STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball is set to host former LSC rival Midwestern State on Black Friday at 4 p.m. at the EECU Center.

The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with Byron Anderson and Chris Reisman on the call. The game will also be streamed on the radio by 90.5 KTRL and available online on the Tarleton Sports Radio Network. Live Stats will be provided by Stat Broadcast. For the latest updates, content and highlights, follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram and X.

Dior Johnson was named back-to-back WAC Player and Newcomer of the Week after four-straight 29+ point scoring efforts. He is one of just two players in the WAC in the last three seasons to win back-to-back WAC Player and Newcomer of the Week Awards. He joins UVU's Dominick Nelson who did both a season ago. He is the first Texan to win multiple WAC Weekly Awards in a season. Johnson earned the Texans' first WAC Weekly Award since Lue Williams was named WAC Player of the Week on Feb. 5, 2024. He is the first Texan to win Newcomer of the Week since Devon Barnes earned the distinction on Feb. 26. He is the only Texan to win both WAC Player and Newcomer in the same week since the league started acknowledging both honors ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Johnson currently sits in third in the nation with 165 total points and is in seventh in points per game (23.6). The junior leads the WAC in both categories as well as free throws made (54) and he also ranks second in the nation. He is also ninth in the nation and second in the WAC with 50 made field goals.

Tarleton State is ranked third in the nation and leads the WAC in bench points per game. The Texans 319 bench points is second in the nation in total bench points. The Tarleton State bench has outscored their starters in five games this season, with their leading scorer coming off the bench in each. Bench points account for 58.5 percent of their points.

Cam McDowell and Leroy Kelly IV each scored in double figures for the first time in their Texan careers. McDowell posted 19 points at Rice, with all 19 coming in the second half He made seven shots from the floor, three from the free throw line and two from beyond the arc. Kelly IV scored eight in each half. In the second half he shot four-for-five from the floor. Kelly IV added a Texan season best, six steals.

Tarleton State is averaging 21.6 made free throws per game to rank 24th in the NCAA and lead the WAC. The Texans are shooting from the charity stripe at a 79.5 percent rate ranking 19th in the nation and top of the WAC. Tarleton State notched 31 freebies against Angelo State and have tallied 29+ in three games this season.

So far this season, Chris Mpaka has won 5 of the 7 tip offs to start the game. In the games he won the tip off, the Texans are 2-3, and they are 2-0 when he loses. Mpaka has not lost a tip on the road (4-0) and he has only won one of the first three at home games.

Midwestern State reached its first NCAA D2 Tournament in nine seasons with a run to the South Central Region Semis a season ago. The Mustangs were a D2 powerhouse in the 2010s reaching the NCAA D2 Tournament 8 consecutive years from 2009 to 2016. During that stretch, MSU won 6 LSC regular season title and 4 tournament crowns. MSU reached the Elite Eight in three consecutive seasons (2010-2012). 15 Mustangs got in the game against Dallas Christian, with four scoring in double figures. Head coach Jon Trilli is in his first year as a collegiate head coach, and his first with the Mustangs.

The Texans have won 9 of the last 10 against the Mustangs. Midwestern State won the first 16 meetings in the series from 1962 to 1970. The Mustangs hold a +437 point differential in the series all time. Tarleton State's biggest win differential is +30, 105-75 in Stephenville on 12/3/70. The largest win of the series is +51, MSU, Feb. 14, 1967. 37 of the 81 meetings have been decided by single digits.

Tarleton State will be back in action for their first of three matchups next week. The Texans will head to the Midwest for a date with the Cincinnati Bearcats on Monday night at 6 p.m. They will then return for back-to-back home games against Howard Payne (Dec. 3) and Cameron (OK) (Dec. 7).