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STORY LINES
• The Mules return home to host 15th-ranked Fort Hays State on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. This is the MIAA opener for both teams.
• Fort Hays State enters the game at No. 20 in the latest NABC Division II Poll and is 7-0 on the season following a 95-64 win over Sterling College last Saturday.
• This will be the 19th all-time meeting between UCM and Fort Hays State. The Mules lead the all-time series 10-8, including a 9-6 mark during the Kim Anderson era.
• Central Missouri was the preseason No. 3 pick in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches' and Media Polls, while the Tigers were the preseason favorite in both polls.
• The Mules lost nearly 75 percent of their scoring and 77 percent of the rebounding from last year's team. Leading returning scorer and rebounder Charles Hammork will sit out the first semester and return for the second semester.

QUICK HITS
• This is the 109th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is second all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,591 wins.
• The Mules were 22-8 a season ago, the sixth 20-win season under Kim Anderson and the 22nd in school history.
• Last season was the 10th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM, the longest active streak in the MIAA. The longest streak in league history is 11 seasons, held by Northwest Missouri from 1997-2008.
• Central Missouri finished 13-5 in MIAA play last year and captured a share of the MIAA regular season championship for the second straight season. It was the fifth conference crown under Anderson and 23rd in school history.
• UCM returns one all-MIAA performer from a season ago. Charles Hammork was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick last season after averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He was also an MIAA Tournament All-Tournament Team selection in helping the Mules to the conference tournament title. Hammork only has one semester of eligibility remaining so he will sit out first semester and rejoin the team in the second semester.
• Three of the top nine single-season scoring leaders in UCM history have come during the 11-year tenure of head coach Kim Anderson.

SERIES HISTORY VS FORT HAYS STATE
• This will be the 19th meeting all-time between Central Missouri and Fort Hays State. The Mules lead the all-time series 10-8, including a 9-6 mark during the Kim Anderson era.
• The Mules are 5-1 against FHSU all-time in Warrensburg.
• Fort Hays State has won two straight games in the series, both wins were in Hays.

LAST MEETING VS FORT HAYS STATE
• Fort Hays State came away with a 77-72 win on December 5, 2012 in Hays in the MIAA opener for both teams.
• The game had eight ties and 14 lead changes.
• UCM led 67-66 with 4:54 to play in the game, but the Tigers used a 9-2 run over the next 4:30 to grab the lead for good. FHSU ended the game on an 11-5 run.
• Reggie Stallings led UCM with 19 points on a career-high six three-pointers.
• UCM shot 45 percent from the field and made 11 of 28 three-point attempts. The Mules were 11 of 12 at the free throw line.
• The Mules had 23 assists in the game, but turned the ball over 17 times leading to 19 Tiger points. Fort Hays State out-rebounded UCM 33-30 and held a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• Fort Hays State enters the game at 7-0 overall and ranked No. 20 in the latest NABC Division II Poll. The Tigers beat Sterling College 95-64 last Saturday.
• FHSU is averaging 89.4 points per game, second best in the MIAA and they are holding opponents to 70 points per outing.
• They shoot over 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range. The Tigers are holding the opposition to 38 percent shooting from the floor and 33 percent from beyond the arc.
• FHSU is shooting 80 percent from the free throw line, tops in the MIAA.
• Fort Hays State is averaging 20 assists per game and just 10.7 turnovers per contest.
• Five Tigers are averaging in double figures. Dwayne Brunson leads the team averaging a double-double of 19.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He is fourth in the MIAA in scoring and second in rebounding.
• Craig Nicholson is averaging 15.4 points and 9.3 assists per game. Carson Konrade is averaging 13.3 points per game, while Tomislav Gabric and James Fleming chip in 10.6 and 10.1 points per contest, respectively.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 75, SE OKLAHOMA STATE 66 • 11/30/13
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The Central Missouri Mules rallied from a 20 point first half deficit to beat Southeastern Oklahoma State 75-66 on Saturday night at Bill Greehey Arena. The win improves the Mules' record to 6-1 on the season.
    The Savage Storm (4-3) came out on fire, racing to a 14-4 lead just five minutes into the game. They didn't stop there as they extended the lead to 19 at 26-7 with 8:52 left in the first half. SE Oklahoma State pushed the lead to 20 at 28-8 with 7:36 to play in the opening period.
    That's when the Mules stepped up the intensity on defense and began their comeback.  A layup and free throw from Dillon Deck started the run for UCM. A pair of free throws from SEOSU made it 30-12, but Jon Gilliam drained a three to cut the lead to 15 and the Central Missouri offense caught fire.
    Ryan Magdziarz hit back to back threes to cut the lead to single digits and Gilliam hit two more threes before halftime to pull UCM within 31-27 at the break. The Mules closed the first half on a 19-3 run.
    Central Missouri opened the second half right where the first half ended. A layup from Daylen Robinson and another three from Gilliam tied the game at 32. The Savage Storm scored four quick points to go back in front, but a 9-1 run gave the Mules the lead 41-37 with 14:10 to play in the game.
    A jumper from Urald King pulled the Savage Storm within a pair, but six straight points by the Mules pushed the lead to 47-39 at the 12:17 mark. UCM was able to push the lead to nine at 56-47, but an 11-4 run by Southeastern Oklahoma cut the lead to two at 60-58 with 3:39 on the clock.
    Central Missouri responded with a three from Gilliam and a jumper from Deck to quickly push the lead back to seven with just two and half minutes to play. A three from Quenton Threadgill cut the lead to four, but the Mules were able to ice the game from the free throw line.
    Gilliam led UCM with a career-high 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting, all six were three-pointers. Deck had a career-high 17 points and Magdziara chipped in a career-high 15.
    The Mules shot 49 percent, 25 of 51, from the field and made 10 of 21 three-pointers for 48 percent. UCM was 15 of 22 from the free throw line for 68 percent.
    King led three Savage Storm players in double figures with a game-high 20 points. Threadgill had 18 and Taylor Smaller chipped in 15.
    SEOSU was 23 of 48 from the floor for 48 percent and 8 of 17 from beyond the arc for 47 percent. They were 12 of 18 at the charity stripe for 67 percent.
    The Mules had 19 assists and forced 12 Savage Storm turnovers. UCM outscored Southeastern Oklahoma 26-12 in the paint and the Mule bench held a 29-3 advantage in scoring.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• Central Missouri is 143-63 in MIAA play during the Kim Anderson era after going 13-5 and earning a share of the MIAA regular season title last year.
• The Mules' best MIAA record under Anderson was an 18-2 mark during the 2009-10 season.
• The Mules have captured five MIAA regular season championships and four MIAA tournament titles under Kim Anderson.

MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules are 107-28 in non-conference games during the Kim Anderson era after going 1-1 at the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic last weekend.
• Central Missouri is 51-1 in the last 52 non-conference games at home.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri is 143-21 at the Multipurpose Building under Kim Anderson after beating Baker on Saturday night.
• The Mules were 13-0 at home last season and have won 16 straight games at the Multi dating back to the 2011-12 season.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 126-11 at home. Over that same time period the Mules are 51-1 against non-conference opponents at home and 75-10 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 454-88 in their 38th season playing home games at the Multi.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• UCM is 64-53 on the road during the Kim Anderson after losing at St. Mary's 81-78 in overtime last Friday.
• The Mules are 1-1 on the road this season after going 4-5 on the road last season.

THE MULES IN MIAA OPENERS
• Central Missouri is 8-3 in MIAA openers during the Kim Anderson era. The Mules lost at Fort Hays State 77-72 in last year's conference lid-lifter.
• Additionally, the Mules are 11-0 under Anderson in MIAA home openers.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules a 7-1 record for the fourth time under Kim Anderson and the first since the 2005-06 season.
• Give the Mules a 1-0 record in the MIAA for just the second time in the last four years.
• Snap a two-game losing streak to Fort Hays State and give the Mules an 11-8 lead in the all-time series.
• Give UCM three straight wins over the Tigers at home and 17 consecutive wins overall at the Multi.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Give the Mules an 6-2 overall and 0-1 MIAA record for the second straight season.
• Give UCM three straight losses to Fort Hays State for the first time in the series and the first loss to FHSU at home since the 2009-10 season.
• Snap a 16-game home court winning streak.
• Give the Mules their first loss in a conference home opener under Kim Anderson.

ANDERSON LEADING THE WAY
• Now in his 12th season leading the Mules, Central Missouri head coach Kim Anderson has compiled a career record of 250-91 (.733).
• His .731 winning percentage entering the 2013-14 season ranks seventh among all active NCAA Division II coaches.
• He has led UCM to five MIAA regular season titles, more than any other coach in school history, four 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 (249), 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 109th season of UCM basketball the Mules have compiled a 1,591-920 (.634) record in 2,511 total games.
• The Mules are the second winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 22 times in the history of the program.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season twice, both during the Kim Anderson era.
• UCM has won or shared 23 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.
• Three players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster; Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), Sanijay Watts (Germany, Dorsten) and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 193 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured three MIAA regular season titles and one tournament championship.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 139 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 550 Central Missouri student-athletes received 375 Academic Awards from the MIAA office for the 2012-13 academic year.
• 305 UCM student-athletes were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• 37 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.
• 33 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had eight student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors in their respective sports, including Brent Vogel being named the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Men's Track & Field.

MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR
• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on the new 44,000-watt 98.5 "The Bar, 1450 KOKO and online at warrensburgradio.com. All games are broadcast by 1450 KOKO/98.5 "The Bar" Sports Director, Greg Hassler.
• The Kim Anderson Show presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. airs on Monday nights at 7 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as warrensburgradio.com.
• The Central Missouri Sportspage is your weekly one-hour look at UCM athletics each Thursday night at 7 p.m. on KMOS-TV.

LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
• Live video coverage for every Central Missouri home game will be available through America One Sports. 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. Fans can access webcasts through the AmericaOneSports link on the UCM Athletics website or by going to AmericaOneSports.com

UPCOMING
• The Mules host MacMurray College on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Multi.
• Central Missouri is off for finals week before hosting Culver-Stockton on Monday night, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.