Box Score WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State shook off a lethargic start and routed Dallas Christian, 102-69, as seven players scored in double figures.

Austin Lewis was the leading scorer for the Mustangs with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2 of 6 from 3-point distance. The junior transfer from Holy Cross grabbed four rebounds in the victory.

Midwestern State claimed its first lead with 16:03 to play in the first half as Duncan Alevok scored on a fast break to put the Mustangs in front, 6-5. Bakari LaStrap scored off a turnover with 10:57 to play to give MSU a 21-9 lead.

Dallas Christian made a surprising run to get within four points with 6:36 to play in the first half. DJ Smith hit a 3-pointer to make it 28-24 in favor of MSU.

Will Shepherd and Lewis would combine to score the next seven points, and Mason Gibson scored with a layup off another turnover as the Mustangs went up 37-24.

By halftime the Mustangs had a commanding 52-34 lead over the visiting Crusaders, who had seven points from Yout Gai, a 6-10 center from Melbourne, Australia.

Pierre Sanders and Gibson led the Mustangs in the opening 20 minutes with nine points apiece. Sanders was 4 of 4 from the field and Gibson was 4 of 7. As a team in the first half, the Mustangs were 11 of 11 from the free-throw line and shot 48.7 percent from the field overall. From 3-point range, MSU was 3 of 14 in the first half.

The 3-point shooting improved only slightly in the second half. The Mustangs were 4 of 16 from beyond the arc but hit all six free throws in the second half.

Midwestern State finished with 39 fast-break points and outscored the Crusaders in the paint, 64-30. The Mustangs had 16 steals and scored 35 points off 25 turnovers, finishing with 21 layups and seven dunks.

Sanders was 6 of 7 from the field and only played 21 minutes but scored 14 points. The senior guard had two assists, two steals and three rebounds in the victory. Sanders hit 2-of-3 shots from beyond the arc.

Alevok, the reigning Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week, was 6 of 8 from the field with 12 points and a team-leading nine rebounds in 22 minutes. Alevok had two blocks and finished the night with a team-high +27 rating.

The 6-10 sophomore leads the LSC with 10 blocks through three games.

Midwestern State outrebounded Dallas Christian, 48-34, and is averaging 44.5 rebounds per game, which is second in the LSC and 16th in the nation.

LeStrap scored 12 points and had two more steals. The junior transfer from IUPUI is leading the conference with nine steals through three games, and the Mustangs are averaging a conference-best 13 steals per game, which is fifth-best in the nation.

Gibson pitched in 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting, and he had three assists and two steals for the Mustangs.

Redshirt freshman Antwan Taylor poured in 10 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out four assists. Taylor was 4 of 8 from the field and 2 of 5 from 3-point range.

Reggie Hill electrified the crowd of nearly 800 spectators late in the game with two fast-break field goals, including a slam dunk. The 6-8 junior transfer from Northwestern State scored 10 points, all in the second half, as he was 5 of 5 from the field in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Dallas Christian saw its losing streak extended to five games and is 1-5 to start the season.

The 3-0 Mustangs host 2-0 St. Mary's in a non-conference clash at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 

--MSUMustangs.com--