Mules host top-ranked Bearcats in first home action of 2017

TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules return home for the first time in 2017 on Thursday night, Jan. 12, hosting top-ranked Northwest Missouri. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• The Mules are coming off a 77-72 come from behind win at Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday afternoon. The Mules went 1-1 on their western road swing, dropping a tough 74-73 loss at Fort Hays State last Thursday before the win in Kearney on Saturday.
• Northwest Missouri is 14-0 overall on the season and 6-0 in MIAA play and ranked No. 1 in the nation in both the coaches and media polls. The Bearcats beat Pittsburg State 77-50 in their last game out last Saturday.

ON THE AIR
• The games will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action.
• The games 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 1,663 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 18.3 points per game this season, best on the team and seventh in the MIAA.
• Marquiez Lawrence recorded his first double-double of the season in the win over Culver-Stockton. The senior from Columbus, Ohio had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
• Last year, Lawrence recorded six double-doubles. He was the only UCM player to record a double-double during the season.
• Nine different players have scored in double figures for the Mules this season with Spencer Reaves scoring at least 20 points in seven games.
• The Mules are third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 49.2 percent, third three-point shooting at 40.8 percent and fourth in free throw percentage at 73.7 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (67.0 ppg). The Mules are 10th in field goal percentage allowed at 46.2 percent and 11th in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 38.3 percent.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 216th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri. The Mules lead the series 127-88. Northwest won the first meeting this season, 76-57, in Maryville on Dec. 11.
• The Bearcats have won three straight games in the series for the first time since the 2007-08 and 08-09 seasons.
• The Bearcats won in Warrensburg last year to snap a seven-game skid at the Multi. UCM leads the series 69-32 in games played in Warrensburg.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
MARYVILLE, Mo. (Dec. 11, 2016) -- Second-ranked Northwest Missouri shot 53 percent from the field and made 16 three-pointers as they beat the Mules 76-57 on Sunday evening at Bearcat Arena.
    The Mules (5-2, 1-1 MIAA) scored the first points of the game on a Marquiez Lawrence layup 90 seconds in to the game. That was the only lead of the game for UCM. Justin Pitts scored five straight points to put Northwest (9-0, 3-0 MIAA) in front for good. Lawrence scored on another layup to pull the Mules within 5-4, but six straight points put the Bearcats in front 11-4.
    The Mules got back to within 11-8 on back to back layups from Erick Locke, but Northwest Missouri went on a 19-2 run and led 30-10 with 8:09 to play in the half. An 18-12 spurt for Northwest to close out the half made it 48-22 at intermission.
    The Bearcats were cold from the field to start the second half, but the Mules couldn't put much of a dent in the lead. Northwest found its stride again midway through the frame and pushed the lead to as many as 33 before the Mules closed the game on a 17-3 run to finish at the 19-point final margin.
    Lawrence led three Mules in double figures with 13 as the Mules finished 20 of 43 from the field for 47 percent. UCM made just 3 of 15 three-point attempts for 20 percent and they Mules were 14 of 20 from the line.
    Spencer Reaves and DJ Richardson, in his first action of the season, both finished with 10 points.
    Chris-Ebou Ndow led Northwest with game-highs 27 points and seven rebounds. He was 10 of 15 from the field, including seven made three-pointers. Pitts had 17 points and six assists. The Bearcats were 28 of 53 from the field for 53 percent and made 16 of 30 from beyond the arc for 53 percent.

SCOUTING NORTHWEST MISSOURI
• The Bearcats enter the game at 14-0 overall and 6-0 in MIAA play and ranked No. 1 in the nation in both the coaches' and media polls.
• Northwest Missouri is second in the MIAA in scoring (83.1 ppg) and leads the league in scoring defense (60.5 ppg allowed), field goal percentage (54.3), three-point field goal percentage (44.5), three-point field goal percentage defense (31.6) and three-pointers made per game (10.1).
• The Bearcats are second in the league in field goal percentage defense at 41.9 percent and they lead the league with the fewest turnovers per game at just 9.8.
• Reigning MIAA Player of the Year Justin Pitts leads the Bearcats and is fifth in the MIAA in scoring at 19.4 points per game. He leads the MIAA in assists (5.6 apg) and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0).
• Chris-Ebou Ndow is second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game which is tied for 19th in the league, while Zach Schneider (10.4 ppg) and Anthony Woods (10.0) are the third and fourth Bearcats that average in double figures.
• NWMSU is plus-4.5 in rebounding and they force over 14 turnovers per game.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 77, NEBRASKA-KEARNEY 72 • 1/7/17
KEARNEY, Neb. (Jan. 7, 2017) -- Central Missouri shot 74 percent in the second half and outscored Nebraska-Kearney by 11 to rally for a 77-72 road win on Saturday afternoon. The win snaps a three-game losing streak against the Lopers and a two-game slide in Kearney.
    Nebraska-Kearney (11-4, 4-2 MIAA) got off to a fast start, scoring the first five points of the game, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage. The Mules (9-4, 3-2 MIAA) battled back to within a pair on a couple of occasions only to see the Lopers push the lead back to six or seven. The Lopers grabbed their largest lead of the game at 24-16 with 11:15 to play in the half, but the Mules went on an 8-0 run to tie the game with 6:39 in the half.
    A 15-7 near the end of the half pushed the lead back to eight, but Spencer Reaves scored one final bucket in the stanza for the Mules and they trailed 39-33 at halftime.
    The Mules opened the second half on an 8-2 run and tied the game at 41-all only to see the Lopers score five quick points to regain the lead. A 6-0 run for the Mules gave them their first lead of the night, 47-46, with 15:38 to play in the game.
    The lead changed hands on each of the next few possessions before the Mules went back in front 51-49 on a layup from Reaves with 14:02 remaining. A three-pointer from Kyle Wolf pushed the lead to four. Later, Brad Woodson's jumper gave UCM a five-point lead 56-51. The Lopers rallied to tie the game at 64, but Reaves hit a three from the top of the key to beat the shot clock and put UCM back in front for good.
    The lead grew to four, but a three-point play by Trey Lansman cut the lead to one at 68-67 with 1:32 to play. DJ Richardson's driving layup on the next possession pushed the lead back to three. A pair of free throws by Jakob Lowrance gave the Mules a five-point edge, 72-67, with :45 left. The lead was three at 73-70 when Isaiah McKay scored to pull UNK within one. Reaves hit two free throws to push the lead back to three and on the ensuing possession he rebounded a missed three by McKay. He made both free throws and gave UCM the five-point win.
    Reaves led four Mules in double figures with 20 points and also had a team-high seven rebounds and four assists. Richardson finished with a season-high 16, while Wolf and Marquiez Lawrence had 11 and 10, respectively.
    UCM was 17-of-23 from the field in the second half and shot 31-of-50, 52 percent, for the game. The Mules were just 2-of-8 from beyond the arc and finished the game 13-of-17 at the free throw line even though they didn't attempt their first free throw of the second half until the 1:56 mark.
    Lansman led UNK with a game-high 29 points. He was 9-of-14 from the field and 10-of-15 at the free throw line. McKay finished with 12 points and Yashua Trent had 11. The Lopers were 23-of-42 from the field, shooting 55 percent for the game, but just 10-of-22 in the second half. They were 6-of-16 from three-point range and 20-of-31 at the free throw line.
    The Mules out-scored UNK 52-28 in the paint and held a 34-6 advantage in bench scoring.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 3-2 in MIAA play after splitting a pair of games last week against Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney.
• UCM is 25-21 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 6-2 in non-conference action this season after the 74-66 loss at Rockhurst on Dec. 31.
• UCM was 6-1 in non-conference games last season, including a 6-0 mark in regular season non-con games. They are 138-34 over the last 15 seasons.
• Central Missouri is 68-1 in the last 69 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES AT HOME
• The Mules are 5-0 at home after the 84-68 win over Culver-Stockton on Dec. 19 and are 28-8 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 166-19 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 68-1 against non-conference opponents and 98-18 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 494-96 (.837) in their 41st season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 2-4 on the road this season after splitting a pair of road games against Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney.
• UCM was 4-9 in road games last season and is 12-16 on the road under Doug Karleskint.

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 10 blocks this season and is now at 42 for his career, 10th most all-time at UCM. He is seven blocks shy of tying Darryl Somerset (2005-07) and Matt Webb (2011-13) for eighth all-time.

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Spencer Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in scoring with an average of 18.3 points per game. Kyle Wolf is 18th in the conference at 13.0 points per game.
• Reaves is sixth in the MIAA in free throw percentage at 84.9 percent, sixth in field goal percentage (51.8) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (44.4). Wolf is third in three-point field goal percentage (48.3) and third in field goal percentage (56.6).
• Reaves also leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.9 (39 ast - 8 TO).
• Marquiez Lawrence is 13th in the league with 5.7 rebounds per game. He also ranks tied for 16th in blocked shots, averaging 0.8 per contest.
• Reaves is ninth in the MIAA in steals averaging 1.6 per game, while Clarence Smith is 15th with 1.2 per outing.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 48-26 (.649) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 137-60 (.695) 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 1,663-950 (.636) record in 2,613 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 host Missouri Western on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. at the Multi. It's Youth and School Day with area youth and school groups getting free tickets to the game. Call 660-543-4063 by Thursday to reserve your seats.
• UCM heads back out on the road next week with games at Lincoln on Wednesday, Jan. 18 and at Lindenwood on Saturday, Jan. 21.