WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (Nov. 12, 2016) -- Spencer Reaves poured in a game-high 24 points and three Mules finished in double figures as Central Missouri pulled away from Bemidji State for an 80-65 in-region win on Saturday night at Just A Game Fieldhouse.

Reaves scored 12 of the Mules' (2-0) first 14 points as UCM raced out to an early 14-3 lead. They pushed the lead to 13 midway through the opening period before BSU (0-2) charged back. Sharif Black hit a three-pointer to pull the Beavers within seven. A free throw from Clarence Smith and three-pointer by Kyle Wolf pushed the lead back to 11 at 23-12 with 10:13 to play in the half, but BSU kept fighting back. A layup from Black ignited an 8-0 run to pull BSU within 25-22 with 4:55 to play.

Jakob Lowrance scored to halt the run, but BSU got two right back at the foul line and another layup from Black cut the UCM lead to one. Back-to-back jumpers from Erick Locke and a layup from Lowrance gave the Mules a 6-0 run to end the half and a 33-26 lead at the intermission.

Central Missouri opened the second half on a 9-4 run to open a 12-point advantage at 42-30. The Beavers were able to get back to within eight on three separate occasions, but the Mules answered every time to stretch the lead. A layup from Brett O'Neil and two free throws from Lowrance pushed the UCM lead to 19 at 66-47 with 8:06 to play in the game.

The Beavers got back to within 11 at 66-55 after an 8-0 run, but a three from Smith pushed the lead to 14 and Williams Gabriel hit a pair of foul shots to make it a 16-point lead. That ignited a 13-0 run that gave UCM a a 79-55 lead as they cruised to the win.

Reaves was 7-of-10 from the field, including five three-pointers as the Mules made 11 threes in the game and shot 51 percent from the field. Lowrance and Wolf finished with 14 points each, while Reaves and Wolf also had six rebounds apiece to lead UCM. Smith had seven points and a game-high six assists, while Locke had eight points and five assists.

Black led three Beavers in double figures with 18 as BSU shot 43 percent from the field and made 10 threes. UCM was 13-of-19 from the foul line for 68 percent while Bemidji State made 5-of-9.

The Mules are back in action next Saturday night at Arkansas-Fort Smith. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. The game has been pushed back from its originally scheduled 2 p.m. start time to accommodate the Heartland Conference volleyball tournament, which is being hosted by UAFS.