The two best teams in the LSC, and two of the top teams in all of Division II, have been on a collision course all season long for a date in the LSC Championship final game Saturday night.
And that’s exactly where Midwestern State and Tarleton State will be, thanks to both teams winning Friday night in the semifinal round.
Midwestern State didn’t dominate Cameron, but remained in complete control from start to finish, before pulling away from the fourth-seeded Aggies 59-50 at the Allen Event Center. The win pushes the Mustangs to 25-3 on the season and sets up the LSC final game with the Texans, who blew past West Texas A&M in the first game of the session.
MSU and Tarleton have met four times in each of the last two seasons, and this game marks the third straight meeting between the two teams in the LSC Championship and the second time in three years in the final game. MSU is 5-0 all-time in LSC Championship final games.
Friday night, the Mustangs used a 9-0 start to set the tone against the Aggies, who hung around in striking distance for most of the night. MSU led 27-18 at halftime but the Aggies never could get it closer than six points despite a late flurry to rally from 14 down with six minutes left.
Cameron pulled to within 56-50 with 1:52 after a shot from Vinicius Telo. But the Aggies wouldn’t score again, missing their last four shots.
All-LSC first-team guard Michael Loyd led the Mustangs with 12 points, while Keonte Logan scored 10, thanks to 7-of-8 free-throw shooting. Logan, the co-Defensive Player of the Year also had six boards and two steals. Kevin Grayer had another solid game in the tournament, scoring nine points and had six rebounds.
Cameron’s Milton Garner, the LSC’s Player of the Year and leading scorer at 19.2 ppg, struggled for the second straight game in the tournament. The Aggies were able to get past Incarnate Word in overtime despite Garner not scoring in the first half and finishing with 13 points. But against the Mustangs with Logan, Cameron needed more from Garner, who scored just four points on 2-of-11 shooting. Craig Foster led all scorers with 15 points and Thomas Razor had 10 points.
MSU notes
· The 18 halftime points that Midwestern State held Cameron's offense to was second-lowest total for an opponent all season. MSU held two teams to 16-point halftime scores during the regular season (both wins) - Texas A&M-Commerce (1/25/12) and Central Oklahoma (2/18/12).
· The Mustangs hit 6 first-half 3-pointers, which are as many, or more than, they made in 13-of-27 games prior.
· The 11-of-22 3-pointers made by MSU matches the previous team-high set with an 11-of-22 performance against Mid-America Christian in the season-opener on 11/11/11.
· Michael Loyd hit 4 3-point shots in the contest, which ties his previous high of 4-of-5 against Science & Arts (Oklahoma) on 11/14/11.
· MSU is undefeated in neutral-site games this season at 3-0.
· Midwestern State defeated Cameron University in both regular-season matchups this season - 82-80 (at home) and 66-51 (at Cameron) - with the two teams sharing the LSC's home-and-home mid-conference turnaround, playing on 1/18/12 in Wichita Falls and then on 1/21/12 at Cameron.
· The Mustangs are 21-6 in Lone Star Conference Championship games.
· MSU is 22-0 in games when they get more rebounds than their opponent.
· Midwestern State has held its last 10 opponents under 64 points, going back to the regular season, including the 79-64 win over Eastern New Mexico in the LSC quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday.
· This is MSU's 4th trip to the finals in the last 6 years. They have made 5 appearances overall, and are 5-0 in Championship games.
Cameron Notes
• The Aggies have met with Midwestern State only once in the LSC Championships prior to tonight’s matchup – in 2009 as the Mustangs defeated Cameron, 94-65, in the quarterfinals.
• With the loss, the Aggies fall to 3-8 in the LSC Championships all-time
• Going into the game, Cameron had the fewest winning percentage of any current member of the Lone Star Conference at .300 (3-7) while MSU had the highest at .760 (19-6).
• Cameron went without a made field goal in the first 10:35 of the game, its longest drought to open a game all season.
• Milton Garner, the league’s leading scorer, was held scoreless for the first half for the second consecutive game. He finally connected on a jumper with at the 18:22 mark in the second half.
• Garner finishes the season with 489points – the most points of a Cameron player in a single season since Leslie Malone put in 524 in 2007-08.
• Garner for his career has 1,273 points, 11th all-time at Cameron.
• The Aggies held Midwestern State to only 59 points, 15 less than its 74.0 PPG average on the season.
• Craig Foster established a new career-high with 15 points, besting his former personal-best of 10 points from earlier this season.
MSU Quotes
Midwestern State Coach Nelson Haggerty:
“Tough game. The games we played in regular season were all different. Cameron played tough and fought back tonight.”
“We shot great from the three and made our free throws were great.”
“Mike kept us in the game throughout.”
Advantage inside
Midwestern State Coach Nelson Haggerty:
“We find a way to win. Fortunate to have great guys who fight for each.”
On players coming of bench
Midwestern State Coach Nelson Haggerty:
“All bench guys are ready to step up and perform. “
“I was able to get Kevin in game and he performed.”
“Our bench guys have been great all year.”
Midwestern State Guard Kevin Grayer:
“We are a deep team. At practice we go at each other constantly.”
“We all have confidence in ourselves.”
On playing Tarleton
Midwestern State Guard Michael Loyd:
“It’s a big game and a chance to host regional’s at home.”
Midwestern State Guard Kevin Grayer:
“I haven’t been here long but I learned the rivalry quick. We took every game as if it was the most important game.”
On focus on game
Midwestern State Coach Nelson Haggerty:
“I have great seniors. These guys know every team in our league has talented players and coaches.”
“Our fans have been great all year.”
On control of game
Midwestern State Coach Nelson Haggerty:
“We are more similar than different. We put our first priority on the defensive end.”
On Tournament in Allen, Texas
Midwestern State Coach Nelson Haggerty:
“Allen has been unbelievable. This is a great venue. The people have been enormous.”
Cameron Quotes
Coach Wade Alexander
“We came out and executed our defensive plan. We managed to hold them to 59 points yet on offense we couldn’t get any rhythm and make shots. We played hard and that’s all you can ask.”
“We have made the playoffs three of the last four years. These guys are re-establishing the Cameron program. They will remember the good things, getting their first tournament win. It is something the young guys will remember.”
“To hold a good team to 59 points was good. I felt if we could hold them to 70 we had a chance. If you had told me we would hold them to four points in the paint I would have said you are crazy.”
“It has been great here in Allen. The Events Center is a great atmosphere. This facility gives the impression of a college game.”
Craig Foster
“We couldn’t make any shots at all in the first half. They played good defense but we just couldn’t make any shots.”
“Coach said to stop on the screens and take the shot.
Thomas Razor
“In the first half the shots weren’t going down but in the second half it was much better. Our first tournament win (against Incarnate Word) was big. To be able to do something not done since I was young was good.”
For updates throughout the LSC Championships, follow @lonestarconf on twitter.