vs

STORY LINES
• The Central Missouri Mules host Northeastern State on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building. This is the second of three straight home games for UCM.
• The Mules are coming off a 74-64 win over Southwest Baptist last Wednesday night.
• The Mules come in at 8-3 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play after tipping off the new year with the win over the Bearcats.
• Central Missouri has won four of their last five games overall and six straight games at home.
• Northeastern State enters the contest at 10-2 overall and 3-1 in league play after going 1-1 last week. The RiverHawks beat Fort Hays State 76-61 on Thursday night before falling to Nebraska-Kearney 60-57 on Saturday. Both games were played at Jack Dobbins Fieldhouse in Tahlequah, Okla.

QUICK HITS
• Central Missouri is in its 108th season of men's basketball.
• Central Missouri is second all-time in wins in NCAA Division II with 1,571.
• The Mules are averaging 74.0 points per game and giving up 67.6 points per contest.
• Central Missouri is shooting 45 percent from the floor, but 32 percent from three-point range. The Mules give up 42 percent shooting overall and 36 percent from beyond the arc.
• In their eight wins, UCM is holding the opposition to 39 percent shooting and the Mules out-rebound their opponents by two boards per game. In their three losses, the Mules have given up 50 percent shooting and have been out-rebounded by over three boards per outing.
• The Mules are forcing 15.7 turnovers per game, while committing 13.2 turnovers of their own per contest.
• The Mules were 19-8 a season ago and captured a share of the MIAA regular season championship, the fourth under head coach Kim Anderson.
• The 2011-12 season was the ninth straight year that Central Missouri won at least 18 games, the longest active streak in the MIAA. The longest streak in MIAA history is 11 seasons, held by NW Missouri State from 1997-2008.

SERIES HISTORY
• This is the first ever meeting on the hardwood between Central Missouri and Northeastern State.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The two teams have never met.

SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The RiverHawks come into the contest at 10-2 overall and 3-1 in MIAA play after going 1-1 in a pair of home MIAA games last week.
• The loss to Nebraska-Kearney snapped a five-game winning streak for NSU.
• Northeastern State is led by 16th-year head coach Larry Gipson.  He has compiled a 255-181 record with the RiverHawks and a 323-254 overall record in his 21st season as a head coach. He is second all-time at NSU in career wins, trailing only Jack Dobbins (314 wins).
• Gipson led the RiverHawks to a national championship in the 2002-03 season with an overall mark of 32-3.
• Northeastern State comes into the game averaging 73.9 points per game, while giving up just 59.5 per contest, tops in the MIAA. The RiverHawks shoot 49 percent from the field and 42 percent from three point range while holding the opposition to 38 percent from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc.
• The RiverHawks are second in the league in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, while leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage and three-point percentage defense.
• Bryton Hobbs leads three players averaging in double figures at 16.2 points per game. Jermaine Bransford (15.4 ppg) and Ethan Anderson (11.5 ppg) also average in double figures for NSU. Bransford nearly averages a double-double with 9.2 rebounds per game to lead the team.
• As a unit, NSU out-rebounds opponents by nearly four boards per game.
• The RiverHawks are shooting 80 percent from the foul line and have attempted 56 more free throws than their opponents.
• NSU averages 14.9 assists per game compared to 10.2 turnovers per outing.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Mules held Southwest Baptist to 34 percent shooting from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc in a 74-64 win.
• Dominique Long scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting to lead to the Mules offense.
• Reggie Stallings recorded his second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• UCM shot 49 percent from the floor for the game. The Mules were 5-of-16 from three-point range and 19-of-27 from the foul line.
• The Mules held a 32-20 advantage in points in the paint, but did commit 18 turnovers leading to 20 SBU points.
• With the win, the Mules improved to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play.
• It was UCM's sixth straight win at home.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 132-59 in MIAA play during the Kim Anderson era after a 74-64 win over Southwest Baptist last Wednesday in Warrensburg.
• UCM was 15-5 in conference play last year earning a share of the MIAA regular season title, the fourth under Anderson.
• Central Missouri's best MIAA record under Anderson was an 18-2 mark in the 2009-10 season.
• The Mules have captured four MIAA regular season championships and three MIAA tournament titles under Kim Anderson.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri is 134-21 at the Multipurpose Building under Kim Anderson after the 74-64 win over Southwest Baptist last week.
• Over the last eight years, UCM is 117-11 at home. Over that same time period the Mules are 49-1 against non-conference opponents at home and 68-10 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 445-88 in their 37th season playing home games at the Multi.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 59-48 in road games during the Kim Anderson era after dropping their first road game of the season, 77-72 at Fort Hays State on December 5.
• UCM was 7-4 on the road last season.

THE MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
• The Mules are 38-18 in neutral site games during the Kim Anderson era, including 2-2 this season after splitting a pair of games at the Bearcat Classic after Thanksgiving and splitting a pair of games at the Las Vegas Challenge to close out 2012.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules an 9-3 overall record for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
• Give the Mules a 3-1 MIAA record for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
• Give UCM a win over Northeastern State in the first ever meeting between the two schools.
• Give the Mules three straight wins for the first time this season.
• Give UCM seven straight wins at home.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 8-4 overall for the third straight year.
• Give the Mules a 2-2 conference mark for the third straight season.
• Give the RiverHawks a 1-0 series lead after the first all-time meeting.
• Snap the Mules' six-game home court winning streak.

LONG TO THE LINE
• Senior forward Dominique Long is 15th in the MIAA in free throw percentage at 78.6 percent (55-of-70). Last year, Long shot 85.8 percent from the foul line, the ninth best single-season percentage in UCM history.

WEBB NEAR THE TOP IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
• Senior forward Matt Webb leads the team and is seventh in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 56.3 percent. He has made 36-of-64 shot attempts this season.

WASHINGTON DISTRIBUTING THE BALL
• Senior guard Widgett Washington leads the team and is tied for eighth in the MIAA in assists at 4.1 per game. There are nine players in the MIAA averaging 4.0 assists/game or more. Craig Nicholson of FHSU leads the league at 6.9 per game. Washington is also sixth in the league with 1.9 steals per game.

ANDERSON LEADING THE WAY
• Central Missouri head coach Kim Anderson has compiled a career record of 230-85 (.730) in his 11th season leading the Mules.
• He has led UCM to four MIAA regular season titles, more than any other coach in school history, three MIAA tournament championships, two Regional championships and two Final Four appearances.
• Anderson recorded career win No. 200 with a 65-61 win against Washburn on February 9, 2011.
• Anderson is one of only five coaches in Central Missouri history to record 100 or more career wins - Anderson (230), Tad. C. Reid (178), Earl Keth (159), Jim Wooldridge (131) and Lynn Nance (114).
• Three of the top nine single-season scoring leaders in Central Missouri history have come during the tenure of head coach Kim Anderson.

MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 108th season of UCM basketball the Mules have compiled a 1,571-914 (.632) record in 2,485 total games.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 21 times in the history of the program.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games twice, both during the Kim Anderson era.
• The Mules are the second winningest program by victories in NCAA-II.
• UCM has won or shared 22 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.

THE NEXT LEVEL
• In the Kim Anderson era, 20 former players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Seven players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster - Zack Wright (Greece, Rethimno), Sanijay Watts (Germany, USC Heidelberg), Esian Henderson (Czech Republic, Levice), Manny Richardson (ABA, Battle Creek Knights), Joel Barkers (Greece, Aris Thessolonikki), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet) and Kevin Wollbrinck (France).

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE ATHLETIC ARENA
• Following the fall 2012 season, Central Missouri has won a combined 191 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• During the 2011-12 school year UCM captured seven MIAA regular season and three tournament championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 137 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won five national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, and women's bowling in 2003) and seven national championships overall.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• The 500+ Central Missouri student-athletes received 245 Academic Awards from the MIAA office for the 2011-12 academic year.
• 195 UCM student-athletes were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• 32 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned All-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 18 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had 10 student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors, including Shawn Boss being named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Track & Field.

MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR
• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on 1450 KOKO/98.5 “The Bar” and on the Internet at www.warrensburgradio.com. 90.9 “The Bridge” will pickup the broadcast at tip-off. All games are broadcast by Senior Associate Athletic Director, Shawn Jones and 1450 KOKO/98.5 “The Bar” Sports Director, Greg Hassler.
• The Kim Anderson Mules Basketball Show, presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. will air on Monday nights at 7 p.m. on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 “The Bar” and www.warrensburgradio.com. The show runs through the regular season. There is one remaining show in the month of December on Monday the 10th.
• The Central Missouri Sportspage is your weekly one-hour look at UCM athletics each Thursday night at 7 p.m. on KMOS-TV. Senior Associate Athletic Director Shawn Jones will sit down with Mules head coach Kim Anderson to discuss the previous week's games as well as weekly spotlights of Mules basketball players. The show will return in January of 2013.

LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
• The UCM Media Network will provide live video coverage for every Central Missouri home game through a student-run webcast on AmericaOneSports.com. All home games and road MIAA games will be available on a pay-per-view basis. The cost is $8 per game, $30 for a 30-day pass or $89.95 for an all-season pass for UCM men's and women's basketball.

UP NEXT
• The Mules host Pittsburg State on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• Following Saturday's game, Central Missouri will head out on the road for two straight conference road games. The Mules take on Nebraska-Kearney on Jan. 16 and Truman State on Jan. 19.