

And that came after Terrell Wilson, Jordan Teal and Amaechi Chukwu buried consecutive 3-pointers to post MSU to a 17-0 lead.

Midwestern State held its fifth consecutive opponent to under its season scoring average and it was fourth time during the stretch the opposition ended the game with a season low.

UT Permian Basin managed to shoot 30.6 percent from the field which the lowest for the program since the Falcons shot 28.2 percent in an 83-67 loss at Arkansas-Fort Smith on Jan. 2, 2016.

Meanwhile, MSU guard Terrell Wilson and Pierre Sanders took advantage of UTPB's defensive game plan of denying kick out passes on the perimeter to score 17 points each.

"They were dead set on denying passes, so the guards had to make plays," Leslie said. "It was a mature performance for (Sanders and Wilson) to allow the game to come to them."

Redshirt-freshman Amaechi Chukwu completed a stellar weekend securing his first collegiate double-double with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with 10 rebounds. That was on the heels of his career-best, 16-point performance Thursday night at Angelo State.

"(Amaechi) has had to overcome a lot this year," Leslie said. "There is going to be an acclimation over time. The good thing about him, he has always guarded. He has continued to work hard. He shows up and works hard every day. His retort to coaching and improvement is, 'I appreciate you, coach!'"

Jordan Horn paced UTPB with 16 points, while Grimes pitched in 15 for the Falcons, who dropped their fourth straight game to fall to 9-7 overall and 1-3 in LSC play.

Midwestern State (6-11, 2-4 LSC) battles Dallas Baptist Saturday afternoon at Burg Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
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