THE LEAD >>>

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State rode the hot hand of Will Sheppard to roll to a 99-78 win over UT Tyler in Lone Star Conference play Saturday afternoon at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The 6-8 junior forward from Dallas buried seven of his 10 shots including a campaign-best four 3-pointers to finish with a season- and team-high 20 points as the Mustangs improved to 7-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED >>>

Midwestern State forced UT Tyler into a season-high 24 turnovers to hold a commanding 34-15 edge in points off of turnovers to hand the Patriots their biggest loss of the campaign.

Sheppard played a key role in MSU's strong start in the second half, accounting for half of the Mustangs' points during a 16-2 run to push the advantage to 22 points at 67-45 when Amaechi Chukwu completed a traditional three-point play just under four minutes into the half.

Chukwu's conversion completed a run of 12 consecutive points which including three consecutive triples with Shepherd bookending a Pierre Sanders' trey.

The Mustangs led by as many as 23 points and never allowed UT Tyler closer than 18.

LEADERS >>>

- Junior Will Sheppard delivered a career-high 20 points in the effort bettering his previous best of 17 points set in his freshman season of 2021-22 at Oakland (Mich.) against Dearborn.
- Sheppard connected on a 3-pointer in his fifth consecutive game while finishing with a season-best four triples. He has made at least one 3 in seven of his eight games this season.
- Sophomore Mason Gibson scored in double figures for the seventh time this season, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting with two 3-pointers.
- Junior Bakari LaStrap logged his sixth game with at least 10 points this season, going for 14 points while dishing out six assists. His seven made field goals are his most this season.
- Junior guard John Gaines scored a season-high 10 points.
- Sophomore forward Duncan Alevok recorded two more blocked shots with his 19th and 20th swats of the season. He made 25 blocks in 27 games last season. Alevok leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks eighth in NCAA Division II at 2.50 blocks per game.
- UT Tyler's Bryce Roberts buried six 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 26 points. He poured in a season-high 27 points Thursday night at Cameron.

GAME NOTES >>>

- Midwestern State is 7-1 for the first time since 2015-16. That squad finished the season with a 24-6 record as hosts of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
- The Mustangs shot a season-high 57.8 percent from the field as a team. It was their third game shooting 50 percent or better.
- MSU fired in 12 3-pointers and shot 48 percent from beyond the arc. It was the third game this season that the Mustangs connected on at least 10 triples.
- Five of MSU's seven wins this season are by double-digit margins.
- Midwestern State leads the LSC and ranked fifth in NCAA Division II with 23.29 fastbreak points per game through the first seven games. The Mustangs added 29 transition points against UT Tyler.
- The Mustangs also led the LSC in bench scoring with 35.9 points per game heading into Saturday, then added 35 more against UTT including 10 from John Gaines, nine from Amaechi Chukwu, six each by Reggie Hill and Austin Lewis, and four from Antwan Taylor.
- MSU leads the Lone Star Conference in blocked shots per game and five more against UT Tyler including two each by Alevok and Chukwu and another by Antwan Taylor.

UP NEXT >>>

Midwestern State faces its first Lone Star Conference road trip of the season next week. The Mustangs battle St. Mary's in San Antonio on Wednesday and St. Edward's in Austin on Friday. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m.
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