LONE STAR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS!!!

WICHITA FALLS, Texas - The No. 24 Midwestern State University Mustangs collected its third Lone Star Conference men's basketball championship as they never trailed in defeating the ninth ranked Southeastern Oklahoma State University Savage Storm 89-80 before 4,328 fans Saturday night at Gerald Stockton Court in D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

MSU (23-6) withstood two big runs by SOSU (25-4) to keep the conference championship at home.

Six Mustangs scored in double-figures led by junior Chris Davis who scored 19 points with eight rebounds.Seniors Drew Coffman, Chad Rickett and Chris Francois each tallied 14 points, as Rickett had six assists and Coffman five dimes.

Senior Eric Dawson posted his 21st double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with five assists and three blocked shots.Junior Christopher Reay had 10 points with nine boards and a block.

Southeastern was led by Jason Stampley with 22 points and seven boards, while Eric Babers collected 19 points with seven rebounds.Matt White scored 15 points with eight rebounds, as Steve Harrel added 10 points.

MSU jumped out in from the start as Coffman drained a three that started a 17-8 run in the first five-and-a half minutes, capped with a Jeremy Ford three pointer.

The Mustangs eventually built an 11-point lead midway through the first half and held a nine point 36-26 lead with 6:42 before halftime.

That's when the Savage Storm answered the bell.A White layup keyed an 11-4 run that left the game tied at 39-all with 1:42.The teams went to the half at 41-all.

MSU came out of the locker room after intermission with a 6-0 run, only to see SOSU answer that call, tying the game for the final time at 52-all with 13:53 to play on another White layup.

But Davis got a rebound and put back of a Francois miss and the Mustangs held the advantage the rest of the contest.

MSU was up by three at 68-65 with 5:24 to play when the Mustangs put the game away.

Coffman hit a jumper, followed by a Francois three to sent MSU on an 11-3 run to take a 79-68 lead with 2:16 to go

Southeastern tried to foul to get back in the contest, but MSU canned 10-of-12 free throws in the final two minutes to secure the win.

MSU shot 53 percent from the floor, hitting 30-of-57, while holding SOSU to just 47 percent from the field.SOSU hit 13-of-30 from the three-point arc, but MSU answered that call, burying 8-of-19 (42 percent) from three-ball land.MSU also hit 21-of-26 (81 percent), while Southeastern made 13-of-23 from the line.

MSU outrebounded SOSU 37-30, as both teams suffered only eight turnovers each.

MSU's Dawson was named the tournament's MVP, with Coffman and Rickett also named to the All-Tournament Team. SOSU's Babers and Stampley were also selected to the team, as was West Texas A&M's Damien Lolar and Central Oklahoma's Anthony Brown.

The Mustangs earn the Lone Star Conference's automatic bid with the triumph and will learn their draw in the NCAA Division II Tournament on Sunday night at 9:30.The selection show will be broadcast via the world-wide web at www.ncaasports.com/dii .The South Central Regional will open play next Saturday at a site announced on Sunday.

+++ MSU +++