Midwestern State vs University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Thursday, Feb. 24 – 5:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 3-2

WICHITA FALLS, Texas. -- Midwestern State looks to finish off the final two home games with a flourish at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. First up, the Mustangs take on UAFS, who sit two spots below in the Lone Star Conference standings. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24.

BLOCKED

Midwestern State continues to lead the Lone Star Conference with 127 blocked shots, which ranks 11th in Division II. The team's average of 5.3 blocks per game also leads the league and sits sixth in the NCAA. The Mustangs' opponents average 2.7 blocks. MSU is 11-6 when they have four or more blocks. The team broke the single-game program record with 14 blocks against Texas A&M International on Feb. 19, beating their previous record of 10 against Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 16, 2021.

TOP SHOOTING

MSU ranks in the top six of the conference for their shooting from the floor. The team's 40.8 field-goal percentage is fifth in the Lone Star Conference. Jordan Mathis shoots 57 percent from the field to lead the team. Midwestern State is 11-4 when they shoot at 39 percent or better. The best performance was against Texas Woman's, when they went 31-of-66 (.470) from the floor on Jan. 20. 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 was 6-of-10 (.600) from behind the arc at Lubbock Christian on Feb. 3 for the highest three-point percent of the season.

MUSTANG STARTING FIVE

Morgan Lenahan is the leading scorer for the Mustangs with a conference seventh-highest 14.5 points. The senior turned in 19 points against Texas A&M International on Saturday. She clinched 31 points versus UT Permian Basin (1/15) for her highest output on the year. Last time against UAFS, Lenahan tallied 12 points and five rebounds. On the season, she shoots 38 percent from the field and a team-second best 80 percent at the line. The guard is good for 37-of-89 from behind the arc. She averages 5.5 rebounds with a season-high nine boards against Oklahoma Christian (12/02). Lenahan sits ninth in the LSC with 4.9 defensive rebounds per game. The Haddonfield, N.J., native has 75 assists and eight blocks. Lenahan leads the Mustangs with 40 steals in 24 starts.

Frances King averages 12.9 points per game with a career-high 25 points posted against Texas Wesleyan (11/28). She clinched her 16th double-digit game of the season with 12 points against TAMIU on Saturday. 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 115 total assists lead the league while sitting 27th in Division II. Her average of 4.8 assists also tops the Lone Star Conference and ranks 24th in the NCAA. King shoots 38 percent from the floor and 25 percent from behind the arc. Her 80.7 percent free throw shooting sits seventh in the LSC while her 96 free throws made lead the conference (46th in DII). The Rockdale, Texas, product averages 3.8 rebounds, posting her season-best of nine at Eastern New Mexico (2/05). King adds 37 steals with a career-high of six against Texas Woman's (1/20).

Hannah Reynolds leads Midwestern State in rebounding with 6.7 per game. She's tallied ten rebounds or more in four games this season. The senior's 62 total blocks rank third in the LSC and 14th in Division II. She averages 2.70 blocks per game, which leads the league and sits tenth in the NCAA. Reynolds is the school's all-time leading blocker with 217 blocks. The forward beat the program's single game record for blocks, which she previously held at eight against Texas A&M-Commerce on Jan. 3, 2019. On Saturday against the Dustdevils, Reynolds notched ten blocks to overcome her previous record. She also recently joined MSU's 1,000-point club against LCU and currently holds 1,074 career points. She averages 10.6 points for the Mustangs and claimed ten points at Texas A&M International. 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. Reynolds notched ten points

Shawnisay Millar is one of three players to start all 24 games for the Mustangs. The junior averages 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. On Saturday, she tallied seven points and five rebounds against the Dustdevils. Last time out versus UAFS, Millar bagged five rebounds and eight points. 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 48 percent from the field and 31 percent from behind the arc. At the line, she is good for 66 percent. The Prestonpans, Scotland, native adds 10 blocks and seven steals.

Markayla Johnson rounds out the starting five for MSU. The sophomore averages 4.7 points and three rebounds. She shoots 38 percent from the floor and 28 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 three points and one steal against Texas A&M International. Last time against the Lions, Johnson tallied eight points and three rebounds. The Huntsville, Texas, native has the team's second-highest 15 blocks and 28 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 27-25 (.519). 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 LIONS

UAFS is 7-15 on the season with a 4-8 Lone Star Conference record. The Lions are 12th in the LSC standings, two places behind the Mustangs. Arkansas-Fort Smith posted conference wins over the bottom four teams: Western New Mexico, Oklahoma Christian, St. Edward's and St. Mary's. The Lions currently ride a two-game losing streak after dropping back-to-back home matches against Angelo State and UT Permian Basin.

The team's main strength is on the boards as they are fifth in the league and 50thh in
Division II with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game. Mar'Shalia Lollie's 4.5 average offensive rebounds leads the Lone Star and ranks tenth in the NCAA. The Lions also sit fifth in the LSC with 18.59 forced turnovers per game though they average 20.2 turnovers.

Paige Elston leads UAFS and ranks sixth in the Lone Star Conference with 14.8 points per game. She was the led both the Lions and Mustangs with 23 points in the Dec. 10 battle. The senior posted a career-high 33 points on Jan. 22 against TAMIU. Elston shoots at 36 percent from the floor and 24 percent from behind the arc. Her 84 percent at the free-throw line sits fourth in the conference and 61st in DII. The guard averages 4.3 rebounds and has three blocks in 22 starts. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native also leads the Lions with 68 assists and an LSC eight-best 48 steals.

Mar'Shalia Lollie tops Arkansas-Fort Smith with 8.5 rebounds per game, sitting third in the league and 84th in the NCAA. The senior averages 10.9 points and has nine double-doubles this season. In her best performance, she posted 20 points and 15 rebounds in the overtime loss at Texas A&M International. Against the Mustangs this season, the post notched seven points and ten rebounds. Lollie shoots 55 percent from the field and 76 percent at the line. The Kilgore, Texas, product has 33 steals and six blocks in 14 starts on the year.

Laurissa Campbell is the top blocker for the Lions with eight on the year. The junior's only multi-block performance was against the University of Arkansas at Monticello, in which she posted a season-high nine points. She tallied three points and three rebounds in 11 minutes versus MSU in December. Campbell averages 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15 starts this year. She shoots 37 percent from the field and 56 percent from the line. The forward has nine steals and ten assists.

Riley Hayes started 20 of 22 games for UAFS this season. The freshman averages two rebounds and 4.1 points. She inked a season-best 21 points on seven three-pointers against UTPB on Saturday. Hayes collected two-free throws as her only points when the Lions faced Midwestern State this year. The guard is good for 24 percent from the field and from behind the arc. At the line, she is 13-of-18 (.722). The Cave Springs, Ark., native is third on the team with 27 assists and 22 steals.

Nya Stewart earned her 14th start of the season in Saturday's game versus UT Permian Basin. The sophomore collected four rebounds and two blocks against the Falcons before she fouled out with four minutes left in the game. Last time out versus MSU, Stewart posted five points and two steals. The guard averages 7.8 points and 1.9 rebounds for Arkansas-Fort Smith. Her best performance was 22 points against Oklahoma Christian on Jan. 27. Stewart shoots 40 percent from the floor and 28 percent from behind the arc. She knocked down 34-of-40 from the line (.850). The Memphis, Tenn., product has 19 assists and 21 steals this year.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Midwestern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith have a short history that started in 2014. MSU is 3-2 against UAFS with only two conference games, which the two teams split in 2020. The Mustangs are 2-0 at home against the Lions. The 2014 meeting in Wichita Falls saw a 70-66 win for Midwestern State. Arkansas-Fort Smith fell again on Feb. 20, 2020, in a 75-70 home victory for MSU. Earlier this year, the Mustangs took a 66-64 win over the Lions in Fort Smith on Dec. 10. Frances King converted a three-point play with 26 seconds to play and dropped 15 points to help the team to the win.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State hosts Oklahoma Christian on Saturday, Feb. 26 for their final game of the regular season. The Senior Night game starts at 2 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tickets and coverage information are available online.