TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules host Missouri Western on Monday evening, Jan. 16, at 5 p.m. The game was pushed back from its originally scheduled date of Saturday, Jan. 14 due to inclement weather.
• The Mules are coming off a 67-54 loss to No. 1 Northwest Missouri on Thursday night in Warrensburg. It was the first loss for UCM this season when holding an opponent under 70 points.
• Missouri Western enters the contest at 6-10 overall and 2-5 in MIAA play following a 66-63 win at Southwest Baptist on Thursday night.
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 18.1 points per game this season, best on the team and seventh in the MIAA. He recorded his first career double-double against Northwest Missouri with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
•
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.
• Ten 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 64th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Missouri Western. The Mules lead the series 35-28.
• The Mules won the first meeting this season, 76-59, back on Dec. 3 in St. Joseph and they've won nine of the last 10 meetings.
• UCM leads the series 20-7 in Warrensburg and the Mules have won five straight games against the Griffons at the Multi.
• The Mules are 4-1 against the Griffons under
Doug Karleskint, while the Griffons are 1-6 against UCM under Brett Weiberg.
LAST MEETING WITH MISSOURI WESTERN
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (Dec. 3, 2016) -- The Mules continued their hot-shooting as they used runs in the first and second half to pull away from Missouri Western for a 76-59 MIAA-opening win at the MWSU Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
   The Mules shot 57 percent for the game, going 27-of-47, and made 11-of-21 three-pointers for 52 percent.
   The Mules (5-1, 1-0 MIAA) jumped out to an early 12-6 lead all on three-pointers with three coming from
Spencer Reaves and one from
Clarence Smith. The Griffons (1-7, 0-2 MIAA) stayed in it with some hot shooting of their own, Joe Hamilton hit a three-pointer and TJ Evans scored a layup to pull within 12-11 at the 13:03 mark, but
Kyle Wolf scored on a layup to start a 9-2 spurt that put UCM in front 21-13 with 10:47 left in the first half.
   The Griffons got back to within four at 24-20 but Wolf buried a three and
Dushaun Rice and Smith scored on three straight fast break layups as part of a 13-0 run that gave Central Missouri a 37-20 lead with 1:53 to play. UCM went in to the intermission with a 39-25 lead.
   Missouri Western opened the second half with an 8-2 mini run to pull within eight at 41-33 with 17:27 on the clock, but the Mules responded.
Erick Locke hit a wide open three pointer and Reaves scored on a layup.
Marquiez Lawrence added a free throw and the lead was back to 14, 47-33, with 16:03 to play.
   The Griffons would get as close as nine on two separate occasions, but each time the Mules had an answer. Missouri Western got to within 51-42 with 10:19 to play, but an 11-3 spurt gave the Mules a 62-45 lead with just under eight minutes to play. The lead grew to as much as 20 as UCM rolled to its fourth straight MIAA-opening win.
   Reaves led four Mules in double figures with a game-high 22. He was 7-of-11 from the field and made four threes.
Jakob Lowrance added 13 points off the bench, while Wolf chipped in 12 and Smith had 11.
   Rice had six assists and just one turnover as UCM finished with 19 assists on 27 made baskets.
   Hamilton led MWSU with 13 points, while Cole Clearman finished with 11 and Aaron Emmanuel had 10. The Griffons shot 41 percent from the field, 19-of-46, and made 6-of-19 three-point attempts for 31 percent.
SCOUTING MISSOURI WESTERN
• The Griffons enter Monday's contest at 6-10 overall and 2-5 in MIAA play after a 66-63 win at Southwest Baptist on Thursday night.
• Missouri Western is last in the MIAA in scoring offense (63.4 ppg), but they rank fourth in scoring defense at 68.1 ppg.
• The Griffons shoot 41.7 percent from the field, but just 33.1 percent from three-point range. They allow 46.8 percent shooting overall, but hold opponents to just 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.
• Cole Clearman leads three Griffons averaging in double figures at 15.9 points per game. Aaron Emmanuel scores 11.4 per contest and TJ Evans is averaging 10.4 per outing.
• Emmanuel also leads the team in rebounding with 4.5 boards per game, while Clearman's 3.4 assists per game are tops on the roster and Emmanuel's 3.3 are second.
• Clearman's scoring average during MIAA play has dipped a bit to 12.1 per outing, but Emmanuel (12.6 ppg) and Evans (11.3 ppg) have both upped their scoring during league play.
• MWSU is minus-5.6 in rebounding, but they force almost 14 turnovers per game.
LAST TIME OUT • #1 NORTHWEST MISSOURI 67, CENTRAL MISSOURI 54• 1/12/17
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 12, 2017) -- Central Missouri battled and kept fighting back, but came up short to No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri, falling 67-54 on Thursday night at the Multipurpose Building. The Mules fall to 9-4 overall and 3-3 in MIAA play.
   The Bearcats (15-0, 7-0 MIAA) jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game and would never relinquish the lead. The Mules battled back with four quick points from
Marquiez Lawrence to pull within 7-4 at the 14:33 mark of the first half. The Bearcats pushed the lead to eight at 14-6, but a three from
Brad Woodson and a layup from
Dushaun Rice once again cut the lead to three at 14-11.
   A 9-2 spurt put Northwest Missouri in front by 10 with just over five minutes to play in the half. The lead grew to 11 with 3:37 to play, but the Mules closed the half with an 8-3 spurt to pull within 30-24 at the intermission.
   The game was back and forth in the early going of the second half before a three from Ryan Welty put Northwest in front 41-31 with 14:41 to play. A pair of free throw by
Jakob Lowrance cut the lead to eight, but an 11-0 run gave the Bearcats a 52-33 lead with 10:35 to play in the game.
   The Mules kept fighting back and pulled to within nine late at 63-54. Lawrence scored on a three-point play and
Spencer Reaves added one of his own, part of a 16-6 run by the Mules. That was as close as UCM would get though, the Bearcats outscored the Mules 4-0 over the final 3:09 of the game to win by 13.
   UCM shot a season-low 36 percent, going just 18-of-50 from the floor and making just 3-of-19 from beyond the arc. Reaves led three Mules in double figures with 15. He added a career-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. Lawrence finished with 14 points, while Woodson had 10.
   Justin Pitts led all scorers with 18 points, while Chris-Ebou Ndow had a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards. The Bearcats shot 47 percent from the field, going 23-of-49, including 42 percent from three-point range, making 11-of-26 attempts.
MULES FOLLOWING A LOSS
• The Mules are 3-1 this season in games immediately following a loss. In those four games UCM is averaging 76.3 points per game and giving up just 65.3 points.
• The Mules are 14-10 following a loss during
Doug Karleskint's three seasons at the helm.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 3-3 in MIAA play after falling to No. 1 Northwest Missouri 67-54 on Thursday night in Warrensburg.
• UCM is 25-22 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 5-1 at home this season after the 67-54 loss to Northwest Missouri and are 28-9 at home under
Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 166-20 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 68-1 against non-conference opponents and 98-19 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 494-97 (.836) 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 tied his career-high with four blocked shots against Northwest Missouri on Jan. 12.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, tied for the 10th most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
• He has 14 blocks this season and is now at 46 for his career, 10th most all-time at UCM. He is three 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 48-27 (.640) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 137-61 (.692) 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 1,663-951 (.636) record in 2,614 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 head back out on the road later in the week with games at Lincoln on Wednesday, Jan. 18 and at Lindenwood on Saturday, Jan. 21.
• UCM returns home the final week of January with games against Emporia State (Jan. 25) and Washburn (Jan. 28).
