There was definitely a bit of a hometown feel for Midwestern State's Kirsti
Degelia and Taylor Dowd Wednesday night at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, as the duo played a
key role in lift the Mustangs to a 67-53 win over Texas Woman's
University.
Degelia, a junior guard from nearby Krum High, was nearly
flawless in delivering a game-high 25 points on 6-of-8 shooting for her third
25-plus game over her last four outings.
"Kirsti swells with pride when
she plays in front of the home crowd in Denton," MSU coach Noel Johnson said.
"She really took control and was able to hit some shots just like she was in the
gym shooting alone. Kirsti has flipped the switch. This is the Kirsti that I've
told her we need to play from here on out. I'm not only proud of her heart, her
hustle and her ability but also of her leadership."
Playing in front of
a big contingent from hometown Valley View Elementary, Dowd scored all six of
her points in the second half including a big block and a rebound.
"I'm
going to have to get on her because we need that form her all the time," Johnson
joked. "Taylor was able to get in and get some minutes and just rocked
it."
The Mustangs ran out to a quick 9-2 lead. Degelia hit four free
throws after Ashley Rush bombed in a 3-pointer to key the early run.
The
Mustangs led by as many as 11 in the opening half after Degelia scored six
points in an 8-0 to push the advantage to 26-15 with 2:42 to play in the first
half.
The Pioneers rallied to within five points at the half and clawed
back to within 40-35 after sophomore Toree Mason scored four consecutive points
with 12:01 to play.
"We knew we were going to have the control the
boards," Johnson said. "They are so dynamic with the way they go to the glass
and score points off of that. They have a very good continuity offense which
gets harder to guard as the year goes along and start getting
chemistry."
The Mustangs answered with a traditional three-point play by
Lisa Hampton and Degelia splashed in her second trey of the game from the corner
to push the lead back out into double figures at 46-35.
The Mustangs
would stretch the lead to as many as 18 points late.
"Our girls came in
with the mentality they have to be consistent on the road," Johnson said. "It's
almost like we are playing better on the road than at home right
now."
Sophomore forward Andrea Carter notched her eighth double-double
of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds as the Mustangs limited the
Pioneers to five second-chance points and won the battle on the boards by 10
(42-32).
Sophomore guard Shatoia Gober added 10 points and eight
rebounds as the Mustangs were playing without starting point guard Dianna Jones,
who suffered an ankle injury in Saturday's win over Tarleton
State.
Midwestern State claimed its season-best fifth straight win to
improve to 12-3 on the season and 7-2 in league play while Texas Woman's dropped
to 5-10 and 3-6.
The Mustangs take on Cameron Wednesday night at Aggie
Gym in Lawton. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
