ALAMOSA, Colorado -- Midwestern State opens the 2022-23 season with a non-conference game against Adams State in the LSC/RMAC Conference Challenge at Plachy Hall. Mustangs and Grizzlies tip off Friday at 6:30 p.m.
 

MIDWESTERN STATE vs. ADAMS STATE

Friday | 6:30 p.m.
Plachy Hall | Alamosa, Colorado

Series History | Midwestern State leads, 3-1

LAST MEETING | Morgan Lenahan scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half, and Midwestern State defeated Adams State in the second game of the season at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last year, 67-65. Shawnisay Millar had nine points and eight rebounds in the victory, and Markayla Johnson was 3-of-3 from the field en route to eight points for the Mustangs, who started the campaign 2-0.

LAST TIME OUT | Natalie Stice scored 14 points and had two of 13 steals for Midwestern State at United Supermarkets Arena, but Texas Tech pulled away in the second half for an 84-50 victory in the exhibition game. The Red Raiders led MSU at the end of the first quarter, 13-10, and only led 26-22 at intermission. Midwestern grabbed 22 rebounds in the first half, just one less than Texas Tech in the opening 20 minutes. Yasmine Sifaoui led Midwestern State with five rebounds. The Mustangs pulled down 34 boards as a team. Sifaoui scored eight points for the Mustangs, who were 16-of-20 from the free-throw line. Mandy Withey pitched in seven points and pulled down four rebounds. Jordan Mathis scored six points, hitting 4-of-5 free throws. The Mustangs were 16-of-20 as a team at the foul line.

TRACKING THE MUSTANGS | MSU is coming off back-to-back winning campaigns and has advanced to the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament each of the last five years… Midwestern State finished last season with a 14-13 overall record and was 5-9 on the road…Head coach Christopher Reay is 29-26 and is beginning his third full season at the helm…Mustangs make second appearance at Plachy Hall, where they fell to the Grizzlies in November of 2013, 64-56…Dianna Jones, now an assistant coach with MSU, scored 10 points and had two steals as a junior guard in last trip to Alamosa…MSU scored 65.3 points per game last season and allowed opponents to score 71.3 ppg…Mustangs shot 39.8 percent from the field last season…Opponents shot 40.3 percent against Midwestern State a season ago…MSU shot 31.9 percent from 3-point range in 2021-22…Mustangs averaged 37.4 rebounds per game last season, while opponents pulled down 40.6 boards…MSU averaged 19.9 turnovers last season and allowed 19.1 points off turnovers…MSU scored 15.7 points off 17.1 turnovers per game last season…Shawnisay Millar is the leading scorer among returning players with 7.8 points per game last season…Millar also averaged 4.4 rebounds last season…Sheridan Bostic, who averaged 5.1 points per game in 2021-22, was 41-of-111 (.369) from 3-point range and 10-of-13 (.769) at the free-throw line …Markayla Johnson started 26 of 27 games last season and finished with 29 steals and 17 blocks for the Mustangs…Jordan Mathis averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 21 appearances last season… Mandy Withey played in 17 games, and she pulled down 3.1 rebounds per contest for the Mustangs last season…Eternity Jackson, who appeared in 24 games last season, was 10-of-14 (.714) from the free-throw line and had 21 assists…Yasmine Sifaoui averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 27 games last season…Natalie Stice averaged 10.1 points over 51 games while making 31 starts in her first two collegiate seasons at Eastern New Mexico...

SCOUTING ADAMS STATE | Adams State was 12-15 last season and 7-5 at home… Adams State is picked to finish eighth in the RMAC in the preseason coaches' poll…Mario Caetano is 12-15 beginning his second season as the head coach at Adams State… ASU has nine returners and five newcomers including three freshman and two transfers…Grizzlies scored 64.0 points per game last season and allowed 64.5 ppg…Adams State shot 39.5 percent from the field last season, 29.1 percent from 3-point range…Kayla Harris averaged 9.5 points per game for the Grizzlies last season…ASU averaged 33 rebounds per game, while opponent pulled down 40 boards a game…Harris averaged 4.3 rebounds per game…Harris had 67 steals and 30 blocks in 26 games —all starts — last season…Angelline Nageak averaged 7.2 ppg last season and had 59 steals…Nageak had 61 assists last season to lead the Grizzlies… Elaina Watson averaged 6.9 ppg and had 48 assists in 26 appearances in 2021-22…Adams State was 15th in the nation last season with 346 steals and eighth in the country with 12.8 steals per game…ASU forced 21.96 turnovers per game, which was second in the conference and 18th in the nation…Grizzlies led the RMAC in 3-point field goal defense as opponents shot 27.3 percent from beyond the arc…

UP NEXT | Midwestern State travels 163 miles north to Colorado Springs for a meeting with UC Colorado Springs on Saturday. Tipoff at Gallogly Events Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.