Mules head to Oklahoma for first two games of three-game road swing

TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules head back out on the road for the first two of three straight road games. The Mules will be at Central Oklahoma on Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. tip then will travel east through Oklahoma to Tahlequah to take on Northeastern State on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
• The Mules are coming off an 87-71 win over Washburn on Saturday afternoon at the Multi. It was the fifth straight win for Central Missouri and the sixth victory in the last seven games.
• Central Oklahoma enters the contest at 12-7 overall and just one game back of the Mules at 7-4 in the MIAA standings. UCO dropped an 83-82 overtime game at Missouri Southern on Saturday to fall out of a second place tie with UCM.
• Northeastern State is 3-16 overall and 2-9 in league play entering the week. The RiverHawks lost at Pittsburg State 80-59 on Saturday and they've lost six straight games. They'll host SBU 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 1,668 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 16.7 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 three double-doubles this season. He recorded his third of the year in the win over Washburn with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He has nine 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 49.6 percent, three-point shooting at 39.9 percent and fourth in free throw percentage at 75.2 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (67.1 ppg). The Mules are eighth in field goal percentage allowed at 45.7 percent and 11th in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 38.4 percent.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• This will be the 14th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma with the Bronchos holding a 7-6 lead in the series.
• UCO won both meetings last year in Edmond and has won three of the last four.
• The Bronchos won 90-86 in double overtime during the regular season and 94-74 in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. UCO leads the series 3-2 in Edmond and has won two straight at Hamilton Fieldhouse.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHEASTERN STATE
• This will be just the sixth all-time meeting between the Mules and the RiverHawks with UCM holding a 3-2 edge in the series.
• The Mules won the only meeting last year, 70-61, in Tahlequah and they've won two straight in the series.
• The series is tied 1-1 in Tahlequah.

LAST MEETING WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
EDMOND, Okla. (March 1, 2016) -- Mules Basketball saw their season come to an end with a 94-74 loss to Central Oklahoma on Tuesday night in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament. UCM ends the season at 14-15 overall.
    The Bronchos (16-13) hit a three-pointer on their opening possession and never trailed in the game. They opened up a nine point lead out of the gate and the Mules couldn't recover. A three from Josh Holliday and six straight points from Jordan London pushed the UCO lead to 18 at 27-9 not even eight minutes in to the game.
    The lead grew to 21 before a Brad Woodson three-pointer made it 32-14 with 9:08 to play in the half. UCM made a small run on three from Jakob Lowrance and another from Isiah Sykes to get within 15 at the 5:46 mark, but UCO closed the half on a 14-3 run to lead 54-28 at halftime.
    The Bronchos pushed the lead to 30 in the opening five minutes of the second half. Their hot-shooting continued throughout the game as they led by as mnay as 34 at 72-38 with 13:30 to go in the game.
    The Mules were also shooting it well, but couldn't gain much traction. They got back to within 18 late, but it was just too much UCO on the night.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Jan. 21, 2016) -- The Mules built a double-digit second half lead, but used a late surge to pull away from Northeastern State for a 70-61 win on Thursday night at the NSU Events Center. The Mules have won three straight games and are now 12-5 overall and 6-5 in MIAA play.
    Both teams struggled offensively out of the gate with UCM holding a 3-2 lead at the first media timeout. By the second media timeout the Mules held a 13-12 lead after a three-pointer from Tony Cochran. The RiverHawks (4-12, 3-9 MIAA)regained the lead at 17-15 on a layup from Montre' Williams only to see Spencer Reaves tie the game with one of his own.
    NSU led 22-20 with 4:48 to play in the half after a three-pointer from Williams, but five straight foul shots gave the Mules the lead and sparked a 9-0 run that gave UCM a 29-22 halftime edge.
    The Mules opened the second half with a 12-6 run that gave them their largest lead of the night at 41-28 with 16:09 to play in the game. UCM, however, would go the next five minutes without a point. By the time Tereke Eckwood scored a layup at the 11:40 mark, the RiverHawks were back in the game at 43-38 with 11:40 to play.
    NSU came all the way back to tie the game at 45 and then took a 48-47 lead with 8:57 to play on three Mytaa'h Crawford free throws. The lead grew to three on a pair of foul shots from Dakota Caudill, but a three-point play from Eckwood tied the game at 50-all with 6:30 to play in the game.
    The teams traded three throws on the next two possessions to tie the game at 52. D'Marnier Cunningham's layup with 5:15 to play gave UCM a 54-52 lead and two more foul shots from Eckwood made it 56-52. It sparked a 16-3 run that ended with a Reaves layup at the 48 second mark and a 68-55 UCM lead.
    The RiverHawks made a couple of threes in the final :35, but the Mules came away with their third straight win.

SCOUTING CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• The Bronchos enter the contest at 12-7 overall and 7-4 in MIAA play following an 83-82 overtime loss at Missouri Southern on Saturday. UCO sits in a tie for third place in the league standings with UNK, one game back of UCM.
• Central Oklahoma had five players in double figures in the game at MSSU, including Corbin Byford with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
• UCO is seventh in the league in scoring (76.0 ppg) and seventh in scoring defense (71.0). The Bronchos are fourth in the MIAA in field goal percentage (47.7%) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (37.8%), while ranking sixth in field goal percentage defense (43.8%) and sixth in three-point field defense (35.3).
• Josh Holliday leads a quartet of Bronchos averaging in double figures at 14.1 points per game. Byford is second on the squad averaging 11.7 points and 7.3 boards per game. Marquis Johnson (10.7 ppg) and Jake Hammond (10.6) are also averaging in double figures.
• Six players average at least 8.8 points per game for Central Oklahoma.
• In the two meetings between UCM and UCO last season, the Bronchos were plus-19 on the boards.

SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The RiverHawks enter the week at 3-16 overall and 2-9 in MIAA play following an 80-59 loss at Pittsburg State on Saturday. NSU has lost six straight games and 12 of the last 13 games.
• NSU is 14th in the league in scoring (63.4 ppg) and 12th in scoring defense (75.1). The RiverHawks are 14th in the MIAA in field goal percentage (40.4%) and three-point field goal percentage (34.4%), while ranking 14th in field goal percentage defense (48.3%) and 13th in three-point field defense (40.4).
• Montre' Williams (14.0 ppg) and Cameron Martin (10.1) are the two RiverHawks averaging in double figures. Juvon Turner averages 8.9 per contest. Turner is also second on the team with 4.5 rebounds per game.
• Braxton Williams averages 5.8 points per game and pulls down a team-high 4.8 boards per outing.
• The RiverHawks are last in the league in rebounding (29.1 rpg) and last in rebounding margin at minus-6.5.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 87, WASHBURN 71 • 1/28/17
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 28, 2017) -- Marquiez Lawrence tied his career-high with 21 points and added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and three other Mules scored in double figures as Central Missouri beat Washburn 87-71 on Saturday afternoon at the Multi. The win was the fifth straight for the Mules.
    The Mules (14-5, 8-3 MIAA) came racing out of the gates, scoring the first 10 points of the game and 17 of the first 19 to lead 17-2 with 14:25 to play in the half. The lead grew to 17 at 22-5 on buckets from Kyle Wolf and Spencer Reaves and a free throw from Brad Woodson. That's when Washburn (14-6, 6-5 MIAA) started its comeback. The Ichabods scored five straight points to pull within 12, then following a bucket from Marquiez Lawrence, they scored 13 straight to cut the lead to 24-23 with 5:35 left in the first half.
    DJ Richardson hit a three to push the UCM lead back to three only to see the lead dip back to one. Again, Richardson hit a three and the Mules led 32-28 with 3:01 to play. Javion Blake scored on a layup and Drew Pyle hit a three to give Washburn its first lead of the game at 33-32 with 1:11 left in the half, but Matt Wilkinson buried an open three and the Mules led 35-33 at halftime.
    Brady Skeens scored out of halftime to pull WU within one, but Lawrence scored on a layup and Reaves hit a three-pointer to push the UCM lead to 40-34. The Ichabods fought back and pulled to within one again, 42-41, on a pair of free throws from Skeens, but Clarence Smith and Wolf hit back-to-back threes and the Mules led 48-41 with 14:37 to play. Washburn cut the lead to five on a triple from Pyle, but Woodson hit four straight free throws to give UCM a 53-44 lead.
    The lead was seven when Lawrence made four straight free throws and Smith buried another three-pointer to push the lead to 14 at 60-46 with 10:17 to play. Later, a jumper from Reaves and two free throws from Smith gave the Mules their largest lead of the night, 65-48, with 8:50 to play. The lead never dipped below 11 the rest of the way as the Mules won their fifth straight game.
    Lawrence finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half as the Mules pulled away. Reaves finished with 19 points and eight assists, while Wolf had 16 points and six boards and Richardson chipped in 10 points.
    UCM shot 47 percent for the game (27-58) including 11 made three-pointers as they shot 37 percent (11-30) from beyond the arc. The Mules were 22-of-26 at the free throw line for 85 percent and out-rebounded Washburn 32-28. UCM had 18 assists on their 27 made baskets and turned the ball over just seven times.
    Skeens led five Ichabods in double figures with 14 points and nine rebounds. Randall Smith had 11 points, while Blake, Pyle and Isaac Clark all finished with 10. WU was 23-of-49 from the field for 47 percent. The Ichabods shot 41 percent (9-22) from three-point range and made 16-of-20 at the charity stripe for 80 percent.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 8-3 in MIAA play and alone in second place after the win over Washburn.
• UCM is 30-22 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 8-1 at home this season after the 87-71 win over Washburn and are 31-9 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 169-20 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 68-1 against non-conference opponents and 101-19 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 497-97 (.837) 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.

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 16.7 points per game. Kyle Wolf is 21st in the conference at 12.3 points per game.
• Reaves is sixth in the MIAA in field goal percentage (50.3) and eighth in free throw percentage at 82.4 percent. Reaves is also second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.1 (62 ast - 20 TO) and is ninth in assists per game at 3.3.
• Reaves is 10th in the MIAA in steals averaging 1.5 per game, while Clarence Smith is 13th with 1.2 per outing.
• Marquiez Lawrence is ninth in the league with 6.3 rebounds per game. He also ranks 10th in blocked shots, averaging 1.0 per contest.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 53-27 (.663) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 142-61 (.700) 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 1,668-951 (.637) record in 2,619 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 their three-game road swing on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at Pittsburg State. Tip-off at John Lance Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.
• UCM returns home on Saturday, Feb. 11 to host Missouri Southern at 3:30 p.m. That is Hall of Fame Day with the 2017 UCM Athletic Hall of Fame induction class being honored at halftime of the game.