Midwestern State vs St. Mary's

Saturday, Jan. 8 – 2 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 15-5
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- After clinching their first Lone Star Conference win of the season, Midwestern State returns to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for another conference showdown. The Mustangs take on St. Mary's on Saturday, Jan. 8 with tip-off set for 2 p.m.

SCOUTING THE RATTLERS

In their first conference contest of the year, St. Mary's fell 69-56 to Texas Woman's in Denton, Texas. At 1-11, the Rattlers secured their only win against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Dec. 20. StMU took down the Javelinas by a narrow 56-52 score.
 
Hannah Wilson is the top scorer for St. Mary's with 18.1 points per game with 12 starts. This sits second in the Lone Star Conference and 53rd in the NCAA. She dropped 15 points against the Pioneers on Thursday. The fifth year senior also impresses on the boards. Wilson leads the conference with 7.3 defensive rebounds per game and ranks 28th in DII. Her 4.5 offensive rebounds per game also tops the LSC and sits 12th in Division II. Overall, the center averages 11.8 boards per game, which is first in the Lone Star and 11th in the nation. Wilson shoots 52 percent from the field and 73 percent from the line. She adds a team-best 16 blocks on the season.
 
Sydney Hardeman made ten starts for the year and averages 9.5 points. The junior ranks third in the LSC in three-pointers attempted (82), three-pointers made (26) and three-pointers per game (2.36). Hardeman went four of eight from beyond the arc against TWU and led the Rattlers with 18 points. She shoots around 31 percent from range and from the field. The guard averages 3.5 rebounds per game and collected three blocks. Hardeman owns 14 assists and eight steals in 11 games.
 
Sarai Estupiñan holds 26 helpers to lead StMU on the season. The freshman has seven starts in 12 appearances for the 2021-22 season. She averages 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Estupiñan is a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe. The guard also shoots 28 percent in the field and 23 percent from behind the arc.

BLOCKED

Midwestern State continues their reign on blocks after posting five blocks against St. Edward's. MSU ranks 19th in Division II and third in the conference with 58 stopped shots while the average of 5.3 per game sits 14th and first respectively. Hannah Reynolds added three blocks in the team's win on Thursday. She totals 29 stops on the season to rank 11th in the NCAA and third in the LSC. The senior's 2.90 blocks per game sits sixth in the nation and second in the Lone Star. Reynolds continues her ownership of Midwestern State's all-time leading blocker with 184 career checks and a 1.8 average over 104 games. 

STARTING FIVE

Reynolds also holds a spot in the top three of scorers for MSU. The forward averages 8.8 points per game and collected 12 against St. Edward's on Thursday. She shoots about 42 percent from the field and 61 percent from the line. The graduate senior has only been to the free-throw line 13 times, but has knocked down eight opportunities. Reynolds holds 67 points on the year with 15 coming in the Ashbrook Classic against Adams State (11/13). She owns a 6.3 average boards with 42 on the defensive end. Reynolds just missed the double double mark against SEU with nine rebounds.

Morgan Lenahan is also a force for the Mustangs, averaging 12.3 points per game. Versus the Hilltoppers, the graduate senior went six of eight from the line and totaled 11 points. She led the team with a season-high eight assists and three steals. On the season, Lenahan shoots 33 percent from the field and has a conference fourth best 86 percent free throw shooting. This ranks 46th in Division II. The guard ties with Reynold's 6.3 average boards but leads the Mustangs with 23 steals. The Haddonfield, N.J., native posted a season-high 28 points and nine rebounds at Oklahoma Christian (12/02).
 
Frances King still stands as the leading scorer for Midwestern State this season. The sophomore averages 13.2 points per game with a career-high 25 points posted against Texas Wesleyan (11/28). Against SEU, King posted nine points and seven assists in the win. The guard's 4.3 helpers per game ranks third in the LSC and 47th in the NCAA. King gained eight assists versus Adams State (11/13) for a season-high. She shoots 35 percent from the floor and boasts 80 percent from the line. The Rockdale, Texas, native earns 3.5 boards per game and 17 total steals in 11 games.

Shawnisay Millar and Markayla Johnson round out the starting five for the Mustangs. Millar posted one of her best performances of the season against St. Edward's. The forward led the team with 15 points, going seven of eleven from the floor. Millar averages eight points per game and 4.5 rebounds. Johnson gained four points early in the match against SEU. She records about 4.5 average points and 2.7 boards. The sophomore registered 14 steals and six blocks in ten starts for the 2021-22 season.

HEAD COACH

Christopher Reay is in his second season at the helm of his alma mater. In the shortened COVID 2020-21 season and his first year at the reins, Reay guided the Mustangs to an 11-7 overall record while going 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 21-18 (.538). Reay served as the top assistant for 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.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Midwestern State owns the series against St. Mary's at 15-5 going into Saturday's game. The Mustangs are 8-3 when playing the Rattlers on their home court. The 2020 match between the two teams was the first conference battle and StMU took home the 72-51 win at Ligon Coliseum. Kityana Diaz led with 13 points while Hannah Reynolds posted 11 points and five blocks. Frances King followed with eight points and two steals. Hannah Wilson had ten points for the Rattlers.
 

UP NEXT

Midwestern State is on the road next week for a pair of Lone Star Conference away games. On Thursday, Jan. 13, the team will face Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. Next Saturday, the Mustangs travel to Odessa, Texas to battle UT Permian Basin. The start time is set for 2 p.m.