COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- Midwestern State looks to rebound from its season-opening loss to Adams State as it tangles with the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in the LSC/RMAC Conference Challenge at Gallogly Events Center. Mustangs and Mountain Lions tip off Saturday at 6 p.m.
 

MIDWESTERN STATE (0-1) vs. UC-COLORADO SPRINGS (0-1)

Saturday, Nov. 12 | 6:00 p.m.
Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colorado

Series History | Series is tied, 1-1

LAST MEETING | Junior Frances King led Midwestern State's balanced scoring attack in a 74-63 season opening win over UC Colorado Springs Friday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The sophomore from Rockdale connected on 4-of-8 shots and went of 8-of-10 from the charity stripe to finish with 16 points to lead a group of five Mustangs in double figures. Junior Shawnisay Millar and senior Hannah Reynolds scored points each snagging six and five rebounds, respectively. Senior Morgan Lenahan added 10 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Yasmine Sifaoui scored 10 points off of the bench. Midwestern State took control of the game by scoring 26 points in the second period to take a 45-23 lead into halftime. The Mustangs led by as many as 25 points in the second half.

LAST TIME OUT | Adams State's Sharmayne Finley erupted for a game-high 27 points to lead the Grizzlies to a 97-72 season opening win over Midwestern State Friday night at Plachy Hall. The sophomore transfer guard out of the College of Southern Nevada came off of the bench to connect on 12-of-18 shots with a 3-pointer while snagging seven rebounds and making four steals. Adams State took advantage of seven MSU turnovers over of five-minute stretch to fuel a 22-2 run turning a 26-21 deficit into a 43-28 lead when Finley finished off a transition layup with 2:18 remaining in the first half. The Grizzlies shot 53.6 percent for the game scoring 37 points off of 27 MSU turnovers as Adams State led by as many as 31 points in the second half. ASU freshman Kiiyani Anitielu and Harmanie Dominguez added 13 points for Adams State, while Darlisha Reed, Elaina Watson, and Riahana Davis pitched in 10 points. Senior guard Sheridan Bostic fired in five 3-pointers to lead Midwestern State with 17 points off of the bench, while newcomer Natalie Stice finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

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 UC COLORADO SPRINGS | UC Colorado Springs was 13-16 last season and 4-9 at home…Head coach Lynn Plett is 307-354 in 25 seasons as a head coach…Plett begins her seventh season at UCCS and is 76-87 with the Mountain Lions…UCCS led the RMAC with 7.7 rebounding margin last season, which was 20th in the nation…Mountain Lions grabbed 41.79 rebounds per game last season to lead the conference and were 34th in the nation…UCCS was sixth in the conference last season allowing 62.8 points per game…UCCS scored 62.9 points per game last season…Mountain Lions averaged 8.8 steals per game last season, which was fifth-most in the RMAC…UCCS forced 17.93 turnovers per game last season, which was fourth in the conference…UC Colorado Springs fell behind 38-24 in the first half and lost its season opening game against Cameron, 67-59, Friday night at Gallogly Events Center…Maison White scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds for the Mountain Lions…Sophie Abela, Jessica Nation and Gracie Haneborg all scored eight points in defeat…UCCS shot 44.1 percent from the field…Mountain Lions were 3-of-12 from 3-point range…UCCS was 4-of-11 at the free-throw line…Cameron outrebounded UCCS, 40-36…Mountain Lions only had eight offensive rebounds…Agar Farres was the leading rebounder for UCCS with eight boards — all on the defensive end…Abela dished out eight of the 14 assists on 26 made field goals in the loss…

UP NEXT | Midwestern State hosts Southeastern Oklahoma in the Ashbrook Classic at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Friday. Texas Woman's faces East Central in the first game at 3:30 p.m. and the Mustangs tip off at 6 p.m.