Mules hit the road for two games in Oklahoma

TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules head out on the road for two games in Oklahoma this week. UCM is at Northeastern State on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. and at Central Oklahoma on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
• The Mules are 11-5 overall on the season and 5-5 in MIAA play after a 51-48 win over Lincoln on Saturday afternoon. It was the second straight win over a first place team for the Mules.
• Northeastern State enters the game at 4-11 overall and 3-8 in MIAA play having lost two straight games on the road last week.
• Central Oklahoma is 8-9 overall and 4-7 in league play after splitting a pair of road games at UNK and Fort Hays State last week. UCO will host Southwest Baptist on Thursday night before the Mules come to town.
• 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 1,651 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 74.3 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field. Opponents are averaging 68.9 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting.
• The Mules are shooting 36 percent (114-of-317) from three-point range compared to 31.4 percent (99-of-315) for the opposition.
• The Mules are 10th in the MIAA in scoring offense and third in scoring defense. They are eighth in the league in field goal percentage and third in field goal percentage defense and first in three-point field goal percentage defense.
• Ten different players have scored in double figures for the Mules and six 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 has three double-doubles on the season.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Northeastern State. The series is tied 2-2.
• The Mules won the only meeting between the two schools last year with the RiverHawks winning both games in 2013-14. NSU won the only previous meeting in Tahlequah, 72-71 during the 2013-14 season.
• This will be the 12th meeting between the Mules and Central Oklahoma with UCM holding a slight 6-5 edge.
• The teams split last season's series with the Bronchos winning in Warrensburg and the Mules winning at the MIAA Tournament.
• UCM leads the series 2-1 in games played in Edmond and won the last meeting at Hamilton Field House 72-70 during the 2013-14 season.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The Mules shot 59 percent from the field and tied a season-high with 12 made three-pointers in an 81-62 win over Northeastern State in front of a national television audience.
• Four Mules finished in double figures led by Rakeem Dickerson's game-high 21 points.
• Jordan Epps set new career-highs with 20 points and six made three-point field goals.
• TJ White recorded his third double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• The Mules outrebounded NSU 37-29, outscored them 28-22 in the paint and 44-19 in bench scoring.

LAST MEETING WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• The Mules 51 percent from the field and held off a Central Oklahoma rally to win 67-66 in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
• Kyle Wolf made a career-high seven three-pointers and led all scorers with a career-high 25 points to help lead UCM to the win. He also tied for the team lead with six rebounds. His seven made three-pointers was a new MIAA Tournament record.
• Dillon Deck added 15 points off the bench to go along with six rebounds and three blocked shots. TJ White pitched in 12 points, six rebounds and six assists.
• UCO shot 40 percent for the game, but just 6-of-20 from three-point range.
• Philip Brown, Seth Heckart and Trai Jordan scored 11 points apiece to led the Bronchos.
• The Mules struggled at the free throw line, shooting just 12-of-25 for 48 percent.

SCOUTING THE RIVERHAWKS
• Northeastern State enters the week at 4-11 overall and 3-8 in MIAA play following losses at Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney last week. The RiverHawks are 3-0 at home during conference play, but 0-8 on the road.
• Second-year head coach Jason Tinsley has a 11-31 mark during his time in Tahlequah and a 174-182 record during his 13 seasons as a head coach.
• The RiverHawks are fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense at 76.8 points per game, but 14th in scoring defense (81.7).
• They are 13th in field goal percentage (.414) and three-point field goal percentage (.324), while they rank 11th in field goal percentage defense (.464) and ninth in three-point defense (.371).
• The RiverHawks shoot 67 percent at the free throw line, while opponents have shot 149 more free throws this season.
• NSU averages 38 rebounds per game, slightly better than opponents and they force nearly 17 turnovers per game.
• Trey Mohair (13.7 ppg) and Dakota Caudill (13.5) are both averaging in double figures, while Caudill also leads the team in rebounding at 5.3 per contest and Mohair dishes out a team-best 4.3 assists per outing. He also leads the team with 25 steals this year.
• Montre' Williams averages just under 10 (9.7) points per game.

SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
• Central Oklahoma enters the week at 8-9 overall and 4-7 in MIAA play after splitting a pair of road games last week. UCO won at Nebraska-Kearney before falling at Fort Hays State. They have won three of their last four games after a three-game losing streak.
• The Bronchos are led by first-year head coach Tom Hankins.
• UCO has the MIAA's ninth-ranked scoring offense (74.5) and 10th-ranked scoring defense (76.4). They are 11th in field goal percentage (.446) and seventh in field goal percentage defense (.448). From beyond the arc they are 11th offensively (.340) and 13th defensively (.404).
• Cornell Neal leads UCO in scoring at 13.8 points per game. He is joined in double figures by Kendahl Amerson at 12.7 per contest. Garen Wright is tied for the team-lead in rebounding at 5.7 boards per outing and also averages 9.9 points per game. Trai Jordan also pulls down 5.7 rpg.
• The Bronchos are nearly even in rebounding with opponents while averaging 34.6 rpg. They shoot 68 percent at the free throw line and have attempted 27 more FTs than their opponents.
• They force 14.5 turnovers per game and average over seven steals per contest.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 51, LINCOLN 48 • 1/16/16
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – For the second straight game the Mules held one of the MIAA's top offenses 30 points below their season average. This time it was the first place Lincoln Blue Tigers, the league's top offense. UCM limited LU to 29 percent shooting in a 51-48 win on Saturday afternoon at the Multi.
    The Mules (11-5, 5-5 MIAA) shot 41 percent from the floor and held Lincoln to to just 16 first half points in the win. The Blue Tigers (11-6, 7-4 MIAA) came in to the game averaging almost 84 points per game, but the solid defensive effor by UCM limited them to just 48.
    The game was slow starting for both teams with a Jakob Lowrance layup the only bucket through the first 3:09 of the game. Lincoln grabbed a 7-4 lead behind five points from Anthony Virdure, the league's third leading scorer. A 7-0 run by the Mules gave them an 11-7 lead, but Virdure came right back with a three to pull LU within one.
    The Mules led 15-14 at the 7:17 mark when a Tereke Eckwood layup started an 8-0 run that gave UCM a 23-14 lead with 1:26 to play. Aaron Spudich made two free throws with just under a minute to play to pull the Blue Tigers within 23-16 at the break. The Mules held LU without a field goal over the final 7:17 of the first half.
    Central Missouri pushed the lead to 11 early in the second half on a three from Lowrance. The Blue Tigers didn't get their first field goal of the half until the 16:34 mark, a span of 10:43 between field goals. The Mules pushed the lead to 12 at 32-20 with 15:12 on the clock, but Lincoln began to crawl back in to the game.
    A three-point play from Richie Lewis cut the lead to nine and sparked a 14-2 run that tied the game at 34 with 9:17 to play. Lawrence's dunk at the 8:15 mark put UCM back in front and a layup from D'Marnier Cunningham pushed the lead to four. A three-pointer from Jaylon Smith and a later three from Lewis tied the game at 40 with 6:01 to play.
    Kyle Wolf made two free throws, however, and Lowrance scored on a layup to push UCM back in front by four, 44-40. Two free throws from Brett O'Neil made it a six point lead with 4:23 to play. Virdure scored on a layup and Smith made two foul shots to cut the lead to 48-46 with :49 left in regulation, but a layup from Cunningham pushed the lead to four and Spencer Reaves made one of two free throws to give UCM a 51-46 lead. Lewis scored on a layup with just over a second to play, but the Mules quickly inbounded the ball to run out the clock.
    Cunningham and Lowrance led the Mules with 15 points each with Lowrance adding six boards. Lawrence had eight and five rebounds off the bench.
    UCM shot 19-of-46 from the field for 41 percent, but made just 2-of-15 three-point attempts for 13 percent. UCM was 11-of-14 at the foul line for 78 percent.
    Lewis and Virdure led Lincoln with 13 points apiece. Lewis also added a game-high nine boards. The Blue Tigers were 5-of-26 from three-point range for 19 percent and 11-of-18 at the foul line for 61 percent.

THE MULES AT HOME
• The Mules are 9-3 at home this year after the 51-48 win over Lincoln on Saturday.
• Central Missouri went 14-2 at home last season.
• Over the last 11 years, UCM is 160-16 at home, including 64-1 against non-conference opponents and 96-15 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 488-93 (.840) in their 40th season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 2-2 on the road this season after dropping a pair of road contests last week at Pitt State (80-69) and Missouri Southern (100-89).
• 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 5-5 in MIAA play and in eighth place in the league standings after the win over first place Lincoln.
• 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 178-76 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.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 36-12 (.750) in his second season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 126-46 (.733) 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 BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 111th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,651-936 (.638) record in 2,587 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 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 return home next week to host Washburn on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and Emporia State on Saturday, Jan. 30.