Midwestern State’s third straight trip to the NCAA Division II Men’s Elite Eight Basketball Championship ended in the quarterfinals with a 64-63 loss to Western Washington Wednesday at the Bank of Kentucky Center in Highland Heights, Ky.

      The Mustangs memorable season, which included the South Central Regional and Lone Star Conference championship and tournament titles, ends at 29-4.

      It was all MSU early, as the Mustangs started hot to take an 11-0 lead.  WWU’s first bucket came on a layup at the 13:49 mark, before MSU built a 14-point advantage (16-2) capped off by a Darrick Thomas three-point play with 9:57 remaining in the half.

      The teams headed to intermission tied at 27 as the Vikings went on a 25-11 run to end the first period.

      In the second half, the teams went back-and-forth with seven lead changes and four tied scores.  

      WWU took a four-point advantage into the final minute of play, before Michael Loyd hit a three-pointer to bring MSU within one. 

      A pair of offensive rebounds helped the Vikings, who missed three free throws in the final 10 seconds. The Mustangs had one last opportunity with four seconds to go, but were not able to go the length of the court before time expired.

      David Terrell finished with a game-high 21 points and six rebounds, while Kevin Grayer had nine points and Loyd and Thomas each added eight for the Mustangs.

      The Vikings had four players in double figures led by Rory Blanche with 15.

      WWU (29-5) advances to the Elite Eight semifinals against Stonehill, who defeated West Liberty 91-90.