Midwestern State at Texas A&M International

Saturday, Feb. 19 – 1 p.m.
TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building (Laredo, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 3-1

LAREDO, Texas. -- After a tough game on Thursday, Midwestern State looks to rebound in their final regular season road game against Texas A&M International. The two teams will battle for a post-season home match on Saturday, Feb. 19. The Lone Star Conference game kicks off at 1 p.m. in the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building.

BLOCKED

Midwestern State continues to lead the Lone Star Conference with 113 blocked shots, which ranks 15th in Division II. The team's average of 4.91 blocks per game also leads the league and sits 13th in the NCAA. The Mustangs' opponents average 2.5 blocks. MSU is 11-5 when they have four or more blocks. The best performance was on Dec. 16 versus Texas A&M-Commerce when they picked up ten blocks. Hannah Reynolds tallied the only two blocks of the game against Texas A&M-Kingsville.

TOP SIX

MSU ranks in the top six of the LSC in four other categories. The team ranks sixth in the conference with 448 free-throw attempts to sit 74th in DII. Frances King leads the Mustangs with 114 trips to the line. Midwestern State's 41 field-goal percentage is sixth best in the league. Jordan Mathis shoots 57 percent from the field to lead the team. The Mustangs' 32.6 three-pointer percentage is sixth in the LSC and 81st in the NCAA. Lenahan's 40 percent conversion from behind the arc leads the team. MSU's 66.4 points per game average ranks sixth in the LSC with Morgan Lenahan leading with 330 total points.

MUSTANG STARTING FIVE

Morgan Lenahan is the leading scorer for the Mustangs with a conference eighth-highest 14.3 points. The senior was held to one of her lowest outputs of the season with six points at TAMUK on Thursday. She shoots 38 percent from the field and 81 percent at the line. Lenahan is good for 34-of-86 from behind the arc. The guard averages 5.7 rebounds and sits ninth in the Lone Star Conference with five defensive rebounds per game. The Haddonfield, N.J., native holds 72 assists and leads the team with 38 steals. Lehahan has seven blocks in 23 starts.

Frances King averages 13 points per game with a career-high 25 points posted against 6Texas Wesleyan (11/28). She clinched her 15th double-digit game of the season with 18 points against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The sophomore recently set the single-game record for assists against St. Mary's on Jan. 8. With her 13 assists, King overtook Mindy Myers' 1994 record of 13. The guard's 110 total assists lead the league while sitting 29th in Division II. Her average of 4.8 assists also tops the Lone Star Conference and ranks 29th in the NCAA. King is 39 percent from the floor and 24 percent from behind the arc after going 2-of-4 from range on Thursday. Her 82 percent free throw shooting sits sixth in the LSC and her 93 free throws made rank second in the conference. The Rockdale, Texas, product averages 3.8 rebounds and holds 36 steals.

Hannah Reynolds leads Midwestern State in rebounding with 6.7 per game. The senior's 52 total blocks rank second in the LSC and 17th in Division II. She averages 2.4 blocks per game, which also sits second in the league and 15th in the NCAA. Reynolds is the school's all-time leading blocker with 207 blocks. The forward recently joined MSU's 1,000-point club against LCU and currently holds 1,064 points. She averages 10.6 points for the Mustangs after dropping 15 points against the Javelinas. Reynolds tied a career-high 24 points against St. Mary's on Jan. 8. She shoots 47 percent from the field and 66 percent from the line. The Prosper, Texas, product adds 23 assists and 17 steals.

Shawnisay Millar has started all 23 games for the Mustangs. The junior averages 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Against TAMUK, she was just shy of grabbing her first double-double of the season as she put up eight points and ten rebounds. Millar was 2-of-5 from the field and knocked down all four free-throws on Thursday night. Her best performance of the year was at Eastern New Mexico where she inked 15 points and nine rebounds. On the season, the forward shoots almost 50 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. At the line, she is good for 66 percent. The Prestonpans, Scotland, native adds nine blocks and six steals.

Markayla Johnson rounds out the starting five for MSU. The sophomore averages 4.7 points and three rebounds. She shoots 39 percent from the floor and 27 percent from behind the arc. The guard knocked down 12-of-22 attempts from the free throw line (55 percent). The team's defensive guru completed a career-high ten points against Texas A&M-Commerce on Jan. 23. Johnson recorded a career-high seven rebounds against Western New Mexico. She tallied five points and one steal against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Huntsville, Texas, native has the team's second-highest 15 blocks and 27 steals on the 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 27-24 (.529). 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.

SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS

Texas A&M International set the single season home wins record with their narrow 74-73 victory over Texas Woman's on Thursday. The Dustdevils are 12-2 at home this year, breaking the previous record of 11. Their only losses at home were against Lubbock Christian and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Overall, TAMIU is 15-8 on the season and 6-6 in Lone Star Conference play. The team is right above MSU in the standings with their ninth-place holding.

TAMIU holds the most assists in the conference with 396 on the year and an average of 17.2 per game. This puts the team in the top 20 in the nation for both categories. The Dustdevil's 45 field goal percent sits second in the LSC and 16th in the NCAA. They also rank in the top ten with 542 free throw attempts. Texas A&M International averages a league-best 12.6 steals to rank 14th in Division II. Their 22.87 forced turnovers leads the Lone Star and sits 16th for DII.

Raiana Brown leads the Dustdevils with 16.7 points per game, ranking third in the Lone Star Conference. The sophomore turned in 11 games with 15 points or more and recorded a season-high 32 points in a non-conference game against Angelo State (12/02). Brown leads the conference with 58 percent shooting from the field, which puts her 11th in Division II. Her 150 made field goals rank second in the LSC and 50th in the NCAA. The forward also leads the Lone Star Conference with 131 free-throw attempts, but she converts about 57 percent of her tries. Brown averages 5.3 rebounds and adds 35 assists and 37 steals. The Wheatley Heights, N.Y., product has 13 blocks in 23 starts.

Evelyn Quiroz tops TAMIU with 92 assists, gaining 11 against Oklahoma Christian (1/20) for a season-high. Her total assists ranks fifth in the LSC and 54th in the nation. The freshman's 4.3 assists per game sits fourth in the league and 53rd in DII. Quiroz averages 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, collecting a season-high 20 points versus St. Mary's (2/03). The guard shoots 33 percent from the field and 22 percent from behind the arc. She ranks 11th in the Lone Star Conference with her 78 percent free throw shooting. Quiroz holds 28 steals and one block in her first year.

Clara Fernandez is the Dustdevils' top rebounder with 5.8 per game. The sophomore tallied a career-high 13 rebounds against New Mexico Highlands in November. She also leads her team with 56 steals, which puts her third in the LSC and 29th in Division II. Her average sits at 2.52 per game. The swingman averages a team second-best 10.2 points, posting 21 against St. Edward's (2/05). Fernandez shoots 53 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc. She is 37-of-62 from the charity stripe. The Vitoria, Spain, native has 51 assists and seven blocks.

Eva Langton leads Texas A&M International with 17 blocks in 19 starts. Her best performance was three blocks and 22 points against Saint Leo on Dec. 8. The senior posted 13 points and ten rebounds in the team's Thursday win against Texas Woman's. Langton averages 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds on the year. The guard/forward combo shoots 51 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc. She is 29-of-38 from the line. Langton's 75 assists is second-highest for the Dustdevils and 12th in the Lone Star Conference. The Opunake, New Zealand, product earned 47 steals to sit seventh in the league while her 2.4 average ranks fifth.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Midwestern State and Texas A&M International have four games in the new series that started in 2011. All four face-offs have been in Wichita Falls, Texas, so Saturday's game will be the first for MSU playing in Laredo, Texas, and the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building. The Mustangs took the first game of the series and fell in 2013 to the Dustdevils. Midwestern State rebounded with a 76-53 victory in 2016.

The first conference game between the two teams was in 2020, when MSU posted an 87-77 win. Mica Schneider tallied 26 points, draining 5-of-11 from behind the arc. Elizabeth Cathcart posted 20 points and nine rebounds while Hannah Reynolds collected ten points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. These three players, plus Haevyn Risley and Mandy Withey, notched two blocks each to total ten team blocks – the second highest in program history.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State returns to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for their final games of the 2021-22 regular season. The Mustangs host Arkansas Fort-Smith on Thursday, Feb. 24. The Ovarian Cancer Awareness game kicks-off at 5:30 p.m. MSU then faces Oklahoma Christian on Saturday, Feb. 26. The Senior Night game starts at 2 p.m.