MIDWESTERN STATE (6-12, 2-4 LSC)
vs #12 WEST TEXAS A&M (17-3, 4-2 LSC)

Thursday, Jan. 27 -- 7:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series | WT leads 43-32

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State battles West Texas A&M in a Lone Star Conference contest Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

The game is available via streaming video on the LSC Digital Network. A free audio stream featuring the Voice of the Mustangs -- Pete Stein -- can also be heard at MSUMustangs.com/streaming.

All video streams on the LSC Digital Network are also available on Over-The-Top (OTT) apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku by searching "LSC Digital Network."

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

THREE... DOT... THOUGHTS...

Midwestern State lost to Dallas Baptist 79-69 in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon at the Burg Center to fall to 6-12 on the season... The Mustangs are 2-5 since returning from the holiday break... MSU is 3-4 on its home floor at D.L. Ligon Coliseum boasting double-digit wins over nationally ranked Central Oklahoma (86-65), Colorado State-Pueblo (77-64) and St. Edward's (60-50)... The Mustangs have held their last five opponents under season scoring average in Lone Star Conference play... MSU ranks third in the LSC in scoring defense during league play limiting the opposition to 64.7 points per game... The Mustangs top the LSC in 3-point field percentage (.274) during league played and are third in field goal percentage defense (.387)... MSU has shot 40 percent or better in six of its last seven games... Midwestern State ranks 16th in the LSC in team field goal percentage (40.9 percent) and 17th in team 3- point field goal percentage (29.1 percent)... MSU ranks second in the LSC and 21st in NCAA Division II pulling down 13.44 offensive rebounds per game resulting in 205 second chance points in 18 games (11.4 per game)... Midwestern State projects to play the 13th toughest schedule in NCAA Division II with its past and future opposition combining for a .592 winning percentage... Midwestern State faces a team ranked in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Top 25 for the second time this season... The Mustangs fell to No. 3 West Texas A&M 94-74 on Nov. 22 in Canyon... MSU is 40-78 all-time against teams ranked in the NABC Top 25... The Mustangs have lost seven straight to nationally ranked opponents since beating St. Edward's 92-81 on Jan. 2, 2021 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum... MSU was 20-20 against teams ranked in the NABC Top 25 from 2008-16 when the Mustangs made eight consecutive NCAA Division II postseason appearances... MSU is 4-24 against nationally ranked foes since 2016...

MSU TRENDSETTERS

Jermane Carter // Senior // Forward // Lenape, N.J.

ranks seventh in the LSC in scoring at 15.4 points per game... leads the LSC and ranks 18th in NCAA Division II pulling down 3.6 offensive rebounds per game... is 14th in overall rebounds per game in the LSC collecting 5.9 caroms per game... rates third in the LSC in field goal percentage at 50.3... scored in double figures in 13 of 18 games this season...  booked 20-or-more points in five games... erupted for career-high 28 points while completing his second collegiate double-double with 10 rebounds against No. 3 West Texas A&M (11/22)... scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting with a season-best three dunks at Dallas Baptist (1/22)... connected on 9-of-18 shots with a 3-pointer to finish with 23 points and seven rebounds at Angelo State (1/13)... poured in a team-high 20 points on 11-of-18 shooting with a career-best four 3-pointers (on five attempts) in a 60-50 win over St. Edward's (1/6)... recorded his third career double-double and second of the season going for 17 points and 12 rebounds against Texas A&M-Commerce (12/31)... went for 22 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes against Northern State (11/16)... scored 21 of his game-high 22 points in the second half going 12-for-16 from the free throw line with six rebounds at Oklahoma Christian (12/2)... narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds in a win over Colorado State-Pueblo (11/13)... 10 of his 11 rebounds against Colorado State-Pueblo came on the offensive end of the floor... had another near double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds at  Cameron (11/30)... 

Terrell Wilson // Junior // Guard // Houston, Texas

ranks 24th in the Lone Star Conference in scoring with 12.8 points per game while averaging 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27.6 minutes over 18 games this season... scored in double figures 12 times this season and in 10 of his last 13 games...  scored 20-or-more points three times... connected on at least two 3-pointers in nine games... poured in a career-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting going 6-of-6 from the arc at UT Tyler (1/2)... booked 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting with three 3-pointers against Dallas Baptist (1/22)... went for 21 points with five assists and two steals in a win over Colorado State-Pueblo (11/13)... led team in scoring five times including his 28 points at UT Tyler, 21 points against Colorado State-Pueblo, 16 versus Minnesota-Crookston (11/27), 14 points against Central Oklahoma (11/20) and 18 against UT Tyler (12/13)... connected on 7-of-9 shots from the field including a 3-pointer for a team-high 17 points in a win at UT Permian Basin (1/15)... scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half against Texas A&M-Commerce (12/31)... scored 600th career point at UT Tyler (1/2)... 

Pierre Sanders // Sophomore // Guard // Hutto, Texas

averages 9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 27.9 minutes over 13 games... scored in double figures five times... missed five games due to injury from the Nov. 30 game at Cameron through the Dec. 16 game against Texas A&M-Commerce... matched a campaign-high with 17 points hitting four 3-pointers in a win at UT Permian Basin (1/15)... splashed in a season-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds at Northern State (11/26)... finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in a win over Colorado State-Pueblo (11/13)... buried a season-high three 3-pointers and went 5-for-9 from the field to finish with 15 points and seven rebounds against St. Mary's (1/8)... scored six points and dished out a season-high six assists at Dallas Baptist (1/22)...

Amaechi Chukwu // Sophomore // Forward // Denton, Texas

averages 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes over 17 games... averaging 13 points and 7.6 rebounds in 21.3 minutes over the last three games shooting 17-of-23 from the field (73.9 percent)... scored in double digits for the first time against Angelo State (1/13) then extended the run to three straight games with at least 10 points against UT Permian Basin (1/15) and Dallas Baptist (1/22)... ranks 13th in the Lone Star Conference averaging 2.0 offensive rebounds per game... went for a season-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds at Angelo State (1/13)... notched first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 5-of-7 from the field with a 3-pointer at UT Permian Basin (1/15)...  scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting with six rebounds before fouling out in 28 minutes at Dallas Baptist (1/22)...

Jalin Brown // Senior // Forward // Denton, Texas

averages 4.8 points and ranks eighth in the Lone Star Conference pulling down 6.7 rebounds in 22.9 minutes over 18 starts... grabbed at least seven rebounds in 10 games this season including a high of 15 rebounds against St. Edward's (1/6)... pulled down 9.5 rebounds over a six-game stretch from Dec. 13 against UT Tyler through Jan. 8 against St. Mary's... shooting 47.6 percent from the arc for the season (10-of-21)... connected on two 3-pointers in consecutive games going 2-for-2 at Texas A&M-Commerce (12/31) and 2-for-3 against UT Tyler (1/2)... scored season-high 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a win over Colorado State-Pueblo (11/13)...

HEAD COACH JUSTIN LESLIE is in 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 291-162 mark (.642) in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach including a 25-41 record (.379) at MSU.

SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES

West Texas A&M rolls into Wichita Falls with a 17-3 record including a 4-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play... The Buffs are 2-2 away from the First United Bank Center this season dropping games at Lubbock Christian (73-66) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (75-69)... WT ranks second in the LSC in field goal percentage (42.5) and are third in scoring at 77.9 points per game... The Buffs are second in the LSC free throw attempts averaging 20.5 per game to rank seventh in NCAA Division II... WT is second in the league and 30th nationally in field goal percentage defense (40.7), but are 11th in the LSC 3-point field goal percentage defense (33.5)... Sophomore Zach Toussaint leads a trio of players averaging double figures at 14.7 points per game... Toussaint has knocked down 49-of-121 of his 3-point attempts (40.5 percent) and ranks third in the LSC and 13th in NCAA Division II connecting on 56-of-62 from the free throw line (90.3 percent)... Toussaint has scored 20-or-more points six times this season including a high of 27 against Midwestern State... Sophomore Larry Wise scores 14.6 points per game shooting 33.6 percent from the arc (36-of-107) and 85.9 percent from the charity stripe (55-of-64)... Wise has scored 20-or-more points in four games with a high of 27 against UT Tyler (1/8)... Junior Julius Brown averages 11.6 points per game in 17 starts... Brown boasts matching season highs of 21 points against MSU-Moorhead (10/30) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (12/31)... Former WT All Americans Joel Murray and Qua Grant transferred to Division I program after helping the Buffs to the NCAA Division II national championship game last spring... Murray leads Long Beach State in scoring averaging 15.9 points per game... Grant is averaging 5.1 points and 2.0 assists in 16 games at Wichita State...

HEAD COACH TOM BROWN owns a 197-46 record (.811) in his eighth season leading the West Texas A&M program. Brown has led the Buffs to three consecutive Elite Eights (2018, 2019, 2021) including national runner-up finish in 2021. West Texas A&M qualified for the NCAA Division II postseason in each of the last five seasons. Prior to taking over the WT men's basketball program prior to the 2014-15 season, Brown served as an assistant at Winona State for 16 campaigns helping the Warriors to NCAA Division II championships in 2006 and 2008.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Midwestern State and West Texas A&M meet for the 76th time on the hardwood Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Buffs lead the overall series which dates back to the 1947-48 season by a 43-32 margin. WT has won the last eight meetings between the programs including a 94-74 win earlier this season in Canyon. MSU's last beat the Buffs 84-78 on Jan. 5, 2017 in Wichita Falls. Midwestern State is 18-8 all-time against West Texas A&M at Ligon Coliseum. The Buffs, however, claimed victories in their last three trips to Wichita Falls.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State and Cameron renew the Red River Rivalry Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.