ALVA, Oklahoma -- Midwestern State faces Northwestern Oklahoma State in its first road contest of the season Saturday afternoon at Percefull Fieldhouse. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

About the Series

Midwestern State and Northwestern Oklahoma State meet for the fifth time on the hardwood Saturday afternoon in Alva. The Mustangs lead the series, 3-1, but the Rangers claimed the last meeting by a score of 67-64 last season at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs won the previous three matchups including a 100-78 victory on Nov. 26, 1971 in Lawton, an 81-80 win on Nov. 24, 1989 in Springfield, Missouri, and an 86-69 win on Dec. 16, 2010 in Wichita Falls.

Hoof Marks

- At 5-0, Midwestern State is off to its best start since winning the first five games of the 2020-21 campaign. The Mustangs have not started a season with six consecutive wins since going 13-0 to begin the 2012-12 season.
- The Mustangs are one of 42 remaining unbeaten team in NCAA Division II.
- Midwestern State ranks second in the Lone Star Conference and 12th in NCAA Division II, scoring 95.0 points per game. The Mustangs lead the LSC in assists per game (19.0), bench points per game (39.4), and fast break points per game (24.2).
- MSU boasts six players scoring in double figures, and two more scoring at least seven points per game.
- The Mustangs have scored 90-or-more points in each of their last four games.
- Midwestern State also leads the LSC in blocked shots per game (5.2), steals per game (13.0), and field goal percentage defense (39.0).
- While the wins don't count in MSU's overall record, the Mustangs remain unbeaten through the entire fall semester. That includes a 5-0 run through the BLIA Cup in Taiwan back in August and an exhibition victory over East Texas Baptist. That's a total of 11 wins.

Player Notes

- Sophomore Mason Gibson leads the Mustangs in scoring with 14.2 points per game. He poured in a career-high 27 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field while going 13-of-17 from the charity stripe against UC Colorado Springs (11/11). Gibson leads the LSC and ranks seventh in NCAA Division II with 42 free throw attempts.
- Senior Pierre Sanders recorded one of two triple-doubles in NCAA Division II this season with 14 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in MSU's overtime win against St. Mary's (11/18). It was the first triple-double for an MSU student-athlete since Sam Daghlas went for 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in an 86-80 win over Drury (Mo.) in the 2001-02 season opener. Sanders averages 14 points, while leading the LSC with 5.4 assists per game and with a 5.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Junior Austin Lewis exploded for a season-high 21 points including a perfect 6-for-6 effort from 3-point range in MSU's 108-104 win over St. Mary's (11/18). He followed the performance up by hitting five more triples to finish with 15 points against Sterling (11/21). For the year, Lewis is shooting 51.9 percent from beyond the arc (14-of-27). He ranks second in the LSC in 3-point percentage and third with 2.8 made 3s per game.
- Junior Will Shepherd has scored in double figures in four of five games this season, while shooting 40.9 percent from 3-point range (9-of-22). He put up matching season highs with 13 points against UC Colorado Springs, St. Mary's, and Sterling (Kan.) while also connecting on at least two 3-pointers in each of those four games.
- Sophomore Duncan Alevok is enjoying a breakout campaign, while averaging 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocked shots per game. The 6-10 forward tops the Lone Star Conference and ranks third in NCAA Division II with a 78.1 field goal percentage and ranks second nationally in total blocked shots with 16.
- Junior Bakari LaStrap ranks fifth on the team averaging 10.2 points per game, while dishing out 4.4 assists per game. He fourth in the Lone Star Conference with a team-high 2.4 steals per game.
- Redshirt-freshman Antwan Taylor has come off of the bench to score in double figures in each of his last three games. The Nolanville, Texas, native set successive career highs going for 10 points and six rebounds against Dallas Christian (11/16), 13 points and three rebounds against St. Mary's (11/18), and 16 points and seven rebounds versus Sterling (Kan.) (11/21).

Up Next

Midwestern State opens Lone Star Conference play against Dallas Baptist Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.