COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Midwestern State travels to Colorado to tip off the 2024-25 college basketball season. The Mustangs face UC Colorado Springs at the Gallogly Events Center at noon CST on Friday.

Midwestern State finished last season with a 16-12 overall record and was 10-12 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs closed the season with a 4-8 record on the road.

Leading scorers Mason Gibson, Pierre Sanders, Bakari LaStrap, Will Shepherd and Reggie Hill are returning for the Mustangs along with Antwan Taylor and Braedon Bigott.

Newcomers include Noah McDavid, a transfer from Arkansas State, and Jonathan Jackson, a transfer from UT Tyler. Matija Svetozarevic from Serbia transferred to MSU from Hawaii, and his compatriot Vojin Mastilovic comes to Midwestern State after a stint at Regis (Colo.).

Jordan Reed from Denver is another new addition to the roster. Reed is a product of Laramie County Community College and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Colorado High Schools in 2022.
Reed averaged 29.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game as a senior at Manual High School and led his team to the quarterfinals of the Colorado 3A State Championships.

Gibson, a 6-0 guard from Allen, Texas, averaged 16.1 points per game for the Mustangs last season and earned honorable mention on the All-Lone Star Conference team last spring.

Sanders was an All-Conference performer for the third straight season. He averaged 13.6 points and led the Stangs with 4.4 assists per game. The 5-10 guard from Hutto, Texas, also averaged 4.9 rebounds per game.

LaStrap and Shepherd each averaged double figures in scoring last season. LaStrap scored 11.8 points and dished out 3.2 assists per game. The 6-1 guard from Houston also grabbed 3.5 rebounds per game.
Shepherd led the team with 49 3-pointers last season and shot 34.8 percent from beyond the arc en route to 8.7 points per game. The 6-8 forward from Dallas also grabbed 4.9 rebounds per game.

Hill was the leading rebounder for MSU last season with 6.5 boards per game, and the 6-8 forward from Melbourne, Florida, scored 8.7 points per game.

Midwestern State opened last season with a six-game winning streak, including a 93-75 win over UC Colorado Springs.

Gibson scored 27 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and converted 13 of 17 free throws in the victory. Down the stretch, MSU held UCCS without a field goal for more than eight minutes and outscored the Mountain Lions in the second half, 57-40.

Sanders added 16 points, while Shepherd pitched in 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

UCCS leads the all-time series, 3-1, and won the last meeting in Colorado Springs, 72-68, two years ago.

The Mountain Lions finished last season with a 12-16 overall record and finished 10th in the RMAC.

Sophomore guard Xavier Martinez, who is from San Antonio, was an All-RMAC honorable mention last season after setting the school record for assists by a freshman with 115. Martinez also led the Mountain Lions with 14.8 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the field. He averaged a team-leading 4.1 assists per game, which was third-best in the RMAC. Martinez also had a team-best 31 steals for the Mountain Lions last season.

Midwestern State visits Colorado State – Pueblo on Sunday afternoon. Tip off at Missari Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.

CSU Pueblo returns three starters and seven other lettermen from a 14-15 team. The Thunderwolves reached the RMAC Tournament last season for the first time since 2017 but lost to Fort Lewis in the quarterfinals, 102-96.

Brevin Walter is the team's leading returning scorer from last season as he averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 41 percent from the field, 39 percent from the 3-point line and 89 percent at the free throw line.

Armon Muldrew returns after averaging 13.8 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the field last season.

Last season, MSU opened the season with an 80-74 double-overtime victory against the Thunderwolves at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

CSU-Pueblo rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to force overtime in a game that featured six ties and 10 lead changes. Shepherd hit a 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining in the second overtime period that gave MSU a lead it would not relinquish.

Sanders led the Mustangs with 18 points. Gibson and Shepherd each scored 12 points in the victory.

Muldrew was the leading scorer for the Thunderwolves with 21 points, and Makiah Morris finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Midwestern State plays its home opener against Western Colorado on Nov. 15. Tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Adams State visits the Mustangs the following night for an 8 p.m. tipoff.