TIP-OFF• The 21st-ranked Central Missouri Mules head out on the road for their first MIAA road test of the season on Saturday, Dec. 12 at Emporia State. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. at White Auditorium in Emporia.
• The Mules are 7-1 overall on the season and 1-1 in MIAA play after the 72-58 loss to Northwest Missouri on Saturday at the Multi.
• Emporia State enters the contest at 4-3 overall and 2-0 in league play after a 75-63 win at Fort Hays State. The Hornets beat UNK on the road as well to open MIAA play.
• The Mules were 25-7 a season ago and advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. It was the eighth 20-win season in the last 11 years and the 24th in school history.
• Central Missouri finished 14-5 in MIAA play last year and finished as the regular season runner-up.
QUICK HITS• This is the 111th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,647 wins.
• Last season was the 12th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM, an MIAA record.
• Last season was the third straight 20-win season for UCM and the 24th in program history.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).
MULE FEED• The Mules are averaging 77.5 points per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. They are limiting opponents to 66.2 points per game on 39.3 percent shooting.
• The Mules are shooting 38 percent (62-of-163) from three-point range compared to 30.6 percent (49-of-160) for the opposition.
• UCM has attempted 14 less free throws than the opponents. The Mules are averaging 20.8 free throw attempts per game. Last year, they attempted 23.5 free throws per outing.
• The Mules are ninth in the MIAA in scoring offense (77.5 ppg) and second in scoring defense (66.3 ppg). They are ninth in the league in field goal percentage (46.3) and first in field goal percentage defense (39.3) and three-point field goal percentage defense (30.6).
• Through eight games this season, 10 different players have scored in double figures and five different players have led the team in scoring.
•
Marquiez Lawrence (14 points, 10 rebounds) recorded the first double-double of the season for Central Missouri in the win over MidAmerica Nazarene. He picked up his second of the year with 11 points and a season-high 13 rebounds in the loss to Northwest Missouri.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be the 110th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Emporia State with the Mules holding a 68-41 advantage in the series.
• The Hornets beat UCM 84-78 in overtime in Warrensburg last year. The Hornets have won two straight in the series with the Mules having won nine of the last 12 meetings overall.
• The Hornets lead the series 26-22 in games played in Emporia and have won two straight, including a 95-77 win during the 2013-14 season.
LAST MEETING WITH EMPORIA STATE• The Mules led by as many as 16 and led by 10 with 2:57 to play in regulation, but couldn't close out the Hornets in an 84-78 overtime loss at the Multi on Jan. 10 of last season.
• UCM opened the game on a 9-0 run and didn't allow an Emporia State field goal until the 13:47 mark.
• UCM led by three with :20 to play in the game, but a turnover gave the Hornets a shot and they sank the game-tying three-pointer with :03 to play to force overtime.
•
Rakeem Dickerson led UCM with 22 points and five assists.
Dillon Deck had 14 points, while
Brennen Hughes finished with 12 and
Preston Brunz had 10.
• Terrence Moore led Emporia State with 38 points.
• UCM shot 55 percent from the field, but allowed the Hornets to shoot 58 percent, including 70 percent in the second half and 80 percent in overtime. The Hornets made 9-of-16 three-point attempts.
• The Mules out-rebounded Emporia State 32-19 in the ballgame, but 18 UCM turnovers led to 24 Hornet points.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS• Emporia State enters the weekend at 4-3 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play. The Hornets beat Nebraska-Kearney (79-68) and Fort Hays State (75-63) on the road last weekend to open conference play.
• The Hornets have won two straight and four of their last five games. They are 1-0 at home this season.
• ESU averages 77 points per game and shoots 47.8 percent from the field. They allow 74.9 points per contest and 48.6 percent shooting.
• From three-point range they shoot 35.4 percent (45-of-127) and allow 37.3 percent (44-of-118).
• Their opponents have attempted 15 more free throws and ESU averages 24 free throw attempts per game.
• Brandon Hall leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per outing, while shooting over 52 percent from the field.
• Terrence Moore averages 13.7 per contest with Charles McKinney (11.5 ppg) and Joshua Oswald (10.3 ppg) also averaging in double figures. Oswald also leads the team in rebounding at 5.9 boards per game.
• The Hornets only average 28.3 rebounds per game and they get out-rebounded by seven boards per contest.
• ESU only turns the ball over 11 times a game and they force over 16 turnovers per contest on average.
LAST TIME OUT • NORTHWEST MISSOURI 72, CENTRAL MISSOURI 58• 12/5/15WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The 12th-ranked Mules went ice cold in the second half, making just nine shots, as they fell to Northwest Missouri 72-58 on Saturday afternoon at the Multi. The Bearcats led 35-34 at halftime, but clamped down on the Mules in the second half and out-scored them 37-24 in the frame.
   The Bearcats (4-2, 2-0 MIAA) jumped out to a 4-0 lead only to see the Mules (7-1, 1-1 MIAA) score seven straight points to grab their first and only lead of the game.
Brad Woodson's three-pointer at the 14:39 mark gave UCM a 7-4 advantage, but two free throws from D'Vante Mosby and a layup from Anthony Woods ignited a 7-0 run for Northwest Missouri and the Bearcats never trailed again.
   The Mules fought back to within one several times throughout the first half, but the Bearcats seemed to have an answer every time. A three by Conner Crooker gave NWMSU a 20-16 lead midway through the frame. The lead grew to six, but
D'Marnier Cunningham made two foul shots and
Marquiez Lawrence scored on a layup to pull UCM within 24-22 at the 6:42 mark.
   The lead grew to seven at 31-24 with four and half to play before intermission, but Cunningham scored on a layup and three-pointers from
Spencer Reaves and Woodson cut the lead to one at 35-34 at halftime.
   Northwest Missouri got off to a great start in the second half, scoring eight of the first 10 points to build a seven-point lead with 16:59 to play. The Mules pulled back to within five at 45-40 with 14:22 to play, but a 10-2 run gave the Bearcats a 55-42 lead with 9:41 to play in the game.
   The lead grew to 14 before the Mules tried to forge a rally.
Roosevelt Scott made a pair of free throws, then picked up a steal and a layup to make it 60-50 with 4:45 to play, but the Bearcats had another answer. Chris-Ebou Ndow made two free throws and Crooker hit back-to-back threes to make it an 18 point lead and effectively ice the game.
   Cunningham led UCM in scoring with 18 points, while Scott had 13 and Lawrence finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds to go with four blocks. The Mules shot 40 percent for the game, but just 32 percent in the second half. UCM was 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, but did not make a three in the second half going 0-for-6.
   UCM was out-rebounded in the contest 45-29, leading to 18 second chance points for the Bearcats.
   The Bearcats were led in scoring by Crooker's 25 points. Justin Pitts and Woods both finished with 12 points each as NWMSU shot 40 percent from the field and made 9-of-25 three-pointers for 36 percent. The Bearcats were 17-of-23 at the foul line for 73 percent compared to 10-of-15 for 67 percent by the Mules.
THE MULES AT HOME• The Mules are 6-1 at home this year after the loss to Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
• Central Missouri went 14-2 at home last season.
• Over the last 11 years, UCM is 157-14 at home, including 64-1 against non-conference opponents and 93-13 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 485-91 in their 40th season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules are 1-0 on the road this season after the win at Missouri S&T on Nov. 21.
• UCM was 6-3 on the road last season and were one of only three teams with a winning record on the road during MIAA play.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY• The Mules are 1-1 this season after their loss to Northwest Missouri State.
• UCM finished the 2014-15 regular season 14-5 in conference action under
Doug Karleskint and second in the final league standings.
• Central Missouri is 173-72 in MIAA play over the last 13 seasons.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA Tournament titles.
MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION• The Mules are 6-0 in non-conference action after the wins over SE Oklahoma State and MidAmerica Nazarene.
• The Mules were 11-0 in regular season non-con games last season and are 132-31 over the last 13 seasons.
• Central Missouri is 64-1 in the last 65 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• Give the Mules an 8-1 overall record. The Mules would be 2-1 in MIAA play for the fourth straight season.
• Snap a two-game skid against Emporia State and give the Mules their first win in Emporia since the 2010-11 season.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop the Mules to 7-2 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play.
• Give Emporia State three straight wins in the series for the first time since 2002-03 and 03-04 seasons when they won four straight.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 32-8 (.800) in his second season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 122-42 (.744) overall mark in his sixth season as a head coach.
• He became the first Mules' head coach to start his first season at UCM 7-0 when he accomplished the mark last season.
• His 25 wins last year were the most by a first-year head coach in Central Missouri history.
• Karleskint became the fourth Mules' head coach to win at least 20 games in his first season.
• Before coming to UCM, he spent the previous five seasons at Arkansas Tech, including the last four as head coach. He compiled a 90-34 (.726) record with the Wonder Boys with four conference championships and four trips to the NCAA-II National Tournament, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2012.
MULES IN THE NATIONAL POLLS• The Mules dropped nine spots in this week's NABC Poll to No. 21. UCM has been ranked in 155 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules dropped 12 spots in to a tie for No. 16 in the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA. The poll is voted on by a panel of Sports Information Directors.
• The Mules dropped one spot in to a tie for third in the latest USBWA Central Region Poll. The United State Basketball Writers' Association poll is voted on by a panel of Sports Information Directors from the Central Region.
MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY• In the 111th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,647-932 (.639) record in 2,579 total games.
• The Mules are the third winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• Central Missouri is one of just four NCAA-II programs with 1,600 all-time wins.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 24 times in the history of the program, including each of the last three seasons.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season three times (2006-07, 2008-09, and 2013-14).
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.
THE NEXT LEVEL• In the past 12 years, 21 former UCM players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster; Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), Sanijay Watts (Germany, Dorsten) and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS• Entering the 2015-16 academic year, Central Missouri had won a combined 205 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured five MIAA regular season titles, and three MIAA Tournament crowns.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 151 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003, men's basketball in 2014, and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015) and 10 national championships overall.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM• Central Missouri had 218 student-athletes named to the 2014-15 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 29 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.
• 17 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had six student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with three of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is tied for sixth in NCAA-II with 49 Academic All-Americans.
MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar, and online at warrensburgradio.com. Games are broadcast by 1450 KOKO/98.5 The Bar Sports Director, Greg Hassler and Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations,
Mike Knipper.
• The
Doug Karleskint Show, presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Svc Corp., live from Traditions Restaurant airs on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. The Show is hosted by Greg Hassler and is broadcast live from Traditions Restaurant at Mules National Golf Club.
UPCOMING• The Mules will host two games next week before the semester break. Fort Hays State comes to the Multi on Thursday, Dec. 17 for a 7:30 p.m. game and then Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 3:30 p.m.
• Santa will be on hand to meet and take photos with kids during the game on Thursday, Dec. 17. Toys for Tots will also be on hand accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys. Anyone who brings a new, unwrapped toy for donation will receive free admission to the game and will also receive a free box of popcorn courtesy of UCM concessions by Sodexo.
