Mules look to get back on winning track as they open 2017 MIAA slate

TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules resume MIAA play with their first action of the new year this Thursday and Saturday. UCM will travel to Hays, Kan. on Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with Fort Hays State, before wrapping up the road trip on Saturday afternoon with a 4 p.m. game at Nebraska-Kearney.
• The Mules are coming off a 74-66 loss at Rockhurst on New Year's Eve.
• Fort Hays State enters the game at 8-4 overall and 2-2 in MIAA play following a 96-52 win over Kansas Christian on Dec. 31
• Nebraska-Kearney is 10-3 on the season and 3-1 in league play. The Lopers beat Benedictine 69-66 in their last game out on Dec. 30. They'll play Southwest Baptist on Thursday night before hosting UCM on 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 1,662 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 18.5 points per game this season, best on the team and sixth 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 six games.
• The Mules are third in the MIAA in three-point shooting at 42.2 percent, fourth in overall field goal percentage at 48.9 and six in free throw percentage at 72.3 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (65.9 ppg). The Mules are 10th in field goal percentage allowed at 45.6 percent and 11th in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 38.0 percent.

SERIES HISTORY VS. FORT HAYS STATE
• This will be the 23rd all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Fort Hays State. The Mules lead the series 12-10 with the Tigers sweeping last season's series.
• FHSU won 69-68 in Warrensburg on Dec. 17 and 81-54 on Feb. 4 in Hays.
• The Tigers lead the series 8-4 in games played in Hays and they've won four of the last five meetings at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• This will be the 10th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney with the Lopers holding a 5-4 edge.
• The Lopers swept the season series last year, beating UCM 98-95 in overtime on Dec. 19 in Warrensburg and capturing a 57-55 victory in Kearney on Feb. 6.
• UNK leads the series 3-1 in games played in Kearney and 2-1 since UNK joined the MIAA. The Lopers have won two straight games over UCM in Kearney and three straight overall.

LAST MEETING WITH FORT HAYS STATE
HAYS, Kan. (Feb. 4, 2016) – Central Missouri had no answer for the Fort Hays State three-point shooting. The Tigers were 15-of-27 from beyond the arc in their 81-54 win Thursday night.
    The loss puts the Mules at 13-8 this season and 7-8 in the MIAA.
    Jakob Lowrance led three Mules in double-figures scoring 14 points. D'Marnier Cunningham and Marquiez Lawrence each scored 12.
    The Tigers were off and rolling from their opening possession. Kenny Enoch hit a layup and FHSU never trailed for the game. With just under five minutes gone, D'Marnier Cunningham went 1-of-2 at the free throw line to tie the game at nine.
    The Mules were still within two, 17-15, halfway through the first half when the Tigers began to stretch their lead. Fort Hays outscored the Mules 16-8 the final 9:03 to take a 10-point advantage, 33-23, at halftime.
    Fort Hays came out just as hot to start the second half, maintaining a double-digit lead. The Tigers pushed that lead to 20, scoring nine points in under minute midway through the half. The Tigers continued to hit three-pointers and put the Mules away, 81-54.
    The Tigers were able to win the battle under the boards, holding a 32-29 edge in rebounding, including 10 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. They shot 52.6% for the game compared to the Mules 40.4%.
    Three Tigers reached double figures led by Rob Davis with 22 and was 6-of-12 from three. Craig Nicholson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.

LAST MEETING WITH NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
KEARNEY, Neb. (Feb. 6, 2016) – KEARNEY, Neb. – A wild game that saw 14 lead changes didn't fall the Mules way as they lost a tight battle with Nebraska-Kearney, 57-55. UCM now stands at 13-9 this season and 7-9 in the MIAA.
    The Lopers were 7-of-20 from three for the game, but hit two important ones in the final minute. UCM's last ditch effort fell short with Cunningham hitting the back of the rim with a chance to tie in the final seconds, and Lowrance missing the front end of a one-and-one with 0.8 seconds to play.
    Lowrance led three Mules in double-figures with 15 points. He also grabbed seven points. Spencer Reaves scored 13 points and Marquiez Lawrence recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
    The first half saw both teams go on runs as they traded the lead back-and-forth. The Lopers took an early 14-8 lead with both offense's struggling from the outset.
    The Mules got hot midway through the half, going on a 15-2 run and taking their first lead of the game. Reaves, Cunningham and Lowrance all hit three's during the run. Lowrance's three capped the stretch, and gave the Mules their largest lead of the game, 23-16.
    Nebraska-Kearney was able to withstand the Mules hot stretch, and went on an 8-0 spurt of their own over the final 3:21, to take a 24-23 lead at halftime.
    The two teams played even during a wild, back-and-forth second half. Neither team held more than a four-point lead, and there were six ties and 12 lead changes in the second half alone.
    Lowrance gave UCM their largest lead of the half, 51-47 with 3:09 to play, hitting his second three-pointer of the game.
    With just over two minutes to play, it appeared that Brad Woodson hit a jumper to beat the shot clock, but the call was overturned after video replay, giving UNK the ball.
    The Lopers tied the game at 51 following the reversed call, but, Reaves hit a jumper and Tereke Eckwood scored an uncontested layup off of a steal, putting UCM back up four, 55-51 with 1:04 left.
    UNK came back on their next possession to hit a three, and after a Mule miss, the Lopers connected for another triple to take a two point lead, 57-55 with under 10 seconds remaining.
    Cunningham was able to get into the lane and got off a shot with one second left, but hit iron. The Mules had one final chance when the Lopers fouled Lowrance going for a rebound with 0.8 seconds, sending the freshman to the free throw line for a one-and-one. Lowrance's first shot rimmed out and UNK came down with the rebound and held on for a 57-55 win.
    The Mules shot 43.1% for the game and 51.9% in the second half. They were 4-of-9 from three and 7-for-9 from the free throw line.
    Three Lopers scored in double-figures led by Trey Lansman's game-high 22 points. He was 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Connor Beranek scored 12 and Ethan Brozek chipped in with 11.

SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE
• The Tigers enter the game at 8-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. They beat Kansas Christian 96-52 in their last game on Dec. 31.
• Fort Hays State averages 80.9 points per game offensively (5th in MIAA) on 49.2 (3rd) percent shooting from the field and 43.1 (2nd) percent from beyond the arc. They allow 70.1 ppg (7th) on 42.8 (5th) percent shooting and just 37.5 (9th) percent from three-point range.
• Rob Davis leads the MIAA in scoring at 23.4 points per game. He shoots 59.1 percent from the field, 55.7 percent from three-point range and is 45-of-50 at the free throw line.
• Hadley Gillum is the only other Tiger averaging in double figures at 13.3 points per game, but eight players are averaging at least 5.1 points per contest.
• The Tigers are third in the league in rebounding (38.5) and their plus-7.7 rebound margin is second best.
• They average over four blocks per game as well.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• The Lopers enter the week at 10-3 overall and 3-1 in MIAA play. They beat Benedictine 69-66 their last game out back on Dec. 30. They will host Southwest Baptist on Thursday night.
• UNK is fourth in the MIAA in scoring at 81.3 ppg. They do it on 46.2 percent shooting, which ranks eighth in the league, and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc, 11th best in the MIAA.
• The Lopers allow 74.1 ppg (11th in MIAA) on 43.4 percent shooting (7th) and 38.6 percent (12th) from three-point range.
• UNK leads the MIAA in free throw shooting at 79 percent and the Lopers have attempted 69 more free throws than their opponents.
• Trey Lansman leads four players scoring in double figures at 17.2 points per game. He also averages a team-leading 8.4 rebounds per game.
• Yashua Trent (15.1 ppg), Ty Danielson (12.5) and Isaiah McKay (11.4) are also scoring in double figures.
• The Lopers are minus-2.3 in rebounding, but force 13 turnovers per game

LAST TIME OUT • ROCKHURST 74, CENTRAL MISSOURI 66• 12/31/16
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Dec. 31, 2016) – Central Missouri held Rockhurst to just eight made field goals in the second half, but the Mules couldn't overcome a 15-point second half deficit as their rally came up short in a 74-66 loss at Rockhurst on Saturday afternoon.
    The Mules (8-3) out-shot the Hawks (7-4) 50 percent to 46 percent, but Rockhurst made 11 three-pointers and the Mules struggled at the free throw line, making just 16-of-30 attempts. The Hawks on the other hand were 19-of-22 at the charity stripe.
    Rockhurst built a 15-point lead at 54-39 with 16:09 to play in the game, but Central Missouri battled back. A 13-2 run pulled the Mules within four at 56-52 with 10:02 to play in the game. The Hawks quickly pushed the lead back to eight, but the Mules again cut the lead to four and a putback layup from Kyle Wolf cut it to 68-66 with 2:11 to play, but the Mules wouldn't score again as the Hawks won by eight.
    The game was back-and-forth in the early going with the Hawks grabbing an early lead. Back-to-back three-pointers from Andrew Ellwanger pushed the lead to five. UCM got within one at 20-19 on a layup from Clarence Smith with 12:26 left in the first half, but a 7-0 run gave RU an eight-point lead midway through the opening stanza.
    The Hawks pushed the lead in to double digits on a couple of occasions only to see the Mules rally back. UCM cut the lead to five late in the first half at 40-35, but a three-pointer and a jumper from Undra Wilson closed the half for Rockhurst, giving them a 45-35 advantage. Smith had a steal late in the half and went coast-to-coast to score, but after a review it was ruled he didn't get the shot off in time and the Hawks led by 10 at the intermission.
    Marquiez Lawrence led the Mules in scoring with a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He also pulled down six rebounds. Spencer Reaves had 18 points and a team-high eight boards to go along with six assists. Wolf also finished in double figures with 11.
    UCM was 24-of-48 for the game, but made just 2-of-13 attempts from three-point range for 15 percent.
    Connor Evans led a balanced scoring attack for Rockhurst with 16 points as five Hawks in double figures. Ellwanger had 14 points, making 4-of-8 three-point attempts, while Kaleb Warner had 13 and Travis House and Malachi Nix finished with 12 and 11, respectively.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 2-1 in MIAA play after the 87-66 win over Southwest Baptist on Saturday, Dec. 17.
• UCM is 24-20 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 1-3 on the road this season after the loss at Rockhurst on New Year's Eve.
• UCM was 4-9 in road games last season and is 11-15 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 sixth in the MIAA in scoring with an average of 18.5 points per game. Kyle Wolf is 18th in the conference at 13.7 points per game.
• Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in free throw percentage at 87.3 percent, eighth in field goal percentage (52.2) and eighth in three-point field goal percentage (45.3). Wolf is third in three-point field goal percentage (51.0) and fourth in field goal percentage (58.1).
• Marquiez Lawrence is 12th in the league with 6.1 rebounds per game. He also ranks tied for 12th in blocked shots, averaging 0.9 per contest.
• Reaves is ninth in the MIAA in steals averaging 1.5 per game, while Clarence Smith is tied for 11th with 1.4 per outing.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 47-25 (.653) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 136-59 (.697) 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 1,662-949 (.637) record in 2,611 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 return home to host top-ranked Northwest Missouri State on Thursday, Jan. 12. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• UCM hosts Missouri Western on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. at the Multi.