WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State has won five of its last six games and improved its conference record to 7-6 after defeating Oklahoma Christian, 69-66. The Mustangs seek a fourth consecutive victory on Thursday as Eastern New Mexico visits D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Midwestern State can improve its overall record to .500 with a win over the Greyhounds, who defeated the Mustangs in Portales, New Mexico, earlier this month, 56-54. Midwestern State is 9-10 overall and eight of its nine victories have come at home, where the Mustangs have reeled off seven consecutive wins.

Zarria Carter is the reigning Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The 6-1 senior from Mansfield, Texas, averaged 24 points and 12.5 rebounds per game while leading the Mustangs to a pair of LSC wins over Cameron and Oklahoma Christian last week at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

Carter posted double-doubles in each game, and she leads NCAA Division II with 14 this season, including eight on her home floor.

Carter leads the Lone Star Conference in scoring (20.4 ppg), field goal percentage (55%), rebounding (11.8 rpg) and steals. (2.6 spg). Carter is the 11th-leading scorer in the nation and the fourth-leading rebounder. She has hit 153-of-278 shots from the field and leads the conference in both field goals and field goals attempted.

In the win over Oklahoma Christian on Saturday, Carter finished with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds for the Mustangs. Emillia Steele and Kerbie Cash each scored 11 points in the victory. Cash also contributed a team-leading four assists, and she corralled six caroms.

Cash is the second-leading scorer for the Mustangs with 12 points per game, and she is the second-leading rebounder with 7.2 rebounds per game. The freshman from Wylie, Texas, averages 13.7 points against LSC opponents while grabbing 8.2 rebounds in conference games.

Carter and Cash are both among the LSC top-10 in free-throws made and attempted. Carter is 81 of 104 (71.1%), and Cash is 65 of 90 (72.2%). Carter has the second-most attempts from the foul line, and Cash has the fourth-most tries in the LSC.

Carter is 48-of-59 (81.3%) from the free-throw line since Dec. 17.

The Mustangs have the second-most free-throw attempts per game in the conference with 20.8 and are shooting 68.6 percent (271-of-395) from the free-throw line as a team. The Mustangs have the second-most made free throws in the LSC with 14.3 per game.

Midwestern State leads the league with 42.2 rebounds per game, which is 21st in the nation, and MSU is grabbing 14.7 offensive rebounds per game, which is second in the conference and 29th among NCAA Division II programs.

The Mustangs are scoring 62.1 points per game and holding their opponents to 62.6 points per game.

Carisa Cortez is dishing out 3.1 assists per game, which is seventh in the conference, and she boasts the sixth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.2.

Midwestern State is forcing the fourth-most turnovers in the conference at 18.5 per game, and the Stangs are second in the league with 10.9 steals per game.

Carter leads the LSC with 49 total steals. Emillia Steele, Calyssa Sevier and Cash are 10th in the conference with 31 steals apiece.

The Mustangs are holding opponents to 38.3 percent shooting from the field, which is seventh-best in the LSC. Opponents are only shooting 25.7 percent from 3-point range, which is the third-best 3-point percentage defense in the LSC.

Midwestern State is blocking 2.4 shots per game, and Carter is averaging 0.84 blocks per game, which is eighth in the league.

Midwestern State leads the all-time series with Eastern New Mexico, 31-27, but has lost its last four meetings with the Greyhounds, including a 56-54 loss at Portales on Jan. 5.

Tatiana Platonova found Ishuana Hunter under the basket with a lob on an inbounds pass for the game-winning buzzer beater in a contest that featured seven ties and 15 lead changes. Carter had 19 points, six rebounds and six steals for Midwestern State, and Cash finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Steele filled out the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds and seven steals.

Eastern New Mexico is 11-18 all-time at D.L. Ligon Coliseum and won its last visit, 65-60, as the Mustangs squandered a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter. Eastern New Mexico scored nine points off six MSU turnovers in the final period and finished with 18 points off 11 turnovers to secure the victory last season.

Midwestern State has not beaten Eastern New Mexico since an 83-77 victory at home in January of 2023.

Eastern New Mexico is 12-7 overall this season with a 7-6 record in conference play, but the Greyhounds have lost five of their last six games since defeating the Mustangs in Portales. ENMU has a three-game losing streak following a 63-55 loss at Texas Woman's in its last outing.

The Greyhounds have lost their last four games away from home and are 3-5 on the road this season.

ENMU leads the conference with 71.7 points per game and is sixth in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.1 points per game. The Greyhounds force the most turnovers in the LSC with 20.4, but they are 14th in turnovers committed with 19.7 per game.

Hunter is the leading scorer at ENMU with 11.6 points per game, while Jayla Smith and Nataya Lockett each average more than 10 points per game. Hunter had 15 points in the first meeting with MSU, while Smith scored 14 for the Greyhounds.

Eastern New Mexico has the most productive bench in the LSC as its reserves score 33.2 points per game, which leads the conference and is seventh in the nation.

Eastern New Mexico is the third-leading rebounding team in the conference with 42.1 rebounds per game. Smith leads the team with seven rebounds per game.

The Greyhounds lead the conference and are 13th among NCAA Division II programs with a rebounding margin of plus-9.3. ENMU outrebounded MSU by one in the first meeting, 40-39. Smith had 14 rebounds and Kaitlyn Edmondson pulled down nine boards for the Greyhounds.

Edmondson is the fourth-leading shot blocker in the LSC with 1.16 blocks per game and 22 total blocks this season, and the Greyhounds are fourth in the league with 3.2 blocks per game.

Midwestern State closes out its four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon as West Texas A&M visits the Mustangs. Tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is scheduled for 1 p.m.