WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State has won four straight games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum and begins a four-game homestand on Thursday against Arkansas - Fort Smith. The LSC matchup is scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 p.m.
 

MIDWESTERN STATE (8-9, 5-6) vs. ARKANSAS – FORT SMITH (8-9, 4-7)

Thursday, Jan. 19 | 7:30 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas

Series History | Midwestern State leads, 5-4

LAST MEETING | Pierre Sanders followed Luke Hamilton's third 3-pointer of the game with a runner in the paint to complete a mini 5-0 run to give Midwestern State a 65-60 lead with 4:01 to play. It was just enough cushion to allow MSU to overcome three missed free throws on four attempts in the final minute of the game. UAFS' Courtney Murrell missed the backend of a double bonus with 1.3 seconds left, and Midwestern State escaped with a 68-67 victory at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last season. Sanders scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half. He hit three 3-pointers and was fouled on another 3-point try. He hit all three free throws. Hamilton finished with nine points. It was the third time last season he connected on at least three shots from beyond the arc. Jermane Carter had nine points and four rebounds, leading the Mustangs with a plus-12 in his 22 minutes of court time. MSU won its fifth consecutive home game. UAFS hit 13 3-pointers and shot 48.1 percent from beyond the arc.

LAST TIME OUT | Midwestern State fell behind by 20 points in the first half, then charged back to within a score late in the second half Saturday afternoon at UTPB Gym Complex. But a good look on a 3-pointer from the corner bounced off of the rim allowing UT Permian Basin to survive, 79-76. UT Permian Basin appeared to have the game under control when DaJuan Jones buried a long 3-pointer to give the Falcons a 71-59 lead with 3:24 to play. That's when Midwestern State junior Pierre Sanders started to work his wizardry. First, the Hutto native knifed his way through the paint for a layup, then stole the inbound pass for another easy two. Sanders then produced another steal off of an inbound pass to set up Derrick Ogechi for a 3-pointer from the left wing to pull the Mustangs back to within six at 74-68. Midwestern State held the Falcons without a field goal the rest of the way, but the Falcons were able to connect on 5-of-6 free throws. Jermane Carter scored a season-high 24 points and completed his sixth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. Sanders connected on 7-of-10 shots from the field with two 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 18 points. All five of his career-high in steals came in the second half. Derrick Ogechi splashed in three 3-pointers and scored each of his 13 points in the final 12 1/2 minutes of the game. Redshirt-freshman Mason Gibson buried two 3-pointers including a triple with 23 seconds remaining to pull the Mustangs to within a point at 77-76. It was Gibson's sixth game with at least two 3-point makes this season and he has made a 3 in each of his last four games.

TRACKING THE MSU MUSTANGS | Midwestern State is 4-2 at home this season…Mustangs have won their last four home games …Justin Leslie is 309-174 (.640) in his 16th season as a head coach…MSU is 43-53 (.448) under Leslie, who is in his fourth season with the university…Mustangs are 25-17 at home during the Leslie era and have won 11 of their last 13 home games…Leslie is 3-1 against the Lions since coming to MSU, which has won the last three meetings…Mustangs won both meetings last season by one point…MSU won at Fort Smith, 63-62, and prevailed at home, 68-67… MSU is 12th in the LSC with 69.2 points per game and 15th with a 43.2 shooting percentage from the field… Jermane Carter is the leading scorer with 11.9 points per game…Pierre Sanders averages 11.6 points per game, and Marquis Davison is scoring 10.7 points per game…Midwestern State is 121 of 397 from beyond the arc (.305), which is 15th in the conference for 3-point shooting percentage…MSU is fifth in the conference with 23.4 3-point attempts per game…Mustangs make 7.1 3-pointers per game, which is seventh-most in the conference…Derrick Ogechi is 34 of 102 from 3-point range (.333)…Ogechi is ninth in the LSC with 34 total 3-pointers and 2.00 per game…Ogechi has the fifth-most attempts from beyond the arc in the LSC…Midwestern State is seventh in the conference with 12.4 assists per game…Sanders is 13th in the league with 48 total assists…MSU is 198 of 287 (.690) from the free-throw line, which is the 11th-best free-throw percentage in the LSC…Mustangs are 12th in the conference with 16.9 free-throw attempts per game…MSU is fifth in the conference and 44th in the nation, allowing 66.1 points per game…Midwestern State holds opponents to 41.7 percent shooting from the field — third-best field-goal percentage defense in the conference and 58th in the nation…MSU is holding opponents to 30.5 percent shooting from 3-point range, which is the fourth-best 3-point shooting percentage defense in the LSC and 32nd in the nation…+3.1 scoring margin is 11th in the LSC…MSU is second in the conference and 75th in the nation with 37.53 rebounds per game…Mustangs are sixth in the league and 67th in the nation with 11.35 offensive rebounds per game…+1.7 rebound margin is ninth-best in the LSC…Jermane Carter is third in the conference with 145 total rebounds and second in the league with 8.5 rebounds per game…Carter is third in the conference with 3.29 offensive rebounds per game…Midwestern State is 11th in the conference with 6.1 steals per game…Sanders is second in the league with 33 total steals and 1.94 steals per game…MSU is eighth in the league with 12.9 turnovers per game and is forcing 12.18 turnovers, which is 14th in the conference…-0.8 turnover margin is 13th in the LSC…MSU blocks 2.6 shots per game — eighth in the conference…Duncan Alevok is eighth in the LSC with 14 total blocks…MSU leads the conference and is 38th in the nation with just 14.8 fouls per game…

SCOUTING ARKANSAS – FORT SMITH | UAFS is 3-3 on the road this season…Lions won their last road game at Texas A&M International, 46-42…UAFS has suffered back-to-back losses and has dropped four of its last six games overall…Lions are 1-2 all-time at D.L. Ligon Coliseum…UAFS' only win at MSU was a 64-63 victory in the Nissan of Wichita Falls Conference Challenge in November of 2018…Jim Boone is in his 37th season as a head coach…Boone is 598-462 (.564) for his career…Boone is 40-49 in four seasons at UAFS…Boone is 1-3 against MSU since coming to Arkansas-Fort Smith…UAFS is 16th in the LSC with 66.1 points per game…Lions shoot 44.8 percent from the field, which is 10th-best in the LSC…Payton Brown is the leading scorer in the LSC with 20.2 points per game…Brown, who went to Waldron High School in Arkansas, had one of the most decorated high school careers in Arkansas history…Brown finished his career scoring 2,775 total points, giving him a career average of 31.2 points per game along with 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists…Brown's career high of 60 points beat the previous Waldron record held by his father (Jason Brown)...Three-time All-State guard led the entire state of Arkansas in scoring all three years of his prep career…Brown is coming off a 38-point performance against St. Edward's, which defeated the Lions, 80-76, on Jan. 14…Brown's career high is 39 points against Ouachita Baptist in a 92-67 victory at Stubblefield Center on Nov. 26…Brown is 108 of 270 from the field (.400), leading the conference in field-goal attempts (seventh in the nation), and he is second in field goals (53rd in the nation)…Brown is 83 of 99 at the free-throw line (.838)… Brown leads the conference in free-throw attempts (35th in the nation)… Brown is second in the LSC in made free throws (18th in the nation)…UAFS is 249 of 346 from the free-throw line (.720)…UAFS is eighth in the LSC in free-throw percentage…UAFS is seventh in the league with 14.6 made free throws and 20.4 free-throw attempts per game…UAFS takes the fewest 3-point attempts per game in the LSC with 15.9 per game…UAFS is 89 of 270 from 3-point range (.330)…Lions are 12th in 3-point percentage and 16th in the LSC with 5.2 3-pointers made per game…Opponents are shooting 33.9 percent from beyond the arc, which is the 11th-best 3-point percentage defense in the league…Brown is 44 of 135 from 3-point range (.326)…Brown leads the conference and is fifth in the nation in 3-point attempts…Brown leads the league and is 53rd in the nation in total 3-pointers…Brown is second in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers per game in the LSC (2.59)…UAFS average 12.1 assists per game — 10th-most in the conference…Evan Anderson is fifth in the LSC with 60 assists, and Cameron Bush is eighth in the league with 54 assists…Lions are 14th in the LSC with 31.76 rebounds per game and 9.06 offensive rebounds per game…Jaxon Ingram leads the Lions with 4.8 rebounds per game and is 10th in the LSC with 2.06 offensive rebounds per game…UAFS is 14th in the LSC with 5.4 steals per game…Lions force 11 turnovers per game, which is 16th in the conference…UAFS is seventh in the league with 12.8 turnovers per game…-1.8 turnover margin is 14th in the league…Lions block 1.6 shots per game, which is 14th in the LSC…Bush leads the Lions with seven blocks this season…UAFS is 12th in the LSC with 19.2 fouls per game…

UP NEXT | Midwestern State welcomes Oklahoma Christian to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for a Lone Star Conference clash on Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.