TIP-OFF• The Central Missouri Mules return home for the first of their final two home games on Wednesday night against Pittsburg State. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• The Mules are 13-11 overall on the season and 7-11 in MIAA play after suffering their fourth straight defeat against Southwest Baptist on Saturday.
• Pittsburg State is 14-11 overall and 9-10 in MIAA play following a 77-61 win over Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday. The Gorillas have won two straight and three of four.
• 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.
HONORING A MISSOURI SPORTS LEGEND• Officials from the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will be on hand on Wednesday night to display the bronze bust of UCM Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, who was recently honored with the hall's Missouri Sports Legend Award.
• The bust will be on display in the lobby of the Multi during the first half of the men's game and Hughes will be recognized at halftime of the game.
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 1,653 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 71.3 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Opponents are averaging 69.0 points per game on 43 percent shooting.
• The Mules are shooting 34.9 percent from three-point range compared to 34.5 percent for the opposition.
• The Mules are 13th in the MIAA in scoring offense and third in scoring defense. They are seventh in the league in field goal percentage and third in field goal percentage defense and second in three-point field goal percentage defense.
• Eleven different players have scored in double figures for the Mules and six different players have led the team in scoring this season.
•
Marquiez Lawrence (10 points, 13 rebounds) recorded his fourth double-double of the season against Nebraska-Kearney.
•
Jakob Lowrance recorded his first career 20-point game in the loss at Southwest Baptist. He finished with 21 points on the night.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be the 113th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Pittsburg State with the Mules holding a 70-42 advantage in the series.
• The Gorillas won the first meeting this year, 80-69 back on Jan. 7 in Pittsburg to snap UCM's four-game winning streak in the series.
• The Mules have won 18 of the last 21 meetings between the two schools.
• UCM holds a 44-11 lead in games played in Warrensburg and the Mules have won 10 straight games over the Gorillas at the Multi.
LAST MEETING WITH PITTSBURG STATE• Pittsburg State shot nearly 53 percent from the field and led by as many as 21 points in an 80-69 win over UCM on Jan. 7 in Pittsburg.
• The Gorillas used a 7-0 run early in the first half to grab an 11-5 lead that they would not relinquish.
• PSU led by 21 with just under 90 seconds to play in the first half, but
Kyle Wolf hit three straight three-pointers to pull the Mules within 12 at halftime at 42-30.
•
D'Marnier Cunningham led the Mules with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Spencer Reaves had 13 points and Wolf added 12.
• Trey Starks led PSU with 19 points as four Gorillas finished in double figures.
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS• Pittsburg State is 14-11 overall and 9-10 in MIAA play after a 77-61 win over Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday afternoon. The Gorillas beat Fort Hays State 101-92 on Wednesday night and have won three of their last four games.
• Sixth-year head coach Kevin Muff has a 90-78 record leading the PSU program. He is 3-7 against Central Missouri.
• Pittsburg State is fifth in the MIAA in scoring at 77.3 points per game and ninth in scoring defense, allowing 76.2 points per contest.
• The Gorillas are third in field goal percentage (48.9), 13th in field goal percentage defense (47.9), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (39.8) and 14th in three-point field goal percentage defense (40.3).
• They are 13th in the league in rebounding at 31.7 boards per contest, but sixth in rebound margin (+1.2).
• Josiah Gustafson leads three Gorillas in double figures, scoring 16.7 points per game. He shoots 51.5 percent from the field and 49 percent from three-point range. He also leads the team in rebounding at 5.2 boards per outing.
• Trey Starks is averaging 15.8 points per game and Dakota Jones chips in 11.0 per contest.
• The Gorillas have 325 assists and 325 turnovers on the season. An average of 13.0 each per game.
LAST TIME OUT • SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 76, CENTRAL MISSOURI 70 • 2/13/16BOLIVAR, Mo. – 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.
THE MULES AT HOME• The Mules are 10-4 at home this year after the 61-51 win over Emporia State on Saturday.
• Central Missouri went 14-2 at home last season.
• Over the last 11 years, UCM is 161-17 at home, including 64-1 against non-conference opponents and 97-16 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 489-94 (.839) in their 40th season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules are 3-7 on the road this season after the loss at Southwest Baptist
• 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 sit at 7-11 in MIAA play and in 11th place in the league standings following the loss at Southwest Baptist.
• 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 180-82 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 a 14-11 overall mark and snap a season-high four-game losing streak.
• Bring UCM to 8-11 in MIAA play with three regular season games left.
• Give UCM a split in the season series with Pitt State and 11 straight wins over the Gorillas at the Multi.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop UCM to 13-12 overall and 7-12 in conference play.
• Snap the Mules' 10-game home winning streak against Pittsburg State and give the Gorillas a sweep of the season series.
• Give the Mules five straight losses for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 38-18 (.679) in his second season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 128-52 (.711) 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 1,653-942 (.637) record in 2,595 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 host Missouri Southern on Saturday, Feb. 20 in the final home game of the season. Saturday's game is the Hall of Fame Game and Senior Day. The Mules' seniors will be honored at halftime of the Jennies' game and the 2016 UCM Athletic Hall of Fame Class will be introduced at halftime of the men's game.
