Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

MSU Athletics

The official site of midwestern state university athletics midwestern state university athletics
GAME DAY | Midwestern State vs. Eastern New Mexico (January 30, 2025)

Men's Basketball Pete Stein / MSU Athletic Communications

Stang Gang attempts to restrain high-scoring Hounds

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State looks to extend its winning streak to four games and avenge a loss to Eastern New Mexico earlier this month as the two teams meet at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Mustangs are 9-0 at home this season and have a 13-game home winning streak dating back to last season.

Midwestern State is 14-4 overall with a 9-3 conference record. The three conference losses have been by a total of eight points, including an 83-81 loss at Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 5. Midwestern State is currently tied for third in the LSC standings with Lubbock Christian.

Four players scored in double figures as Midwestern State posted a 90-58 victory over Oklahoma Christian on Saturday. Mason Gibson led the way with 19 points. Reggie Hill finished with 14, Noah McDavid added 12 and Will Shepherd pitched in 11 points.

Hill was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week as he accounted for eight steals, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots in back-to-back 32-point victories over Cameron and Oklahoma Christian. The 6-8 senior forward from Melbourne, Florida, has started the last six games for MSU and has scored 48 points and grabbed 40 rebounds in that span.

Gibson is the sixth-leading scorer in the conference with 16.4 points per game and has scored double figures in 15 of 17 games.

Pierre Sanders is the second-leading scorer for the Mustangs this season with 12.6 points per game, and he is shooting 50.6 percent from the field (85 of 168). Sanders is shooting 45.6 percent from 3-point range (26 of 57) and is an 83.8 percent free-throw shooter (31 of 37).

The fifth-year senior guard from Hutto, Texas, is second in the conference with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.00, and he is fifth in the league with 4.0 assists per game.

Sanders is facing ENMU for the seventh time in his career and has averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 assists and four rebounds against the Greyhounds.

Bakari LaStrap, who missed the first eight games of the season due to injury, scores 9.8 points per game for the Mustangs and averages three rebounds and three assists per game since his return. LaStrap shoots 49.3 percent from the field (35 of 71) and has hit 27-of-34 free throws (83.8 percent).

Will Shepherd averages 9.6 points per game and is the second-leading rebounder for the Mustangs with 5.4 boards per game. At home this season, the 6-8 senior forward from Dallas averages 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Jonathan Jackson hits 2.3 3-pointers per game and averages 8.5 points per game for the Mustangs. The 6-4 guard from Sachse, Texas, was 7-of-13 from 3-point range and scored 25 points in the in the first two games of the homestand, as the Mustangs shot 50 percent (28 of 56) from beyond the arc against Cameron and Oklahoma Christian.

The Mustangs are second in the LSC and 11th in the nation with a 3-point shooting percentage of 39.2, hitting 9.8 3-pointers per game, which leads the conference.

Midwestern State has an effective field goal percentage of 54.3 percent, which is third-best in the LSC. Effective field goal percentage accounts for the added value of three-point shots. MSU attempts the most 3-point shots in the LSC with 25 attempts per game.

Midwestern State is the fifth-highest scoring team in the LSC with 79.4 points per game while holding opponents to 67.3 points, which is the fourth-best scoring defense in the league. The plus-12.1 scoring margin is third-best in the LSC and 17th among NCAA Division II programs.

The Mustangs are eighth in the nation and lead the league with a field goal percentage defense of 39.2 percent, and opponents are only hitting 29.8 percent of their 3-point attempts against the LSC's third-best 3-point percentage defense.

Sanders and Gibson lead the Mustangs with 32 and 31 steals respectively, and MSU is fourth in the league with 8.9 steals per game. Midwestern State is forcing 13.5 turnovers per game while only committing 11.3 turnovers, which is third-fewest in the LSC.

Midwestern State is committing the fewest fouls in the LSC with 14.2 per game, which is the 22nd-fewest among NCAA Division II programs.

The Stang Gang is fourth in the conference with 38.1 rebounds per game, led by Hill, who is sixth in the LSC, grabbing 6.6 rebounds per game.

Midwestern State leads the all-time series with Eastern New Mexico, 38-21, but has lost three of the last four meetings. MSU is 19-8 when hosting the Greyhounds, and defeated ENMU at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last year, 93-54, as Sanders scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field.

Eastern New Mexico arrives in Wichita Falls with a 12-7 record overall and is 7-6 in conference play. The Greyhounds are 3-3 since defeating MSU on Jan. 5.

Eastern New Mexico opened its four-game road trip with an 87-75 victory at UT Tyler before succumbing to UT Dallas, 87-81. The Greyhounds are 3-4 on the road this season. ENMU has not suffered back-to-back losses this season.

Six players score in double figures for Eastern New Mexico, which is the highest scoring team in the LSC with 91.3 points per game. The Greyhounds are scoring 85.5 points per game against conference opponents this season.

Eastern New Mexico shoots 51.5 percent from the field, which is the best in the LSC.

The Greyhounds average 22.5 points on the fastbreak, which leads the league and is fourth-most in the country.

Eastern New Mexico is averaging 10.9 steals per game, led by Mo Austin (1.4 spg) and Treyvon Byrd (1.3 spg). ENMU forces 17.5 turnovers per game, which is third-most in the LSC and 22nd in the nation.

Mario Whitley is the leading scorer for ENMU with 15.4 points per game, and he is the leading rebounder with 9.3 boards per contest. Whitley is the third-leading rebounder in the LSC.

The Greyhounds are the best rebounding team in the conference with 41 rebounds per game and their plus-10 rebounding margin is fourth-best in the nation.

Opponents are scoring 73.8 points per game against the Hounds, who boast a plus-17.4 scoring margin, which leads the conference and is fifth-best in the nation. ENMU holds opponents to 41.7 shooting from the field, which is fourth-best in the conference.

The Greyhounds are scoring 16.7 points from the free-throw line per game on 23.5 attempts per game, and they are second in the conference in both categories. Their free-throw percentage of 71.1 is fifth-best in the league.

Midwestern State closes out its four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon as it hosts West Texas A&M. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 

-- MSUMustangs.com --
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Mason Gibson

#3 Mason Gibson

G
6' 0"
Junior
Reggie Hill

#1 Reggie Hill

F
6' 8"
Senior
Bakari LaStrap

#10 Bakari LaStrap

G
6' 1"
Senior
Pierre Sanders

#23 Pierre Sanders

G
5' 10"
Fifth Year
Will Shepherd

#2 Will Shepherd

F
6' 8"
Senior
Jonathan Jackson

#11 Jonathan Jackson

G
6' 4"
Senior
Noah McDavid

#0 Noah McDavid

G
6' 7"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Mason Gibson

#3 Mason Gibson

6' 0"
Junior
G
Reggie Hill

#1 Reggie Hill

6' 8"
Senior
F
Bakari LaStrap

#10 Bakari LaStrap

6' 1"
Senior
G
Pierre Sanders

#23 Pierre Sanders

5' 10"
Fifth Year
G
Will Shepherd

#2 Will Shepherd

6' 8"
Senior
F
Jonathan Jackson

#11 Jonathan Jackson

6' 4"
Senior
G
Noah McDavid

#0 Noah McDavid

6' 7"
Senior
G