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.

The Mules return home next Thursday, Jan. 12 to host No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi. It's Red Out Night with fans encouraged to wear red to the game. Red rally towels will be handed out while supplies last.