MIDWESTERN STATE (9-6, 3-2 LSC)
at No. 4 TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE (14-2, 3-2 LSC)

Sunday, Jan. 23 – 2 p.m.
Commerce Field House (Commerce, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 44-29

COMMERCE, Texas -- In a Lone Star Conference rematch, Midwestern State (9-6, 3-2 LSC) takes on No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce (14-2, 3-2 LSC) on their home court. The Field House hosts the contest on Sunday as the Mustangs search for their third straight win. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

SCOUTING THE LIONS

Texas A&M-Commerce saw an 11-game win streak come to an end after dropping their first Lone Star Conference battle to West Texas A&M on Jan. 6. This included the road victory in Wichita Falls on Dec. 16. The Lions went on to claim wins over No. 4 Lubbock Christian and Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 13 and 15. TAMUC grabbed their second LSC loss with a 67-80 drop to UT Tyler on Jan. 18. The team's last game saw a 67-52 victory at Western New Mexico. With a 3-2 conference record, Texas A&M-Commerce sits even with UT Tyler and Midwestern State with a 0.600 win percent. Also, they top the rankings of the DIISIDA South Central Region with five first-place votes and 59 points.

The Lions lead the Lone Star Conference in many categories thus far into the 2021-22 season. They are second in the NCAA with 409 free-throw attempts and 302 makes. Their 17.9 average offensive boards rank seventh in DII while their rebound margin of 10.2 is ninth. TAMUC controls a nationally ranked eighth-best 45.69 rebounds per game. The squad's scoring margin of 16.2 points sits 17th in Division II while their 80.1 points per game rank 11th.

Dyani Robinson is the leading scorer for Texas A&M-Commerce, averaging 15.9 points, the fifth-highest in the league. The sophomore collected 18 tallies in the last match against the Mustangs, going eight of 19 from the field. She leads the conference with 237 field goal attempts, which ranks 20th in the NCAA while her 93 makes find an LSC fifth-best rating. Omit, Robinson shoots 39 percent from the floor and 31 percent from range. The guard knocked down 50 of 60 free-throw attempts for a Lone Star fourth rank for her 83 percent conversion. She averages 4.1 boards and adds two blocks. The Cypress, Texas, native owns a team-best 56 assists and contributes 16 steals.

DesiRay Kernal tops the Lions with 7.6 boards per game. Her 122 total rebounds rank fifth for the conference and 86th for the nation. The forward averaged 11.4 points for the Lions over 16 appearances. Kernal shoots 44 percent from the floor and 28 percent from behind the arc. The redshirt sophomore's 84 free throw attempts sit second in the LSC and 43rd in Division II. She adds 59 makes from the line to rank fifth in the league and 55th in DII. Against the Mustangs in December, Kernal turned in 9 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes. The Newton, Kansas, native complied 23 assists, including four against Eastern New Mexico. She adds 16 steals and 7 blocks in 14 starts.

Other than Robinson, Chania Wright is the only other Lion to start all 16 games. In her start versus MSU, she recorded six points and four assists in a 20-minute performance. The senior posts 9.4 tallies per game with 150 total points on the season. She shoots 40 percent from the floor and owns one of the team's highest three-point percentages at 36. Wright is 19 of 21 from the line to tally a 90 make percent. The guard averages 2.8 boards while picking up two blocks. She notched 27 helpers and six steals on the year. The DeSoto, Texas, product picked up a season-best 23 points in the 99-86 win against UAFS.

Juliana Louis tops the Texas A&M-Commerce squad with nine blocks in her 15 appearances. The senior was not present for the game against Midwestern State on Dec. 16. In her best performance of the season, she posted 14 points, 10 blocks, and 2 blocks versus Ouachita Baptist on Nov. 19. Louis averages 4.9 points for the team's offensive threat. The forward shoots 35 percent from the field while going 81 percent at the line. She contributes 6.5 boards on average to the defensive force. The Long Beach, Calif., local turned in 20 assists and ten steals in 13 starts.
  
Ravae Payne is another main starter for the team as she has made 15 on the season. The guard posts 5.4 points and 2.3 boards for TAMUC. From the floor, she shoots around 40 percent while notching a 30 percent shot from behind the arc. Payne is 19 of 22 from the charity stripe. The senior recorded an 18 performance against Northeastern State, including going six of nine from the field. She totals 28 assists and seven steals in 16 games.

BLOCK UP

After gathering eight stops on Thursday night at Texas Woman's, Midwestern State still stands at the top of the ranks with 75 team blocks. Through 16 games, MSU is second in the Lone Star Conference and 14th in Division II in total blocks. Their average of five per game leads the LSC and ranks 14th in the NCAA. In the win versus TWU, Hannah Reynolds and Markayla Johnson each recorded two stops with four other Mustangs completing one block. The team has at least one block in every game of the season thus far. The best performance was the last time out against Texas A&M-Commerce when they picked up ten shot-stoppers.

SHOOTING SHOTS

MSU has also steadily improved on its shooting percentages throughout the season. The Mustangs now rank fifth in the conference with 41 percent from the field. This sits in the top 100 for DII women's basketball. Their best showing was against St. Edward's with a 51 field goal percentage. The team's 32.5 three-point field-goal percentage posts a fourth-best sitting for the Lone Star Conference. In addition, the feat ranks 86th in NCAA Division II. Midwestern State was nine of 17 for 52 percent shooting on Jan. 15 against UT Permian Basin.

MUSTANG STARTING FIVE

Morgan Lenahan is the leading scorer for the Mustangs with a conference sixth-highest 15.7 points. The senior poured in 18 tallies in the win over TWU and added six rebounds. Her best performance on the scoreboard came at UT Permian Basin where she secured 31 points. She continues to shoot 40 percent from the field and 44 percent from distance. Her 195 field goal attempts and 78 makes both rank sixth in the LSC. From the line, the guard earned the Lone Star Conference's fourth-best percent at 83.3. This posts 65th in the NCAA. She owns 6.2 boards per game and clinched five blocks. The Haddonfield, N.J, product also contributes 42 assists and 27 steals in 15 starts.

Frances King averages 13.2 points per game with a career-high 25 points posted against Texas Wesleyan (11/28). At Texas Woman's, she punched a team-best 21 points in the victory. The sophomore recently set the single-game record for assists against St. Mary's on Jan. 8. With her 13 helpers, King overtook Mindy Myers' 1994 record of 13. The guard's 77 total assists lead the league while sitting 17th in Division II. Her average of 5.1 also tops the Lone Star Conference and ranks 24th in the NCAA. King is good for 36 percent from the floor and 18 percent from range. At the line, she holds the third most attempts (83) and most makes (68) in the LSC. The Rockdale, Texas native boasts 3.6 boards and leads the team with 29 steals. She adds eight blocks through 15 games.

Hannah Reynolds leads Midwestern State in rebounding at 6.4 per game. She grabbed two offensive and four defensive for six total boards against the Pioneers. The senior tacked on nine points and two blocks. Reynolds' 36 total stops rank third in the Lone Star Conference and 11th for DII. Also taking 11th place in the NCAA is her 2.57 blocked shots average. This sits second in the LSC behind Sammie Dufek of St. Edward's. Reynolds continues her ownership of Midwestern State's all-time leading blocker. She totals 191 career checks and a 1.8 average over 108 games. The forward averages almost ten points and collected a career-high 24 against St. Mary's on Jan. 8. She shoots about 46 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line.

Shawnisay Millar has started all 15 games for the Mustangs. The junior averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Against Texas Woman's, she conjured 12 points on four of six shooting. On the year, Millar shoots 50 percent from the field and 28 percent from range. She is 26 of 39 from the line. The forward adds nine assists, four steals, and six blocks to her stats.

Markayla Johnson rounds out the starting five for MSU. The sophomore sees 4.3 points and 3.0 boards per match. She is a 37 percent shooter from the floor and 21 percent from behind the arc. The guard knocked down five of ten attempts from the charity stripe. The team's defensive guru completed seven points and rebounds on Thursday versus TWU. Johnson secured 15 assists, 19 steals, and 9 blocks this season.

THE MAN IN CHARGE

Christopher Reay is in his second season at the helm of his alma mater. In the shortened COVID 2020-21 season, Reay guided the Mustangs to an 11-7 record. In his first year at the reins, the Mustangs went 11-5 in Lone Star Conference play. The team finished fifth in the standings and reached the quarterfinals in the postseason tournament. In addition, Reay led MSU 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 24-19 (.558). Reay served as the top assistant for 10 campaigns, guiding MSU to three consecutive NCAA Division II South Central Regionals from 2012-15. In that time, MSU claimed a Lone Star Conference regular and postseason tournament title in 2012-13. Reay competed two seasons at Midwestern State in 2006-07 and 2007-08. After transferring from SMU, he helped MSU to an LSC postseason tournament championship and a regional semifinal appearance in 2007.

ABOUT THE SERIES

The MSU and TAMUC series has lasted 45 years with the two teams finding a 44-29 record as Midwestern State's advantage. The Mustangs and the Lions went 1-1 in the 2020-21 season with MSU taking the first game 85-82 on Jan. 10. This ended a five-game losing streak to Texas A&M-Commerce. Morgan Lenahan and Shawnisay Millar combined for 39 points and 12 rebounds in the home win. The Lions came back on Feb. 22 to take a 110-81 victory. This year, the two teams met on Dec. 16 in a nonconference match. TAMUC held MSU to seven points in the second half to take the 81-35 victory. Laila Lawrence and Dyani Robinson combined with 19 and 18 points each. Hannah Reynolds led Midwestern State with six tallies and four blocks. Omit, MSU holds a 19-17 LSC record over TAMUC and are 16-18 when playing in Commerce, Texas.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State is back home in Wichita Falls after two weeks on the road. The Mustangs face West Texas A&M on Thursday, Jan. 27, at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Lone Star Conference match will celebrate MSU's 100-year anniversary starting at 5:30 p.m. Ticket information and game coverage are available online.