TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules resume MIAA play this Saturday, Dec. 17 as they host Southwest Baptist. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• Central Missouri is coming off an 86-59 win over MidAmerica Nazarene on Tuesday night that saw UCM shoot 70 percent in the second half.
• The Mules were picked to finish ninth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Southwest Baptist is 6-3 on the season and 1-1 in MIAA play. The Bearcats last played on Dec. 10, a 65-53 win over Northeastern State at home.
• The Bearcats were picked to finish 14th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

ON THE AIR
• The game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action.
• The game will also be webcast online through Central Missouri's Stretch Internet portal at UCMathletics.com/gamecentral. It is a pay-per-view webcast.

PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
• This is the 112th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,660 wins. One of just four NCAA-II programs with 1,600 wins.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).

MULE FEED
• The Mules return one All-MIAA player from a season ago, junior guard Spencer Reaves, who earned honorable mention all-conference accolades after averaging 12.3 points and 2.5 boards per game.
• Reaves is averaging 17.9 points per game this season, best on the team and sixth in the MIAA.
• Eleven different players scored in double figures for the Mules in 2015-16 and six of those players return to the squad this year.
• Marquiez Lawrence recorded six double-doubles last year. He was the only UCM player to record a double-double during the season.
• Eight different players have scored in double figures for the Mules this season with Spencer Reaves scoring at least 20 points in three games.
• The Mules are second in the MIAA in three-point shooting at 45.3 percent and third in free throw percentage at 77.4 percent.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 66th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist. The Mules lead the series 42-23 after splitting the season series last year
• The Mules won the first meeting 70-64 in Warrensburg on Jan. 4 with the Bearcats winning 76-70 on Feb. 13 in Bolivar.
• The Mules had won 11 straight games in the series dating back to the 2010-11 season before SBU won the second meeting last season.
• UCM has won 12 straight games at home against Southwest Baptist and the Mules lead the series 24-8 in games played in Warrensburg.

LAST MEETING WITH SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
BOLIVAR, Mo. (Feb. 13, 2016) –  The Central Missouri Mules saw their losing streak hit four as they fell 76-70 to Southwest Baptist on Saturday afternoon at the Meyer Wellness & Sports Center.
    The Bearcats (10-14, 5-13 MIAA) jumped out to an early six point lead behind some hot shooting. The Mules (13-11, 7-11 MIAA) battled back, however, to grab an 11-10 lead. SBU went back in front with a 5-0 spurt only to see the Mules go on a 9-3 run of their own to grab a 20-18 lead.
    The Bearcats continued their shooting streak knocking down a pair of threes to regain the lead. A three from D'Marnier Cunningham cut the SBU lead to one, but the Bearcats scored five straight points to lead 29-23. A pair of Jakob Lowrance free throws with just over a minute left in the half pulled UCM to within four at the break.
    A three-pointer from Kai Woodfall, one of 10 in the game for SBU, out the intermission gave the Bearcats a seven-point lead. Just as they had in the first half, the Mules clawed their way back and grabbed a 41-39 lead with 14:36 to play on a Tony Cochran three-pointer.
    The game went back and forth until an 8-0 run by SBU broke a 48-all tie. The Mules kept fighting back. Spencer Reaves hit a three to break the SBU run and pull UCM within five. The lead was five when Cunningham and Brad Woodson had back to back steals and layups to pull the Mules within 58-57 with 4:39 to play.
    The Mules regained a 61-60 lead on two foul shots from Lowrance and he hit two more for a 63-61 lead at the 3:39 mark. The Mules went cold down the stretch, however, missing their next four shots. By the time Cunningham hit a three-pointer with :25 left the Mules were down 73-68 and would get no closer. The Bearcats closed the game on a 15-7 spurt as UCM went 2-of-7 from the field over the final 3:39.
    Lowrance led three Mules in double figures with a season-high 21 points. Cunningham finished with 17 and Reaves added 10. The Mules were 22-of-49 from the field for 45 percent, but were 7-of-25 from three-point range for 28 percent. UCM was 19-of-23 at the free throw line for 83 percent.
    SBU shot 51 percent from the field, 20-of-39, and made 10-of-18 three-point attempts for 56 percent. The Bearcats were 26-of-31 at the charity stripe for 84  percent.
    Logan Hovey led four Bearcats in double figures with a game-high 22. Woodfall had 16, while Cartier Dean and Kalehl Brown chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

SCOUTING SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
• The Bearcats enter the contest at 6-3 overall and 1-1 in MIAA play. SBU beat Northeastern State 65-53 in Bolivar last Saturday.
• The Bearcats are averaging 73.1 points per game offensively on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 32.5 percent shooting from three-point range. They give up 66.4 ppg on 42 percent shooting, including just 30.2 percent from beyond the arc.
• Brian Patterson is one of two SBU players averaging in double figures scoring wise. He shoots 54.2 percent from the field and scores 13.1 points per game. He is joined by Kai Woodfall, who scores an even 10 points per game. He shoots 38.8 percent from the field, but has made 21 three-pointers this year.
• Patterson also leads the team in rebounding at 6.3 per contest. Louis Baltazar pulls down 6.2 boards per outing and chips in 7.3 points per game.
• Six players average at least 7.3 points per game for SBU.
• The Bearcats have shot 44 more free throws than their opponents and are getting to the foul line an average of nearly 27 times per game.
• Southwest Baptist leads the MIAA in rebounding at 39.3 boards per game and in rebound margin at plus-9.2

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 86, MIDAMERICA NAZARENE 59• 12/13/16
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Dec. 13, 2016) – The Mules shot 70 percent from the field in the second half and outscored MidAmerica Nazarene 49-31 in the frame to pull away for an 86-59 win on Tuesday night at the UCM Multipurpose Building. The Mules are now 6-2 on the season.
    The teams went back and forth the early minutes of the game with neither team leading by more than three points. An 11-1 run by Central Missouri put the Mules in front 17-6 with 10:25 to play in the opening period, but the Pioneers (5-5) used an 8-3 spurt of their own to pull within 20-14 at the 9:30 mark.
    The Mules pushed the lead back to 10 only to see MidAmerica rally to within five at 28-23 with 4:47 left in the half. The Mules again pushed the lead to 10, but the Pioneers pulled back to within seven late in the stanza. DJ Richardson scored on a layup near the end of the first half to give UCM a 37-28 lead at the intermission.
    The Mules quickly pushed the lead back to double digits out of the halftime break. Spencer Reaves hit a three-pointer to open the scoring and then hit a foul shot to complete a four-point play, putting UCM in front by 13. The Mules pushed the lead to 17 at 47-30 at the 17:05 mark, but the Pioneers fought back to within 12 at 53-41 with an 11-6 spurt. The Mules kept on scoring, however, as Matt Wilkinson buried four three-pointers en route to going 5-for-5 from the field in the game. The lead grew to as many as 29 in the second half as UCM cruised to the win.
    The Mules shot 60 percent for the game, going 28-of-47 from the floor, including 9-of-14 from beyond the arc for 64 percent. UCM was 21-of-26 at the free throw line. Reaves led UCM with 20 points, his fourth 20-point game of the season. He also had a game-high six rebounds.
    Wilkinson and Marquiez Lawrence each finished with 14 points and Kyle Wolf chipped in 10. It was the first double-figure scoring night of Wilkinson's career.
    Justin Randall led MidAmerica with 19 points as MNU was 22-of-48 for 46 percent shooting. He was joined in double figures by David Nelson, who had 14.
    The Mules out-rebounded the Pioneers 30-21 and forced 21 MNU turnovers which translated in to 27 points.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 1-1 in MIAA play after the loss at Northwest Missouri last Sunday evening.
• UCM is 23-20 in conference play under Doug Karleskint.
• The Mules have won or shared 24 MIAA Regular Season Championships and five MIAA Tournament titles.

MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules are 5-1 in non-conference action after the win over MidAmerica Nazarene on Dec. 13.
• UCM was 6-1 in non-conference games last season, including a 6-0 mark in regular season non-con games. They are 137-33 over the last 15 seasons.
• Central Missouri is 67-1 in the last 68 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES AT HOME
• The Mules are 2-0 at home after the 90-55 win over SW Oklahoma State last Saturday and are 26-8 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 163-19 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 66-1 against non-conference opponents and 97-18 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 491-96 (.836) in their 41st season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 1-2 on the road this season after the loss at Northwest Missouri on Dec. 11.
• UCM was 4-9 in road games last season and is 11-14 on the road under Doug Karleskint.

BATTLE ON THE BOARDS
• Southwest Baptist enters the contest as the league's top rebounding team, both in total rebounds (39.3) and in rebound margin (+9.2). The Mules are 14th in rebounding at 30.5 boards per game and seventh in rebound margin (+2.3).

BLOCK PARTY
• Senior Marquiez Lawrence blocked 32 shots last season, tied for the 10th most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
• He has seven blocks this season and is now at 39 for his career, tying him for 10th all-time at UCM with Brian Rhodes (2002-04).

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Spencer Reaves is sixth in the MIAA in scoring with an average of 17.9 points per game. Kyle Wolf is 17th in the conference at 14.1 points per game.
• Reaves is second in the MIAA in free throw percentage at 90.2 percent, while Wolf leads the league in three-point field goal percentage at 55.3. Reaves is third in 3FG% at 52.4.
• Wolf is third in FG% at 61.5, while Reaves is fifth in at 57.5
• Marquiez Lawrence is 15th in the league with 5.8 rebounds per game. He also ranks 11th in blocked shots, averaing 0.9 per contest.
• Erick Locke is 13th in the MIAA dishing out 3.3 assists per game and is fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.4.
• Clarence Smith is tied for 10th in the league in steals averaging 1.4, while Reaves is tied for 12th in steals with 1.3 per contest.

A WIN OVER SOUTHWEST BAPTIST WOULD...
• Improve the Mules' record to 7-2 on the season and 2-1 in MIAA play.
• Give UCM 13 straight home wins over the Bearcats and four straight home wins overall.
• Give the Mules a 2-1 start to MIAA play for the fifth consecutive season.

A LOSS TO SOUTHWEST BAPTIST WOULD...
• Drop the Mules 6-3 overall on the season and 1-2 in league play.
• Snap the Mules' 12-game home winning streak against the Bearcats and their three-game home winning streak overall.
• Give UCM a 1-2 start in league play for the first time since the 2011-12 season, when the Mules won a share of the MIAA regular season championship.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 45-24 (.652) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 134-58 (.698) overall mark in his seventh 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 in 2014-15.
• His 25 wins in 2014-15 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 an 89-34 (.724) 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 112th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,660-948 (.637) record in 2,608 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 three of the last four 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 15 years, 23 former UCM players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster; Donte Adams (Mexico, Conejos De Tuxtla), Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Entering the 2016 fall semester, Central Missouri has won a combined 207 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last year, UCM captured two MIAA regular season titles, three MIAA Tournament crowns and three NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 153 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships during Hughes' tenure (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 232 student-athletes named to the 2015-16 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 28 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.
• 19 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had seven student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with four of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is sixth in NCAA-II with 53 Academic All-Americans.
• Two UCM student-athletes were awarded prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships last year.

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 close out the first semester portion of their schedule with a non-conference game against Culver-Stockton on Monday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Multi following the Jennies' non-conference game against William Jewell.