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LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Central Missouri's
Lance Beckwith hit a pair of free throws with 3.9 seconds on the clock and UAFS' last second three was off the mark giving the Mules a 76-75 win in their final game at the Orleans Arena and the Las Vegas Challenge. The Mules scored the final six points of the game after trailing 75-70 with 1:19 to play.
The Mules (7-3) fell behind early trailing 13-8 with 13:54 to play in the first half. A pair of
Dominique Long free throws and an
Alex Dean layup sparked a 13-0 run to give UCM a 21-13 lead at the 10:26 mark. The Lions (5-5) battled back using a 10-2 run of their own to tie the game at 23-all with 8:10 to play.
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Ryan Magdziarz triple gave the Mules a 26-23 advantage, but Fort Smith out-scored the Mules 17-9 the rest of the half and led 40-35 at the intermission.
The Mules opened the second half on a 10-2 run to grab a 45-42 lead a little less than three minutes into the half. A three-pointer for UAFS tied the game at 45, but a
Matt Webb layup and two free throws from Beckwith pushed the Mule lead back to four at 49-45. Five quick points from the Lions put Arkansas-Fort Smith back in front 50-49.
The teams were trading buckets up and down the floor until a pair of Long free throws tied the game at 55 with 9:52 to play. The Lions went right back in front with a 7-0 run to lead 62-55 with 8:36 remaining in the game.
The Mules came right back with six points of their own to pull within a point at 62-61. UAFS pushed the lead back to four, but the Mules got a layup from Beckwith and a jumper from Magdziarz to tie the game at 67 with under five minutes to play. The Lions went back in front by four at 71-67 with 3:49 to play. UCM made three of four free throws on their next two possessions and pulled within a point, 71-70 with 2:48 on the clock.
Dusan Stojanovic and Xavier McClish each made a pair of free throws for UAFS to give the Lions a 75-70 lead with just 1:19 remaining in the game.
Reggie Stallings made a pair of free throws with one minute to play and after forcing a Lion turnover, Magdziarz hit a running jumper to pull the Mules within one at 75-74 with 42 seconds left.
Central Missouri forced a turnover with 11 seconds left and Beckwith brought the ball up the court for a final shot. As he drove to the bucket he was fouled with 3.9 seconds on the clock and went to the foul line for two shots. The senior calmly sank both shots giving the Mules a 76-75 lead. After a timeout from both teams, Arkansas-Fort Smith had one last shot, but Corey Copeland's three from inside halfcourt was off the mark and the Mules came away with the win.
Beckwith led the Mules with a career-high 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He also had six rebounds and five steals. Long had 12 points and six rebounds and Magdziarz had a career-high 11.
UCM was 24-of-61 from the field for 39 percent and just 2-of-14 from beyond the arc for 14 percent. The Mules were 26-of-32 from the foul line, including 15-of-16 in the second half. UCM forced 20 Lion turnovers, 13 steals, leading to a 25-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
UAFS was led by Djordje Stojanovic and McClish with 16 points apiece. Dijon Farr added 10 points for the Lions. They were 27-of-56 from the floor for 48 percent and 6-of-17 from beyond the arc for 35 percent. UAFS was 15-of-16 from the charity stripe for 94 percent.
The Mules are back in action on Wednesday, January 2 when they host Southwest Baptist at 7:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building. Airtime on the UCM Sports Network with Shawn Jones and Greg Hassler is 7:05 p.m. You can hear the game live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar as well as www.warrensburgradio.com. 90.9 The Bridge will pick up the broadcast at tip-off. A pay-per-view student-run webcast is also available through AmericaOneSports.com.
