Mules welcome Washburn to the Multi as MIAA standings begin to tighten up

TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules wrap up their quick two-game home stand hosting Washburn on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at the Multi.
• The Mules are coming off a 66-58 win over Emporia State on Wednesday night at the Multi. It was the fourth straight win for Central Missouri and the fifth victory in the last six games.
• Washburn enters the contest at 14-5 overall and 6-4 in MIAA play after an 76-63 win at Southwest Baptist on Thursday night.
• The Ichabods have won two straight and four of their last five games.

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 1,667 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
• Spencer Reaves is averaging 16.6 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 leads the Mules with a pair of double-doubles this season. He recorded his second of the year in the win over Missouri Western on Jan. 16. He has eight in his two seasons with UCM.
• 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 49.8 percent, three-point shooting at 40.2 percent and fourth in free throw percentage at 74.6 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (66.8 ppg). The Mules are eighth in field goal percentage allowed at 45.6 percent and 11th in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 38.2 percent.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 98th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Washburn with the Mules holding a slight 49-48 advantage.
• Washburn swept the season series last year, winning 58-56 in Warrensburg and 80-70 in Topeka.
• The Mules lead the series 26-15 in games played in Warrensburg, but Washburn has won two of the last three meetings at the Multi.

LAST MEETING WITH WASHBURN
TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 10, 2016) -- Washburn shot 52 percent for the game, including 54 percent in the second half in an 80-70 win over the Mules on Wednesday night at Lee Arena.
    The game was back and forth in the early going with neither team able to gain much of an edge. The Ichabods (13-9, 9-9 MIAA) broke a 12-all tie with six straight to lead at the 7:37 mark of the first half. The lead stretched to seven before the Mules (13-10, 7-10 MIAA) went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 24-24 with 3:17 to play in the first half.
    UCM grabbed a two point lead, 26-24, on a pair of Jakob Lowrance free throws only to see WU come right back to tie the game. Brad Woodson knocked down a pair of foul shots to put UCM back in front 28-26. Lowrance hit a three-pointer at the :46 mark to put UCM in front 31-28, but the Ichabods closed the first half on a 6-0 run to grab a 34-31 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
    The Ichabods seized control by opening the second half on a 12-2 run to lead 46-33 with 16:33 to play in the game. The lead grew to 14 by the 13:21 mark when the Mules started to creep back.
    A jumper from Woodson and a three from Lowrance cut the lead to nine, but Washburn answered right back to push the lead to 11. The Mules got back to within seven at the 6:04 mark on a pair of D'Marnier Cunningham free throws, but a three from Cameron Wiggins pushed the WU lead back to double digits. UCM could get no closer than eight the rest of the way as they dropped their third straight game.
    Lowrance led UCM with a season-high 18 points. Spencer Reaves had 17 points and Cunningham added 11 points and five assists. The Mules were 23-of-49 from the field, shooting 47 percent. They were 9-of-20 from beyond the arc for 45 percent and 15-of-20 at the foul line.
    Washburn was 26-of-50 from the field and 10-of-18 from beyond the arc for 56 percent. The Ichabods were 18-of-24 at the foul line and out-rebounded UCM 32-19. The 'Bods outscored the Mules 30-16 in the paint and 20-10 from the bench.
    Javion Blake led five Ichabods in double figures with 21 points. Wiggins had 16 while Brady Skeens had 13 and Christian Ulsaker and Randall Smith chipped in 10 apiece.

SCOUTING WASHBURN
• The Ichabods enter the contest at 14-5 overall and 6-4 in MIAA play following a 76-63 win at Southwest Baptist on Thursday night.. WU is just one game back of UCM and UCO in a three-way tie for fourth place in the league standings.
• Washburn had five players in double figures in their win at Southwest Baptist and a fifth player, Brady Skeens, finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
• WU is third in the league in scoring (80.7 ppg) and fifth in scoring defense (69.2). The Ichabods are second in the MIAA in field goal percentage (50.7%) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (39.1%), while ranking first in field goal percentage defense (39.5%) and fifth in three-point field defense (35.1).
• Brady Skeens is one of three Ichabods averaging in double figures. He averages a double-double with 13.4 points (15th in MIAA) and 10.6 rebounds (1st in MIAA) per game.
• Cameron Wiggins is averaging 12.7 points per game, while Javion Blake averages 11.4 per contest.
• Six players average at least 9.2 points per game for Washburn. Randall Smith is the sixth, averaging 9.2 per outing in addition to a team-best 4.1 assists per game.
• The Ichabods are fourth in the league in rebounding (37.5) and sixth in offensive boards (10.5). They are third in rebound margin at plus-4.4.
• In the two meetings between UCM and WU last season, the Ichabods were plus-25 on the boards.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 66, EMPORIA STATE 58 • 1/25/17
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (Jan. 21, 2017) -- The Mules shot 60 percent from the field and outscored Emporia State by nine points in the second half to come away with a 66-58 win on Wednesday night. The Mules have now won four straight games and are 13-5 overall and 7-3 in MIAA play.
    Both teams got off to a slow start with the Mules scoring the games first points, a three-pointer from Kyle Wolf, at the 16:49 mark. The Mules led 5-0 before Emporia State (10-9, 6-4 MIAA) got on the board. The Hornets grabbed their first lead of the game at 11-9 on a three-point play by Garin Vandiver with 12:17 left in the half. They pushed the lead to seven before the Mules went on a 12-4 run to regain the lead at 21-20 with 7:10 left int he opening period.
    The UCM lead grew to four at 26-22 on a three-pointer by Dushaun Rice, but the Mules went the final 5:37 of the half without a field goal and trailed 29-28 at halftime.
    The second half started the same way the first did with both teams struggling offensively. UCM grabbed a 31-29 lead at the 17:25 mark only to see ESU tie the game at the 16:07 mark. The game see-sawed back and forth through much of the half before a 5-0 run gave the Mules a 43-38 lead with 9:21 to play. Emporia State responded with a 7-2 spurt of its own to tie the game yet again at 43-all with 8:17 to play.
    The Mules responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead for good at 50-43. The Hornets fought back to within two at 57-55, but Spencer Reaves made a pair of free throws and the Mules led 59-55 with 2:22 to play. A jumper from Reaves and two free throws gave UCM a 63-55 lead with :32 to play. Jevon Taylor hit a three for the Hornets to pull them within five, but the Mules iced the game at the line to come away with the eight-point win.
    DJ Richardson led the Mules with 14 points. He was joined in double figures by Spencer Reaves' 13 and Kyle Wolf's 12 points as the Mules shot 60 percent from the field (22-37). UCM was 6-10 from beyond the arc, but struggled at the foul line, making just 16-28 attempts.
    Vandiver led ESU with 14 points, while Brandon Hall had 11 and Josh Pedersen had 10. ESU was 22-44 from the field and 8-20 from three-point range for 40 percent.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 7-3 in MIAA play and tied for second on the league standings after the 66-58 win over Emporia State on Wednesday night.
• UCM is 29-22 in conference play during the Doug Karleskint era.
• 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 7-1 at home this season after the 66-58 win over Emporia State and are 30-9 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 168-20 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 68-1 against non-conference opponents and 100-19 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 496-97 (.836) in their 41st season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 4-4 on the road this season after the win at Lindenwood on Jan. 21.
• UCM is 14-16 in road games under Doug Karleskint.

A CENTRAL MISSOURI WIN WOULD...
Give the Mules five straight wins for the first time since the Mules started last season 7-0 ... make UCM 14-5 overall and 8-3 in MIAA play ... snap a two-game losing skid against Washburn ... give the Mules a 27-15 advantage over Washburn in games played in Warrensburg and make the all-time series 50-48 in favor of UCM ... make UCM 1,668-951 all-time.

A CENTRAL MISSOURI LOSS WOULD...
Snap the Mules' four-game winning streak ... make the Mules 13-6 overall and drop them to 7-4 in MIAA play ... give Washburn three straight wins in the series ... give the Ichabods three wins in the last four games at the Multi ... tie the all-time series between Central Missouri and Washburn at 49-49 ... make UCM 1,667-952 all-time.

BLOCK PARTY
• Senior Marquiez Lawrence had one blocked shot in the win over Emporia State, giving him 19 blocks on the season.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, tied for the 10th most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
• He is now at 51 for his career, tied for sixth all-time at UCM. He is five blocks shy of fifth all-time.

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Spencer Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in scoring with an average of 16.6 points per game. Kyle Wolf is 22nd in the conference at 12.1 points per game.
• Reaves is fifth in the MIAA in field goal percentage (50.0) and eighth in free throw percentage at 82.7 percent. Reaves is also second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.2 (54 ast - 17 TO) and is 16th in assists per game at 3.0.
• Reaves is eighth in the MIAA in steals averaging 1.6 per game, while Clarence Smith is 17th with 1.2 per outing.
• Marquiez Lawrence is 10th in the league with 6.1 rebounds per game. He also ranks ninth in blocked shots, averaging 1.1 per contest.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 52-27 (.658) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 141-61 (.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 1,667-951 (.637) record in 2,618 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 out on the road for three straight games beginning on Thursday, Feb. 2 against Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
• UCM will take on Northeastern State next Saturday, Feb. 4 in Tahlequah, Okla. The game time against the RiverHawks has been moved up to 2:30 p.m. with the women's game slated to start at 12:30 p.m.