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WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The 10th-ranked Mules used a 24-6 run to open the second half and pull away from Tabor for a 77-62 win on Sunday afternoon at the UCM Multipurpose Building. The Mules led 42-32 at halftime before the big run to open the second half.
With the win, the Mules run their record to 7-0 and head coach
Doug Karleskint became the first Central Missouri head coach to start his first season 7-0.
The game was back and forth early on with both teams struggling from the field early. The Bluejays (2-7) led 18-17 midway through the opening half, but the Mules went in front for good with a 14-2 run to lead 31-20 at the 5:54 mark. UCM pushed the lead to 14 with just under three minutes left in the half and went into the intermission leading by 10.
The Mules came out on fire to start the second half as they put the game out of reach early. After the team traded buckets in the first :50 of the second half UCM scored 22 of the next 26 points to lead 66-38 with 10:47 to play in the game. The Mules pushed the lead to as many as 29 at 70-41 on a dunk from
Sean O'Brien with 8:14 to play in the game as they cruised to the victory.
UCM shot 57 percent from the floor, 30-of-52 and made 9-of-20 from beyond the arc for 45 percent. The Mules shot 8-of-11 at the foul line for 72 percent. The Mules were led in scoring by
Dillon Deck's 12 points off the bench.
Brennen Hughes had 10 points as the only other Mule in double figures.
Garrett Sandbothe and
TJ White both finished with a game-high five rebounds.
The Bluejays were led in scoring by Malik Brooks' 16 points, while Andrew Thomas chipped in 10. Tabor was 20-of-54 from the field for 37 percent shooting. They were 10-of-26 from three-point range for 38 percent and 12-of-14 the charity stripe.
The Mules out-rebounded the Bluejays 31-28 and held a 36-14 advantage in points the paint and 42-20 in bench scoring.
The Mules open MIAA play on Thursday night at Fort Hays State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. The game can be heard live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler on the call.
