TIPOFF
Midwestern State plays in its fourth NCAA Division II Tournament  when the Mustangs meet Colorado Mesa in the South Central Regional. Tipoff against the Mavericks is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas.

Midwestern State vs. Colorado Mesa
Friday, March 14 | 2:30 p.m.
First United Bank Center | Canyon, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (18-11, 9-7 LSC); Colorado Mesa (28-1, 21-1 RMAC)
Live Video: GoBuffsGo.com
Live Audio: MSUMustangs.com
Live Stats: GoBuffsGo.com
On the Air: 95.5 ESPN Wichita Falls

Game Notes (PDF)

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Colorado Mesa holds a 28-1 overall record, is the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Champion at 15-1 and RMAC Shooutout Champion, entering the regional as the number two seed. The fourth ranked Mavericks of coach Taylor Wagner are led by senior guard Sharaya Selsor of Glenwood Springs, Colo., who is second in Division II in scoring, averaging 24.3 points, ranking ninth in DII in 3-point field goals with 2.97 a game and hitting 43.2 percent of her treys to rank 17th nationally.  Senior forward Aubry Boheme of Smithfield, Utah/Skyview, a transfer from Wyoming, is 10th in the RMAC in scoring at 14.8 points, leading the league and ranking third nationally with a 61.3 field goal percentage, and grabbing 5.3 rebounds a game. Senior guard Christen Lopez of West Jordan, Utah/Kearns adds 9.3 points a game, with senior guard Taylor Rock of Smithfield, Utah/Skyview adding 8.0 with 1.7 3-pointers an outing.  Senior forward Hannah Pollart of Powell, Wyo., a transfer from Cameron, leads the team with 6.1 boards a game (13th RMAC). CMU leads the RMAC averaging 76.1 points a contest, and allowing 56.1 points.

ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State takes on Colorado Mesa for the second time with both meetings in the NCAA II South Central Regional Tournament. CMU holds a 1-0 series lead thanks to the 69-65 win in the South Central Regional Final on March 18, 2013 in Grand Junction. This is the first meeting between the teams on a neutral floor..

LAST TIME OUT VS. CMU
The Mustangs battled all the way to the wire before falling in the 2013 NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championship Game 69-65 to host and fourth ranked Colorado Mesa. In a contest that featured 11 lead changes and eight ties, the Mustangs their last lead go away with 4:59 to play, but they kept it at arms length the rest of the way. MSU pulled back to within one with four seconds to play, but needing to foul had to give up free throws for the final difference. Kirsti Degelia led the way for the Mustangs, banging in 20 points while grabbing five boards. Andrea Carter posted her 18th double-double of the season with her 18 points and 13 rebounds to go with two steals. Dianna Jones chalked up 12 points with five rebounds and a team leading five assists. MSU shot 38.5 percent from the floor, connecting on 20 field goals of 52 attempts, but hitting just 3-of-7 3-pointers (42.9 percent). MSU also buried 22-of-26 from the foul line (84.6 percent). Colorado Mesa connected on 43.4 percent from the field (23-of-53), while being held to just 2-of-18 from the 3-point arc (11.1 percent) and connected on 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) from the free throw line.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State is 18-11 on the season, was fourth in the Lone Star Conference at 9-7 and lost to No. 5 West Texas A&M 86-85 in overtime in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament.  MSU is seeded seventh in the regional. Coach Noel Johnson's Mustangs are led by junior All-America forward Andrea Carter who is second in the LSC averaging 16.4 points and third in the conference with 9.0 rebounds, to go with shooting 53.8 percent (fifth in the LSC) and grabbing 1.9 steals (fifth in the LSC). Senior guard Kirsti Degelia adds 11.1 points (13th in the LSC) with 1.3 three-pointers a game (15th in the LSC), to go with 3.1 assists (eighth in the LSC) and 1.2 steals.  Junior guard Dianna Jones adds 9.7 points a game (20th in the LSC) to go with her LSC leading 4.7 assists and 1.87 assist-turnover ratio and her 1.5 steals (10th in the LSC). Junior guard Shatoia Gober chalks up 7.3 points a contest, as she pulls down 4.9 rebounds (19th in the LSC) with 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals. MSU averages 73.0 points a contest, while allowing 67.7.

LAST TIME OUT
The Mustangs came back from a 15-point first half deficit, then had to go to overtime before beating Angelo State 70-66 in the Lone Star Conference quarterfinals. MSU rode two-time All-LSC first teamer Andrea Carter who's layup and later two free throws in the last 41 seconds of overtime gave the Mustangs the win. Carter led all scorers with 18 points with a game-high nine rebounds. Shatoia Gober produced a season-high 15 points with six boards and a MSU LSC Tournament record two blocked shots. Taylor Dowd scored 10 points for the Mustangs. The triumph gave MSU its first three-game win streak over ASU since 1987. MSU shot 44.6 percent from the floor, connecting on 25 field goals on 56 attempts, including just 1-of-12 3-pointers (8.3 percent). MSU buried 19-of-27 from the foul line (70.4 percent). Angelo State shot 46.2 percent from the field (24-of-52), including 5-of-12 from the 3-point arc (41.7 percent) and connected on 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from the free throw line.

MSU UNDER NOEL JOHNSON
Noel Johnson is 90-76 in her sixth year as the head coach of the Mustangs. She was the Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year in 2012 after turning the program around with a 19-8 season, then earned the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Small College Coach of the Year award for leading MSU to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 with a 26-6 record and the Lone Star Conference Championship.

MSU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Midwestern State started the season at number 10 in the WBCA's USA Today Sports Division II Top 25, but early losses dropped them to the first team receiving votes for the next three weeks. The Mustangs are currently not receiving votes in the poll.

NCAA DIVISION II SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL
Midwestern State is the seventh seed in the South Central Region of the 2014 NCAA Division II Championship.  The Mustangs gained entry as the fifth of the five at-large berths granted to the region after the automatic qualifiers from the Heartland Conference (St. Edward's), Lone Star Conference (West Texas A&M), Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (Colorado Mesa) were determined.  On Friday, the regional quarterfinals will be played, starting at noon with third seeded Tarleton State playing sixth seeded Texas A&M International, followed by second seeded Colorado Mesa against seventh seeded MSU in the afternoon session.  The evening session has top seed and host West Texas A&M facing eighth seed St. Edward's at 5 p.m., with fourth seed Colorado State-Pueblo meeting fifth seed St. Mary's at 7:30.  The regional semifinals are Saturday, with the afternoon session winners playing at 5 p.m., and the evening session winners facing off at 7:30.  The regional championship is Monday at 7 p.m.  The South Central Region Champion advances to the NCAA Elite Eight to face the Southeast Regional Champion on Tuesday, March 25 at 11 a.m. Texas Time at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pa.

THREE...DOT...THOUGHTS...
MSU lost to West Texas A&M 86-85 in overtime in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament setting two records for MSU.  First, it was the fifth time the Mustangs played an overtime game this season and set a new mark for most overtime games played in one season bettering the four OT games from 2003-04 and 2005-06.  Second, the loss set a new mark for overtime losses in a year (previous 3, 2005-06) … Thanks to the 70-66 win over Angelo State in overtime in the LSC Tournament Quarterfinals, MSU has now played three straight overtime games in the LSC Tournament … Each time, Midwestern State overcame a double-digit deficit in each of those tournament games before getting it tied … MSU was equaled on the glass by West Texas A&M, after having a string of six straight games outrebounding its opponent snapped by Angelo State.  The Mustangs are now 2-3 when the boards are tied, 5-5 when being outrebounded and 11-3 when owning the rebounds … The Mustangs have been dialed in from the 3-point arc in three of the last four games.  MSU is 25-of-59 from the arc in those games (42.4 percent), but did have the 1-for-12 outing against Angelo State that isn't figured in those numbers … Senior Kirsti Degelia of Denton, Texas/Krum continues to add to her career scoring total as she has amassed 1,387 points – seventh all-time at MSU.  She is eight points away from Lounette Adkins Decker (1978-79, 80-81, 93-95) with 1,395 points in sixth and 13 from the 1,400-point club … Degelia fifth at MSU with 332 career assists and needs seven to tie Lisa Meurer (1977-81) in fourth with 339 … Degelia moved to fifth in MSU career 3-point field goals made with 111 matching Trish Young (1990-92), after passing Heather O'Neal (1998-2000) with 110. She is one away from Mindy Myers (1990-94) with 112 in fourth and four from Julie Lovett (1993-97) with 115 in third … Degelia is 13th on the MSU career steal's list with 154 … Junior forward Andrea Carter of Angleton, Texas is second in the Lone Star Conference in scoring, third in rebounding and sixth in steals, averaging 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals a game. She is also fifth in field goal percentage (53.8 percent), sixth in free throw percentage (76.6 percent) and 12th in blocked shots (0.4) … Carter is the 19th MSU woman to score 1000 points and is 17th in MSU career scoring with 1,069 points.  She needs eight points to pass Lorene Fobbs (1988-92) with 1,076, nine to surpass the 1,077 of Pam Stephenson (1979-82) and Lynn Buckmaster (1992-94) and 13 points to pass Julie Lovett (1993-97) in 13th with 1,081 … Carter is sixth on the MSU career rebound chart with 750 and needs eight boards to tie and nine to pass Wynell Martin (1985-89) in fifth with 758 … Carter is 10th in MSU career steals with 176, passing Alanna Albrecht (1986-90) with 175 … Junior Diana Jones of Hewitt, Texas/Midway leads the Lone Star Conference with 4.7 assists per game and leads the league with a 1.87 assist/turnover ratio. Jones is third in the LSC with a 79.2 free throw percentage (84-of-106) and 10th in steals (1.5 per game) … Jones is 11th in MSU career assists with 255 and needs one more to match the 256 of Lindy Lombard (1998-2002) in 10th …