SILVER CITY, N.M. -- Midwestern State is seeking its eighth win in a span of 10 games and a third straight road victory as it visits Western New Mexico.

The Mustangs improved to 11-11 overall and moved to 9-7 in the Lone Star Conference with an 88-70 win over Sul Ross State on Thursday night in Alpine, Texas.

Zarria Carter scored 32 points and pulled down rebounds as the Mustangs handed the Lobos their 16th consecutive defeat.

Freshman guard Carisa Cortez connected on three 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the victory. Cortez also had seven assists and four rebounds.

Sophomore guard Emillia Steele added 14 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Kerbie Cash chipped in nine points and seven rebounds.

Cash was named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 25.5 points and eight rebounds in the two games last week. The 6-2 freshman poured in a career-high 29 points on 7-of-26 shooting while going 14-of-17 from the charity stripe in a 70-69 loss to Eastern New Mexico on Thursday, completing her eighth double-double of the season with 11 rebounds.

Carter leads the conference in scoring (21 ppg), rebounding (11.4 rpg) and steals (2.4 spg). She has the second-best field goal percentage (55%). Carter is 180-of-327 from the field, and no one in the conference has converted more field goals or put up more shots than the 6-1 senior from Mansfield, Texas.

Carter is the seventh-leading rebounder in the country and the ninth-leading scorer. Carter leads the league with 14 double-doubles this season, and only two players in NCAA Division II have more double-doubles — Emily Chmiel of East Stroudsburg and Alisha Little of Colorado State-Pueblo.

Carter is 103-of-114 (73%). from the free-throw line. She has made the second-most free throws and has the most attempts in the LSC. She has the ninth-best free-throw percentage in the conference.

Cash, a 6-2 freshman from Wylie, Texas, is the ninth-leading rebounder in the LSC with 7.3 boards per game, and she is the 12th leading scorer in the league with 13.1 points per game. In conference games, she averages 14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds.

Cash has also been productive at the free-throw line, hitting 83-of-117 (70.9%). She has the fourth-most made free throws in the LSC and the third-most attempts. Her free-throw percentage is 14th in the league.


The Mustangs have the most free-throw attempts per game in the conference with 22 and are shooting 69.4 percent (336-of-484) from the free-throw line as a team. The Mustangs have the second-most made free throws in the LSC with 15.3 per game.

Midwestern State is second in the league with 42.1 rebounds per game, which is 25th in the nation, and MSU is grabbing 14.9 offensive rebounds per game, which is third in the conference and 27th among NCAA Division II programs.

The Mustangs are scoring 63.9 points per game and holding their opponents to 63.5 points per game.

Carisa Cortez is dishing out three assists per game, which is ninth in the conference.

Midwestern State is forcing the sixth-most turnovers in the conference at 18.13 per game, and the Stangs are third in the league with 10.3 steals per game.

Carter leads the LSC with 53 total steals. Calyssa Sevier is 11th in the conference with 35 steals. Emillia Steele is 15th in the league with 32 steals and Cash is 17th with 31 steals.

The Mustangs are holding opponents to 38.7 percent shooting from the field, which is 10th-best in the LSC. Opponents are only shooting 26.6 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 0.9 blocks per game, which is seventh in the league.

Midwestern State leads the all-time series with Western New Mexico, 15-5, and has won the last three meetings, including an 82-44 victory at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Jan. 9, when Carter finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Mustangs. Cash added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Steele poured in 13 points.

Western New Mexico enters the game with a 2-20 overall record, and the Western Mustangs are 2-14 in conference play. WNMU is coming off a 77-46 loss to Lubbock Christian which extended its losing streak to four games since defeating Texas A&M-Kingsville, 59-53, on Jan. 23.

Western New Mexico is 1-7 at home this season and 2-8 when hosting MSU.

WNMU is averaging 52.1 points per game, and its opponents are scoring 72 points per game. The scoring margin is 15th in the league.

Alina Martin is the leading scorer for WNMU with 10 points per game. Naomi Kimble is the leading rebounder among active players for the Silver City Stangs with four rebounds per game.

Natalie Magallanes has 29 steals, and Eliza Joynes has blocked 14 shots in 20 games for WNMU.

Midwestern State hosts UT Permian Basin on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.