Midwestern State vs Cameron

Saturday, Jan. 29 – 2 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: WT leads 19-56

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State (10-7, 4-3 LSC) looks to ride the momentum from Thursday night into Saturday's game against Cameron (10-6, 5-1 LSC). The Lone Star Conference match kicks-off at 2 p.m. in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

Cameron lost their unbeaten Lone Star Conference streak on Thursday night with a last second drop at Texas Woman's. The Aggies were able to overcome a 19-point halftime deficit to tie the game at 31 seconds, but ended with a 61-65 loss. The team is currently second in the LSC standings behind Texas A&M-Kingsville and ahead of West Texas A&M. These three teams were all unbeaten going into Thursday night, but earned their first conference loss in the process.

Cameron's main skill lies behind the three-point line. As a team, the Aggies lead the league and the NCAA with 10.8 three-pointers per game. Their 173 makes and 497 attempts also top the Lone Star Conference and rank fourth and seventh in Division II. CU shoots an LSC leading 34.8 percent from beyond the arc. In addition, the team excels at keeping the ball as they have the fewest turnovers in the conference (223). The Aggies' 6.81 turnover margin sits first in the league and 15th in the nation.

Maighan Hedge has had quite the year for Cameron. The guard recently broke the program's all-time scoring record with her 1,603rd point on Thursday, Jan. 19. This past Thursday, Hedge posted 20 points, hitting 7-of-11 from the field. The junior leads the Lone Star Conference and is second in the NCAA with 22.3 points per game. She leads the league in field goal makes (128) and three-pointers per game (2.94). In addition, the Melbourne, Australia, native averages 3.4 boards for the Aggies.

Stephanie Peterson is also a threat for CU, bringing in 13.2 average tallies. The leading rebounder for the Aggies collects 7.3 per game and 116 total. The forward's 5.9 average defensive boards sits third in the Lone Star Conference. Peterson tops her team with 44 steals to rank second in the LSC. Her average of 2.75 sits third in the league. The sophomore is good for 46 percent from the floor and 32 percent from range. She knocked down 32-of-44 free throw attempts.

Whitney Outon is the leading blocker for Cameron with 14 stops in 16 starts. The junior earned 8.3 points and 4.5 boards. Outon shoots 40 percent from the clip with a 36 percent from range. The forward is 26-of-31 from the line. She adds 19 assists and 16 steals on the season.

BLOCK UP

After Midwestern State collected nine stops in the Thursday night game against West Texas A&M, the team still stands at the top of the ranks with 88 blocks. Through 18 games, MSU leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks seventh in Division II in total blocks. The 5.2 blocks per game lead the LSC and ranks 11th in the NCAA. Hannah Reynolds led the way against the Lady Buffs with three blocks. The team has at least one block in every game of the season thus far. The best performance was on Dec. 16 versus Texas A&M-Commerce when they picked up ten shot-stoppers.

TOP SIX

MSU ranks in the top six places of the Lone Star Conference in three other categories. The team holds a sixth place with 67.4 points per game. Midwestern State's highest-scoring output was Jan. 20 at Texas Woman's with 83 points. The Mustangs' 33 three-point percentage is also top five in the LSC. Morgan Lenahan is 44 percent from beyond the arc while Sheridan Bostic follows with 38 percent success from behind the arc. Against WT, the team found 29 percent shooting from range while they excelled with 53 percent at UT Permian Basin (01/15). The team also forces 18.94 turnovers to place fifth in the Lone Star. Frances King and Lenahan each hold a team-best 31 steals. The Mustangs have won seven of eight games when their opponents have 20 or more turnovers.

MUSTANG STARTING FIVE

Morgan Lenahan is the leading scorer for the Mustangs with a conference sixth-highest 14.8 points. The senior connected on seven points against West Texas A&M and added seven rebounds. Her best performance on the scoreboard this year came at UT Permian Basin where she secured 31 points. She continues to shoot 40 percent from the field and 44 percent from distance. From the line, the guard earned the Lone Star Conference's fifth best and NCAA's 70th percent at 83.3. She owns six boards per game and clinched five blocks. The Haddonfield, N.J, product also contributes 55 assists and 31 steals in 16 starts. She recorded her career-high nine helpers at TAMUC on Jan. 23.

Frances King averages 13.1 points per game with a career-high 25 points posted against Texas Wesleyan (11/28). Against the Lady Buffs, she punched 21 points and seven rebounds. 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 83 total assists lead the league while sitting 20th in Division II. Her average of 4.9 also tops the Lone Star Conference and ranks 31st in the NCAA. King is good for 37 percent from the floor and 20 percent from range. At the line, she holds the second-most attempts (92) and most makes (76) in the LSC. These feats sit 45th and 26th in DII. The Rockdale, Texas native boasts 3.7 boards and 31 steals. She adds nine blocks through 17 games.

Hannah Reynolds leads Midwestern State in rebounding at 6.6 per game. She grabbed a double-double 1 boards and a team-lead 14 points at Texas A&M-Commerce. The senior's 40 total blocks rank third in the Lone Star Conference and 13th for DII. Also taking 13th place in the NCAA is her 2.50 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 195 career checks and a 1.8 average over 110 games. The forward averages ten points and collected a career-high 24 against St. Mary's on Jan. 8. She is only eight tallies away from reaching the 1,000-point club and five blocks from setting the 200 mark.

Shawnisay Millar has started all 17 games for the Mustangs. The junior averaged 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Against WT, she conjured six points and six rebounds. On the year, Millar shoots 50 percent from the field and 30 percent from range. She is 30 of 45 from the line. The forward adds 13 assists, 4 steals, and 7 blocks to her stats.

Markayla Johnson rounds out the starting five for MSU. The sophomore sees 4.8 points and 2.9 boards per match. She is a 36 percent shooter from the floor and 27 percent from behind the arc. The guard knocked down 8-of-14 attempts from the charity stripe. The team's defensive guru completed a career-high ten points, draining two from deep against Texas A&M-Commerce. The Huntsville, Texas, native secured 16 assists, 20 steals, and 11 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 25-20 (.556). 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

Though the Red River Rivalry has run 47 years, it is still strong between Midwestern State and Cameron. The Mustangs own a 49-32 advantage and are 15-10 in Lone Star Conference play. The Aggies are on a three-game win streak against MSU. They earned a 75-52 win on Dec. 12, 2020 and pushed Midwestern State out of the LSC tournament on March 2 with an 87-76 takeover. Earlier this year, CU took a 91-71 home win on Nov. 16. History is on side with the Mustangs as they are 28-9 against Cameron at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The last time the two teams met in Wichita Falls, was on Jan. 15, 2020. Elizabeth Cathcart and Mica Schneider combined for 45 points in the 84-77 victory. Shawnisay Millar donned nine tallies and eight boards in the LSC win.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State is back on the road with two big Lone Star Conference games next week. First up is No. 11 Lubbock Christian, who sit just two spots ahead of MSU in the LSC standings. The face-off in Lubbock, Texas, is set for Thursday, Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m. Then the Mustangs take on Eastern New Mexico who sit one spot below on the conference standings. The Greyhounds host on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. MST and 2 p.m. CST.