The 2012 LSC Championships have invaded the city of Allen, Texas. Here’s a preview of the two games in Session 2, featuring the No. 1 seed Midwestern State and its matchup with Texas A&M-Commerce.
Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012
Quarterfinal #3 (6 pm)
(4) Incarnate Word vs. (5) Cameron
Records: Incarnate Word 16-10 overall (11-7 in LSC) / Cameron 14-10 overall (10-8 in LSC)
Regular season series: The team spilt the season series, both winning at home. Cameron beat IWU on Dec. 17 68-62 in Lawton before the Cardinals returned the favor, beating the Aggies 68-65 in overtime.
Honor Roll: (IWU) The Cardinals placed a player on both first- and second-teams of the All-LSC squad. Senior forward Chris Johnson received first-team recognition, while senior guard Shaun Umeh was on the second team. Umeh was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year. (CU) Senior guard Milton Garner not only took home first-team All-LSC honors, but was named the LSC Player of the Year.
About the Cardinals: IWU finished the regular season winning 10 of the last 13 games, including five straight to start the 2012 calendar year . . . The Cardinals are making their first LSC Tournament appearance after missing the field in last year’s debut season in the conference . . . IWU has four players averaging in double figures, led by Johnson, who leads the team in both scoring (14.0) and rebounding (7.8) . . . Shaun Umeh’s season high of 21 points came in a losing effort to Cameron.
About the Aggies: Cameron enters the tournament with a 68-61 win over West Texas A&M, ending a three-game losing streak . . . Milton Garner leads the LSC in scoring at 19.7 ppg, ranked seventh in free-throw shooting at .793 and first in 3-pointers made at 2.5 per game . . . Cameron guard Craig Foster leads the LSC with a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio . . . Garner ranks fourth in minutes played this season at 33.6 per game.
Quarterfinal #4 (8:30 p.m.)
(1) Midwestern State vs. (8) Texas A&M-Commerce
Records: Midwestern State 23-3overall (15-3 in LSC) / Texas A&M-Commerce 10-16 overall (5-13 in LSC)
Regular season series: The Mustangs swept the regular season series, beating the Lions in Commerce 65-53 on Nov. 30. MSU dusted off A&M-Commerce 69-50 on Jan. 25 in Wichita Falls. The two teams met in last year’s LSC Championship quarterfinal in Bartlesville, Okla. The Mustangs knocked off Commerce 82-67.
Honor Roll: (MSU) First-year coach Nelson Haggerty was named LSC Coach of the Year . . . Senior guard Michael Loyd was the only Mustangs player on the all-conference teams, earning a first-team selection. Senior guard Keonte Logan shared the LSC Defensive Player of the Year award with IWU’s Shaun Umeh. Senior forward David Terrell and junior guard Jamichael Rivers were honorable mention All-LSC picks. (TAMU-C) Senior guard Brad Hambrick was a second-team All-LSC pick. Senior forward Desmond King was an honorable mention.
About the Mustangs: MSU has won two of the last three LSC Championships, but missed on winning three straight last season, although the Mustangs have been to two straight Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament . . . Midwestern State enters the weekend ranked No. 6 in the NABC Division II poll . . .The Mustangs have carried a national ranking for 32 reporting periods since the start of the 2008-09 season . . . The Mustangs won 15 straight games at home at D.L Ligon Coliseum . . . The Mustangs are the highest-scoring team in the LSC, averaging 74.3 points per game . . . MSU is also leading the conference in rebounding (39.9 rpg) and blocked shots (4.0).
About the Lions: Commerce needed a three-game winning streak to end the season to qualify for the No. 8 seed in the tournament. The winning streak included consecutive road wins at ENMU in OT and Abilene Christian . . . The Lions have made seven straight LSC tournament appearances and eight of the last nine . . . Brad Hambrick enters tournament play with five straight complete games, never leaving the floor. Including an overtime win over ENMU, Hambrick has played 205 consecutive minutes on the floor . . . Sophomore Devondrick Walker was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week last week, helping the Lions advance to the tournament. He scored 17 points against ACU and then 24 against ASU.