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STEPHENVILLE, Texas - The Tarleton Texans (15-8, 8-7 LSC) will host the Lone Star Conference-leading Midwestern State Mustangs (18-6, 14-3) this Saturday, Feb. 23 for another showdown heading into the final week and a half left of the season. The two teams will get underway at 7 p.m. on Saturday, inside Wisdom Gym in Stephenville.
 
QUICK HITS
• The Texans dropped a heart-breaker at Aggie Gym in Lawton, Okla. on Wednesday, falling 53-51 to Cameron in Lone Star Conference action.
• Tarleton led 51-50 with less than eight seconds to play, but the Aggies threw up a falling away three-pointer and drained it leaving just 2.1 seconds left on the clock. Without any timeouts remaining, Tarleton's Chuck Guy put up a desperation half court shot that just came shy of going in, giving Tarleton a 53-51 loss.
• The Texans dropped to 15-8 overall with a 2-6 record in road games.
• Despite the loss and falling to 8-7 in LSC play, the Texans remain in sole possession of fourth-place in the league with three games left to play.
• Midwestern State is coming off an 85-67 win over A&M-Commerce in Wichita Falls on Wednesday.
• The Mustangs have won seven of its last eight games heading into Saturday's contest.

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS

It's PACK IT PURPLE night in Wisdom Gym. All fans are encouraged to wear purple for the contest. It is also Gordon Night, in which all residents of Gordon will receive free admission with proof of residency. It is also Military Appreciation and Greek Night as well as Cozy Socks Night. Anyone who donates a new, unused pair of of socks for SISD's fundraiser will receive free popcorn.

 
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION RANKINGS RELEASED
• The first set of regional rankings were released from the NCAA on Wednesday, just before tip-off with the Aggies.
• Overall, four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams made up the top-10 teams, including nationally No. 1-ranked Metro State (21-0) who came in at No. 1 this week. Three LSC teams and three Heartland Conference teams rounded out the poll.
• The Texans came in at No. 9 in the first set of South Central Regional rankings, with a 13-6 mark in region play at the time of release.
• Newman came in at No. 2 this week right behind Metro State. St. Mary's came in at No. 3 and Fort Lewis followed in the No. 4 spot. Midwestern State came in at No. 5 this week, with Colorado Mesa, Adams State Cameron, Tarleton and Arkansas-Fort Smith all following, six through 12, respectively.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
• Head coach Nelson Haggerty is in his second season with the Mustangs after taking over last season when former head coach Grant McCasland.
• Haggerty is 47-10 overall since taking over the helm of the MSU basketball program. The Mustangs were co-LSC champions with the Texans last year, and MSU went on to win its third consecutive South Central regional title last year as well.
• The Mustangs rank third in the conference averaging 71.7 points per game and giving up just 62.6 points per contest to opposing teams. MSU's +8.5 scoring margin ranks first in the conference.
• Despite leading the conference, MSU shoots just 43.6 percent from the field as a team, which ranks eighth in the LSC. The Mustangs make up the difference on the defensive side of the ball, holding opponents to just 39.9 percent shooting from the floor in games.
• MSU shoots 66.2 percent from the charity stripe and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.
• Corbin Thomas leads the Mustangs in scoring with 13.5 points per game. He is followed by Kevin Grayer who averages 11.6 points per contest.
• Thomas also leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game and 29 total blocks on the season.
• Kevin Grayer leads the Mustangs with 79 assists and 32 steals.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The Mustangs lead the all-time series with a 41-22 mark over the Texans, but Tarleton has won five of the last nine match-ups between the two teams.
• MSU has won the last three games and four out of the last five, which includes Tarleton's 50-34 loss to the Mustangs in Wichita Falls earlier this season.
The Texans fell 57-51 to the Mustangs in last season's LSC Championship game in Allen.
• The two team's split the regular-season series last season with both home teams picking up victories.
• Last season's contest in Wichita Falls went three overtimes before MSU prevailed 80-75.
• Three out of the past six games between the Texans and Mustangs have been played on neutral courts during post-season play.
• Tarleton is just 19-23 against MSU under head coach Lonn Reisman.
• Under coach Reisman, the Texans are 9-8 when facing the Mustangs inside Wisdom Gym (9-12 on the road; 1-3 neutral site).
• Since 1989, the Mustangs have the series' longest winning streak, having won five straight from Mar. 5, 1995 thru Feb. 15, 1997.
 
WHILE YOU WERE AWAY...
• The Mustangs have went 7-2 since facing Tarleton back on Jan. 12. MSU dropped a road game to Cameron just after the win against Tarleton, but then reeled off a six-game winning streak after that. The Mustangs fell to Angelo State at D.L. Ligon Coliseum last Saturday, but rebounded this week with a win over A&M-Commerce.
• The Texans have went 7-3 since falling to MSU, reeling off its own six-game winning streak during that span. The Texans had losses to Eastern New Mexico, Texas A&M-Kingsville and this weeks defeat to Cameron.
 
CLOSE GAME WOES
• The Texans are now 1-5 in games decided by five points or less following Wednesday's late game defeat to Cameron.
• Tarleton's other five-point or less defeats have come to Angelo State (57-52), UIW (72-67), Eastern New Mexico (59-56) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (55-56).
• Tarleton's lone win in a five-point game or less came against Abilene Christian (75-70).
• All six games that have been decided by five points or less have come on the road this season.
 
TAKE THAT BACK TO THE REC
• Tarleton ranks second in the LSC and 31st in the nation in blocked shots per game. The Texans are averaging 4.5 blocked shots as a team.
• The Texans moved back into the top spot in the league in blocked shots, leading the conference with 4.5 blocked shots. MSU is right behind with 4.4 blocks.
• Jon Cathey-Macklin continues to lead the league with 1.7 blocked shots per game. He raised his average after collecting a career-high seven blocks against Incarnate Word on Saturday.
• Cathey-Macklin came just one block shy of tying the school's single-game record of eight blocked shots set by Vincent Bridgewater back on Jan. 25, 2003 against Southeastern Oklahoma.
 
20/20 VISION
• Tarleton's Chuck Guy and Brian Word (G, Sr, Baltimore, Md.) each scored at least 20 points in Tarleton's 77-71 win over UIW on Saturday. Guy tallied 23 points, while Word poured in a career-high 21 points for the home team.
• It marked the first time a Texan duo has scored 20+ points in the same game since Mar. 5, 2010. That night Effran Bryant scored 22 points and Corin Henry recorded 25 points to lead the Texans to an 82-68 victory over West Texas A&M in Stephenville.
• That was Word's first career 20-point game, while it was Guy's sixth of the season. Guy has now scored in the 20's in two straight games and four of the past five.
 
WINNING AT WISDOM
• The Tarleton Texans are now 330-58 (.850) overall when playing inside the friendly confines of Wisdom Gym under head coach Lonn Reisman.
• The Texans moved to 204-25 (.890) playing under Reisman inside Wisdom Gym since 2000.
• Since joining NCAA Division II, Tarleton is 257-44 (.854) all-time at home.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
• The last time national statistics came out, Tarleton ranked 5th in scoring defense. The Texans are giving up just 58.3 points per game to opposing teams. Cal-Poly continues to lead the nation giving up just 54.9 points per contest. Tarleton finished the past two seasons leading the country in scoring defense.
• Tarleton ranks 44th in field goal percentage-defense, as opponents shoot just 40.4 percent from the floor.
• The Texans rank 31st in blocks per game, averaging 4.4 blocks against opposing teams.
 
OPENING UP THE LSC SCHEDULE
• Tarleton dropped its LSC opener for the first time since Jan. 14, 2009 with its five-point loss to Angelo State on Wednesday.
• The Texans are now 12-7 in LSC openers since joining the league in 1994.
 
TEXANS PICKED TO WIN LSC
• The Texans were selected to defend its LSC Championship, earning the No. 1 ranking in the preseason poll released by the league office on Oct. 25, 2012.
• Tarleton received 12 of a possible 29 first-place votes in the poll.
• Midwestern State received 12 first-place votes in the poll as well, but Tarleton took the top spot earning 269 total points to MSU's 262.
 
TEXANS DEBUT 2012-13 SEASON AT NO. 17 IN NABC PRESEASON POLL
• The Texans finished the 2011-12 campaign at No. 9 in the nation and head into the new season at No. 17 according to a preseason poll released by the NABC on Nov. 2.
• Tarleton was the highest ranked LSC team in the preseason poll. MSU debuts at No. 23 in 2012-13 after finishing No. 5 last season.
• Including the 2012-13 campaign, Tarleton has been preseason ranked inside the top-25 seven times.
 
TARLETON IN SEASON-OPENERS
• Tarleton snapped a 10-game winning streak in season openers after falling 73-60 to Southwestern Assemblies of God in the 2012-13 opening game. Tarleton fell to 21-4 in season-openers under coach Reisman.
• Tarleton's last loss in a season-opener had come back in 2001 against Wingate (73-83).
 
REISMAN AMONG WINNINGEST ACTIVE COACHES IN NATION
• Lonn Reisman entered the 2012-13 season with a .702 winning percentage, which ranks 12th overall among active coaches in NCAA D-II.
• Reisman's .702 winning percentage ranks 26th overall among active coaches in both NCAA Division I and II.
 
TEXANS RANKED NO. 1 IN DEFENSE LAST SEASON
• The Texans finished the season ranked No. 1 overall in scoring defense for a second-straight year after allowing opponents to just 56.3 points per game in 2012-13. The Texans allowed just 53.3 points to finish no. 1 in 2010-11.
 
UP NEXT
• Tarleton will play its final home game of the regular-season this Wednesday, Feb. 27, hosting Eastern New Mexico for senior night. The Tarleton Athletics department will honor Tarleton's lone senior, Brian Word.
• The Texans will travel to Canyon, Texas next Saturday to play West Texas A&M in the 2012-13 regular-season finale.