COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Head coach Brenita Jackson begins her second season at Midwestern State, and the Mustangs are on the road to start the season with a pair of games against UC Colorado Springs and Adams State.

The first game of the road trip is Friday afternoon at the Gallogly Events Center as the Mustangs open the season against UCCS. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.

Midwestern State finished last season with a 7-21 record overall and was 7-15 against Lone Star Conference competition.

Zarria Carter led the LSC and was 14th among NCAA Division II players with 10.6 rebounds per game, and she was fifth in the league with 15.9 points per game. Carter was recognized as the LSC Newcomer of the Year at the end of last season.

Carter, a senior from Mansfield, Texas, is one of three returning players for the Mustangs. Junior guard Catalina Cortez and sophomore guard Kyla Speights are also back from last year's team.

Four players have transferred to Midwestern State and the roster features nine freshman.

The infusion of talent has fans excited about the upcoming season.

The team welcomed more than 70 guests to their Tip Off Dinner last week sponsored by Rib Crib. The evening featured live singing from Haley's Music, a fun game of Bingo with prizes sponsored by Bricktown, Collective Coffee and Frank and Joe's.

Afterwards, guests were able to meet each of the players on the roster. The returners spoke about their experience as a Mustang and their leadership development over the past year since arriving in Wichita Falls.

The dessert sponsor was Nothing Bundt Cakes and also featured a silent auction with items from the Dallas Wings, Texas Rangers and Pelican's restaurant.

In an exhibition game against North Texas, the Mustangs forced 26 turnovers and had 19 steals.

Freshman Kerbie Cash, the District 14-4A Player of the Year from Sunnyvale, had four steals in the game.
Emillia Steele, a sophomore transfer from Texas State, had three steals for the Mustangs.

Alyssa Hutterer, a junior transfer from Western Texas College, led the Mustangs with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, including two 3-pointers.

Freshman Calyssa Sevier, a first-team Class 3A All-State guard from Lytle High School, scored six points and had two steals at the Super Pit in Denton.

Carter played 21 minutes and scored seven points while pulling down three rebounds. Carter and Carisa Cortez, a freshman from Lubbock Cooper, each had two assists in the exhibition game.

The Mustangs tip off the regular season against UC Colorado Springs, which is coming off its first-ever RMAC regular season championship. Head coach Misty Wilson led the Mountain Lions to a 23-8 record overall and an 18-4 mark in conference play.

UCCS has seven returners from last season, including Amyah Moore Allen and Maison White.

Moore Allen finished second on the team in scoring (12.7 point per game), total rebounds (94), assists (55) and blocked shots (23), while snagging a team high 57 steals. She finished the season ranked 12th in the league in blocked shots (0.7 per game), and 14th in scoring and steals (1.8 per game).

White is the 10th leading scorer in school history with 998 points, and sixth all-time in rebounds with 669. As a junior last season, White set a single season school recled the team in scoring (13.0 points per game), minutes per game (27.7), rebounds, and blocks (29).

White was 9-of-12 from the field and scored 22 points as UCCS defeated the Mustangs last season at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, 83-65. White also pulled down 10 rebounds for the Mountain Lions. Moore Allen was 4-of-5 from the field and scored 10 points but was hampered by foul trouble. Both White and Moore Allen recorded two blocks in the victory.

Carter had nine points and a game-high 15 rebounds in the season-opening loss for MSU, which shot 25 percent from the field as a team.

The all-time series is tied, 2-2, and the Mustangs won their last visit to Gallogly Events Center two years ago, 80-72.

Midwestern State concludes the road trip at Adams State on Saturday. The Mustangs and Grizzlies meet for the seventh time. Tipoff at Plachy Hall in Alamosa, Colorado, is scheduled for 4 p.m. CST.

The all-time series is tied, 3-3, but the Mustangs have lost the last two meetings. Adams State outscored MSU in the fourth quarter last season, 37-17, and scored a 102-84 victory in the second game of the season at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

The Grizzlies return six players from last year's squad, including Angelina Nageak, who scored 27 points in the win at Midwestern State last season. Ri'Ahana Davis, who scored 17 against the Mustangs, is also back with the Grizzlies this season.

Adams State was picked to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing with a 25-9 overall record last season and going 18-4 against conference opponents.

Kiiyani Anitielu, who was the second-leading scorer for Adams State last season, shot 51 percent and scored 12.4 points per game, while Davis finished the campaign with 12.2 points per game. Davis also pulled down 4.8 rebounds per game. Nageak averaged 9.2 points and three rebounds a game last season.

Midwestern State lost its last visit to Plachy Hall as the Grizzlies shot 53.6 percent en route to a 97-72 victory two years ago. Anitelu scored 13 points as a freshman against the Mustangs.

The Mustangs play their home opener on Nov. 15 against Rogers State at 5:30 p.m. in the Ashbrook Classic. MSU hosts Central Oklahoma in the second game of the Ashbrook Classic at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16.

For questions about how to join the Three Point Club or for season tickets, please email brenita.jackson@msutexas.edu or call the women's basketball office at 940-397-4406.