STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Midwestern State visits an old rival on Black Friday as it travels to EECU Center for an exhibition game with former Lone Star Conference member Tarleton State, which last played the Mustangs in 2020.

Midwestern State (2-3) halted a three-game slide with a 97-74 victory over Dallas Christian as Charles McClennahan, Jr. led four players in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Orlando Horton, Jr. and Davyon Butler each scored 11 points. Tehshaundre Cole finished with 10 points and a team-leading eight rebounds in the victory.

The Mustangs scored 29 points off 22 turnovers, and the reserves scored 59 points in the triumph at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Monday night.

Midwestern State completed a stretch of three games in five days after suffering a 99-91 loss at Adams State and falling to Western Colorado in Gunnison, 82-78.

The Mustangs are outscoring opponents, 84.6 – 83.4 and shooting 45.2 percent from the field. Midwestern State is forcing 17.2 turnovers per game and scoring 17.8 points off those turnovers.

Jonathan Jackson is the leading scorer for the Mustangs with 13.6 points per game, and Jackson is 48.6 percent of his shots from 3-point range (18 of 37). Jackson also has a team-leading 10 steals.

McClennahan, who has played in the last three games, is scoring 13 points per game and pulling down a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game.

Terrance Ramirez and Horton are both pitching in 11.8 points per game and have combined for 26 assists and 15 steals this season.  

DaCannon Wesley leads the Mustangs with nine blocks and is the second-leading rebounder with 5.4 boards per game. Wesley is shooting 52 percent from the field and is scoring 6.6 points per game.

Midwestern State leads the all-time series with the Texans, 47-34, but has lost the last eight meetings. The Mustangs' last win over Tarleton State was in January of 2016 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum, 66-63.

MSU is 16-16 all-time when visiting the Texans but its last win as the visitor in the series was in January of 2015, when the Stangs slipped past Tarleton State, 78-76. Current head coach Jon Trilli was a Graduate Assistant on Nelson Haggerty's staff for the victory.

Tarleton State (4-3) won back-to-back games, including a 77-54 win over Angelo State of the LSC, and the Texans followed that win at home with a 90-74 victory at Rice in their last game on Nov. 20.

Dior Johnson, a 6-3 junior guard, is leading the Texans with 23.6 points per game, and he is coming off the bench for head coach Billy Gillispie.

Chris Mpaka is the leading rebounder for the Texans with six boards per game, and the 6-6 senior has started all seven games for Tarleton State. Mpaka also has a team-leading 10 blocks for the Texans, who are 3-0 at home this season.

Tarleton State is averaging nearly 78 points per game while allowing 79 points per outing. The Texans are shooting 46.2 percent from the field, and its opponents are shooting 46.5 percent from the field.

Midwestern State opens conference play at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Wednesday night against Angelo State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.