WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State has won five straight games at D.L. Ligon Coliseum and continues its four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against Oklahoma Christian. The LSC matchup is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m.
 

MIDWESTERN STATE (9-9, 6-6) vs. OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (7-11, 3-9)

Saturday, Jan. 21 | 3 p.m.
D.L. Ligon Coliseum | Wichita Falls, Texas

Series History | Midwestern State leads, 27-14

LAST MEETING | Midwestern State's John Weger matched a career high with nine points, but he also made a crucial steal in the games closing moments at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The junior then hit a pair of free throws to help put the game away as the Mustangs grinded out a 67-62 win over Oklahoma Christian in the regular-season finale last year. Midwestern State turned up the defensive pressure limiting Oklahoma Christian to 37 percent shooting, while outrebounding the Eagles by eight in the second half. Jermane Carter notched his third double-double of the season finishing with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. It was the eighth game this season in which Carter hit at least two 3-pointers as he finished 2-for-4 from the arc. Pierre Sanders scored in double figures for the second consecutive game finishing with 13 points and six rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT | Midwestern State held Payton Brown — the leading scorer in the Lone Star Conference — to nine points and dominated the second half to defeat Arkansas-Fort Smith at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday night, 70-62. Brown scored eight of his nine points in the first half as UAFS took a 31-27 halftime lead. The Lions were 13 of 34 from the field in the opening 20 minutes and hit 4-of-9 3-point shots. Midwestern State was 11 of 23 in the first half, including 4 of 11 from beyond the arc. Derrick Ogechi made back-to-back shots from 3-point range early in the second half, and MSU tied the game, 33-33. Ogechi and Marquis Davison spearheaded a nine-point run as the Mustangs took a 50-41 lead with 10:22 remaining. Pierre Sanders hit a 3-point shot with 2:11 remaining, and 49 seconds later he hit a mid-range jumper to give the Mustangs a 68-60 lead. Luke Hamilton was 3-of-3 from 3-point distance in the first half and finished with nine points for the Mustangs. Jermane Carter was 4 of 5 from the field in the first half and scored eight of his 10 points in the opening 20 minutes. MSU freshman Duncan Alevok had a career-high four blocks.

TRACKING THE MSU MUSTANGS | Midwestern State is 5-2 at home this season…Mustangs have won their last five home games …Justin Leslie is 310-174 (.640) in his 16th season as a head coach…MSU is 44-53 (.454) under Leslie, who is in his fourth season with the university…Mustangs are 26-17 at home during the Leslie era and have won 12 of their last 14 home games…Leslie is 3-3 against the Eagles since coming to MSU, which has won the last five encounters at D.L. Ligon Coliseum…MSU is 12th in the LSC with 69.3 points per game and 13th with a 43.2 shooting percentage from the field… Jermane Carter is the leading scorer with 11.8 points per game…Pierre Sanders averages 11.7 points per game, and Marquis Davison is scoring 10.9 points per game…Midwestern State is 128 of 418 from beyond the arc (.306), which is 15th in the conference for 3-point shooting percentage…MSU is fifth in the conference with 23.2 3-point attempts per game…Mustangs make 7.1 3-pointers per game, which is seventh-most in the conference…Derrick Ogechi is 36 of 109 from 3-point range (.330)…Ogechi is eighth in the LSC with 36 total 3-pointers and ninth with 2.00 3-pointers made per game…Ogechi has the fifth-most attempts from beyond the arc in the LSC…Midwestern State is seventh in the conference with 12.3 assists per game…Sanders is 12th in the league with 52 total assists…MSU is 207 of 300 (.690) from the free-throw line, which is the 11th-best free-throw percentage in the LSC…Mustangs are 14th in the conference with 16.7 free-throw attempts per game…MSU is fifth in the conference and 40th in the nation, allowing 65.9 points per game…Midwestern State holds opponents to 41.7 percent shooting from the field — fourth-best field-goal percentage defense in the conference and 53rd in the nation…MSU is holding opponents to 31.0 percent shooting from 3-point range, which is the fourth-best 3-point shooting percentage defense in the LSC and 38th in the nation…+3.4 scoring margin is 10th in the LSC…MSU is fourth in the conference and 89th in the nation with 36.94 rebounds per game…Mustangs are seventh in the league and 86th in the nation with 11.00 offensive rebounds per game…+1.1 rebound margin is 11th-best in the LSC…Jermane Carter is third in the conference with 153 total rebounds and second in the league with 8.5 rebounds per game…Carter is third in the conference and 25th in the nation with 3.17 offensive rebounds per game…Midwestern State is 10th in the conference with 6.1 steals per game…Sanders is second in the league with 33 total steals and 1.83 steals per game…MSU is eighth in the league with 12.5 turnovers per game and is forcing 12.11 turnovers, which is 15th in the conference…-0.4 turnover margin is 13th in the LSC…MSU blocks 2.8 shots per game — eighth in the conference…Duncan Alevok is sixth in the LSC with 18 total blocks…MSU leads the conference and is 30th in the nation with just 14.5 fouls per game…

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN | Oklahoma Christian has a four-game losing streak following a 77-60 loss at Cameron on Thursday night…Eagles are 1-4 on the road this season and have lost their last two away games…OC's last road win was a 61-55 victory at TAMIU…Kendre Talley is 31-58 (.348) in four seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma Christian…Talley is 3-3 against MSU and 0-2 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum…OC is 10-29 on the road under Talley…OC is scoring 71.2 points per game, which is 10th in the LSC…Eagles shoot 45.5 percent from the field —sixth in the LSC…Drew Tennial is ninth in the league with 15.1 points per game…Eagles are 13th in the league holding opponents to 72.3 points per game…-1.1 scoring margin is 13th in the conference…OC is 110 of 340 (.324) from 3-point range…Eagles are 12th in the conference in 3-point percentage and 11th in the league with 6.1 3-pointers made per game…Moun'Tae Edmunson is 31 of 86 (.360) from beyond the arc, and Karlyn Kenner is 29 of 77 (.377) from 3-point range…OC is 265 of 371 (.714) at the free-throw line…Eagles have the ninth-best free-throw percentage in the conference…OC is fifth in the league with 20.6 free-throw attempts per game…Eagles are seventh in the conference with 14.7 free throws made per game… OC is 10th in the LSC with 12.0 assists per game…Edmunson is sixth in the conference with 60 total assists and eighth in the league with 3.3 assists per game…Opponents are shooting 44.6 percent from the field, which is 12th among LSC schools in field-goal percentage defense…Opponents hit 34.3 percent of the their shots from beyond the arc, which is the 13th 3-point percentage defense in the LSC…OC averages 34.22 rebounds per game —eighth-most in the conference…Antonio Gordon is fourth in the LSC with 124 total rebounds and seventh in the league with 6.9 rebounds per game…Tennial is eighth in the conference with 6.6 rebounds per game and has the seventh-most total rebounds in the LSC with 112…+2.1 rebound margin is sixth in the LSC…OC is second in the conference and 32nd in the nation with 4.1 blocks per game…Gordon is second in the league and 19th in the nation with 32 total blocks…Gordon's 1.78 blocks per game is third in the conference and 26th in the nation…Eagles are 10th in the league with 6.1 steals per game…Edmundson and Tennial each have 23 total steals, which is 12th-most in the conference…OC forces 12.44 turnovers per game, which is 14th in the LSC…Eagles are 11th in the league with 14.2 turnovers per game…-1.7 turnover margin is 14th in the LSC…OC commits 18 fouls per game, which ranks seventh in the conference…

UP NEXT | Midwestern State welcomes Lubbock Christian to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for a Lone Star Conference battle on Thursday night. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.