WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State completed a season sweep of Western New Mexico as
Kertisa Amos scored 20 points, while
Zarria Carter and
Makayla Coy each posted a double-double in a 67-57 victory at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
Carter posted her 11th double-double of the season with 17 points and 17 rebounds. The 6-1 junior from Mansfield, Texas, had a double-double before halftime with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first 20 minutes as MSU took a 23-18 lead into the locker room.
Coy finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and her second in the last three games. Coy and Carter each had a double-double in the first meeting with Western New Mexico in Silver City, New Mexico, on Jan. 11, when MSU prevailed, 73-61.
"Really glad we got another win here in Ligon," head coach
Brenita Jackson said after her team improved to 3-8 at home this season. "Our girls really wanted it, so I was glad we could close it out today."
The Mustangs overcame a sluggish start, hitting just 3-of-17 shots from the field in the first quarter, but MSU led 10-6 at the end of the period, holding Western New Mexico to 3-of-15 shooting.
"Our defense really stabilized us and kept us in this game today," Jackson said.
Western New Mexico was held to 37.3 percent shooting from the field and was just 4-of-19 from 3-point range.
Midwestern State had a significant advantage at the free-throw line, hitting 23-of-27 foul shots, while WNMU was just 3-of-5 from the stripe.
Jade Goynes was the leading scorer for the Western Mustangs with 21 points, and she also led her team with eight rebounds.
The MSU Mustangs won the battle on the boards, 44-35, and 33 rebounds came on the defensive end for Midwestern State.
"We were able to push pace on a few possessions and find some post running in transition. Catalina (Cortez) did a great job of finding her teammates running in transition. That started with our defense," Jackson said.
Cortez was in the starting lineup after leaving the game against Eastern New Mexico on Thursday night with an injury in the third quarter. Cortez, who has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Lone Star Conference, finished with six assists and was able to play 31 minutes for the home-standing Mustangs.
Midwestern State improved to 6-17 overall and is 6-11 in conference play. MSU is one game behind Texas A&M-Kingsville and Cameron for eighth place in the LSC, and the top eight teams qualify for the LSC Postseason Tournament.
Western New Mexico suffered its fifth-straight loss and fell to 8-15 overall with 3-13 record in conference play.
Midwestern State travels to Odessa for a showdown with UT Permian Basin at the UTPB Gym Complex on Thursday. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m.
--MSUMustangs.com--
