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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- The Central Missouri Mules used solid defense in the final minutes to secure a 63-59 win at Truman State on Saturday afternoon. The Mules out-scored the Bulldogs 13-4 over the final 5:27 to rally from five down and get the win.

Truman State (6-10, 3-5 MIAA) went in front 3-0 on a trey from Tom Norton at the 18:09 mark, but the Mules (12-3, 6-1 MIAA) responded with a 7-0 run to grab the lead as both teams struggled from the field early on. Back-to-back threes from Isaac Gardner tied the game at 9-all with 12:14 to play in the half, but Alex Dean scored six straight points to put the Mules back in front 15-9 with just over eight minutes in the half.

An 11-5 spurt from the Bulldogs tied the game at 20-all with 3:27 left in the half, but UCM would close the stanza on a 7-0 run to lead 27-20 at the intermission.

Out of the break, Central Missouri pushed the lead to 10 thanks in part to a three from Reggie Stallings and a dunk by Matt Webb. The Bulldogs came right back with a 12-1 run keyed by a long three from Norton to grab the lead 34-33 with 12:10 to play in the game. The Mules went back in front on a layup from Widgett Washington only to see Truman regain the lead on a Marek Bush layup.

The Mules led 45-42 with 8:17 to play when the Bulldogs went on a 13-5 run to take a 55-50 lead with 5:38 left in regulation, but that's when the Mules defense stiffened and the comeback began.

Charles Hammork hit back-to-back shots to pull the Mules within one at 55-54 and Matt Webb put UCM in front with a layup at the 4:01 mark. The Bulldogs went back in front on a turnaround jumper from Jaylon Jones at the 3:29 mark.

A pair of free throws from Hammork put the Mules back in front 58-57 with 3:08 to play and Dominique Long buried a three with 2:38 left to put the Mules up by four. A layup from Seth Jackson cut the lead to two and then Truman had two open looks from three, but they didn't fall. The Mules missed the front end of a one-and-one with 19 seconds left that could have given UCM a four point lead. 

After a Bulldog miss, Tyler Anderson was fouled and went to the line for two shots. He missed both and Lance Beckwith secured the rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to secure the win for the Mules.

Long led all scorers with 20 points and added six rebounds. Dean and Webb each had nine points and pulled down seven and four boards, respectively.

The Mules shot 45 percent from the field, 22-of-49 and they were 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. UCM was 14-of-21 at the foul line for 67 percent.

Truman State was led by Mike Carlson's 15 points, while Jackson chipped in 14 and a game-high eight rebounds. TSU was 21-of-57 from the floor for 37 percent, but made just 6-of-25 from three point range for 24 percent. The Dogs were 11-of-17 from the charity stripe for 65 percent.

The Mules out-rebounded Truman 37-32, while each team finished with 10 assists. The Mules committed 15 turnovers compared to 10 for the Bulldogs.

The Mules are back in action on Wednesday night when they host Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building. Airtime on the UCM Sports Network with Shawn Jones and Greg Hassler is set for 7:05 p.m. You can hear the game live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and www.warrensburgradio.com. 90.9 The Bridge will pick up the broadcast at tip-off. A pay-per-view student-run webcast is available through AmericaOneSports.com.

Wednesday night is the Blackout game. All fans are encouraged to wear black to the game. In addition, Wednesday night is #teamUCM night. Go to www.ucmo.edu/teamucm to learn more about how you can win prizes and have your tweets appear on the videoboard.