Nov. 25, 2008

Arlington, Texas -

Midwestern State Game Notes

Game # Four
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON (1-2 Overall) vs. MIDWESTERN STATE (1-1 Overall)
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 6 p.m.
Texas Hall - Arlington, Texas

UT Arlington Probable Starters and Notes

F 34 - Candice Champion (6-1, SR, Waco, Texas)
Champion has started in all three games in her senior campaign... finished with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line... Champion added seven rebounds in 23 minutes of action... Champion is ranked second on the team in scoring average with 14 points per game.

G 14 - Meghan Nelson (5-7, SO, Arlington, Texas)
Nelson recorded six points and two rebounds in 26 minutes of action against the Lady Raiders on Sunday (11/23)...

G 20 - Tamara Simmons (5-7, SO, Arlington, Texas)
Simmons posted nine points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, 1-of-3 from three-point range and added one rebound versus Texas Tech.

F 32 - Shalyn Martin (5-11,SO, Arlington, Texas)
Martin notched nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from the floor, 3-of-4 from the chairty stripe and brought down six boards for the Mavericks against Texas Tech (11/23).

F 50 - Erin Dixon (5-11, SR, Pflugerville, Texas)
Dixon leads the team in scoring average with 15 points per game... recorded her third double-double of the season with a 15-point and 11-rebound performance against Texas Tech (11/23).

Scouting The Mustangs...
Midwestern State is coming off a 60-59 victory over Incarnate Word on Thursday, November 20 at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas. With the victory, the Mustangs improved their overall record to 1-1.

With 25 seconds left in the game, MSU's Andrea Buben fired a three-pointer to lift the Mustangs to a 60-59 victory over the Cardinals.

Three Mustangs finished in double-digit scoring including Cierra Thompson who posted 16 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, 10-of-12 from the free throw line and brought down nine boards in 30 minutes of playing time. Beben recorded 15 points and four rebounds while Katiya Jackson notched 10 points in the victory.

The Cardinals finished the first half shooting 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from the field to MSU's 33.3 percent (11-of-33) from the floor.

MSU finished last season with a 9-18 overall record and a 3-11 mark in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs finished tied for sixth in the LSC South.

Series History With The Mustangs...
Wednesday night marks the fifth all-time meeting between the Mavericks and the Mustangs in women's basketball history.

MSU enters the game with a 3-1 series record over UTA. The last meeting was on March 4, 1978 with the Mustangs slipping past UT Arlington by a final score of 59-54 at Wichita Falls.

The last recorded win for the Mavs was a 87-72 victory in Arlington, Texas on November 21, 1977.

Mavericks on the Road and in the Sky
The entire month of December will find the Mavs away from the confines of Texas Hall. UTA will compete in three non-conference games and participate in two tournaments. The Mavericks will go head-to-head against teams from C-USA, Big 12, Big South, Atlantic Coast, and Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Mavericks will first head to Huntington, WV, for a match-up against Conference USA foe-Marshall on Tuesday, December 2 at 7 p.m., followed by a match-up against Rice on Saturday, December 6 with tip off time set for 5:30 p.m.

UTA will then play their second Big 12 opponent-Kansas State of the season on Sunday, December 14 at the Bramlage Colliseum with game time set for 1 p.m.

The highlight of the 2008-09 season for UTA will be the two-day Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout Tournament in Nassau, Bahamas. In day one of the tournament, the Mavericks will go head-to-head against Memphis on Thursday, December 18 at 7 p.m. followed by their final game versus Winthrop or Georgia Tech on Saturday, December 20.

The Holiday Inn Select Holiday Classic in Tulsa, Oklahoma marks the end of non-conference action for the Mavs. UTA will face tournament host Tulsa on Monday, December 29 at 7 p.m. and Texas Southern on Tuesday, December 30 at 7 p.m.

Candice Champion NAMED SLC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Monday, November 17, senior Candice Champion was selected as the first women's basketball player of the week of the 2008-09 campaign.

After recording a game-high 20 points in a non-conference match-up against SMU (11-14-08), Champion led the Mavs to a huge 85-79 opening day victory at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas.

The senior foward finished shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 6-of-10 from the free throw line, to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and three steals in 36 minutes of action.

Mergerson and Green Questionable for 2008-09 season
Newcomers Veronica Mergerson and Ryan Green have yet to step on the court this season for the Mavericks, as Mergerson is suffering from a summer injurer and Green's fate is to be determined by the NCAA.

Mergerson comes from Duncanville High School where she earned all-region honors and was a first team all-district recipient.

Green, a 6-2 forward was a four-time first team all-district award winner at Crowley High School.

UP NEXT FOR THE MAVS...
The Mavs will embark on a seven-game road trip beginning with a match-up against Marshall at the Cam Henderson Center with tip off time set at 7 p.m.