WISCONSIN DELLS, Wisc. (Nov. 11, 2017)-- Mules Basketball got out to a fast start and led wire-to-wire over the Bemidji State Beavers as they cruised to a 76-62 win at Just A Game Fieldhouse on Saturday night. Central Missouri closed out their season opening weekend going 2-0 as they scored a combined 152 points over the two games.
How It Happened
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Spencer Reaves had a day for the Mules scoring 26 points without missing a single shot. The Mules had another solid shooting night going 23-of-48 from the field for 47.9% while limiting the Beavers (0-2) to 37% shooting.
• The Mules opened the game with a 14-0 run to grab the lead before the Beavers finally scored a point. Three pointers by Reaves,
Michael Winger and Blake Spellman help UCM get out in front early. The Mules held BSU scoreless for nearly five minutes to start the game.
• The Beavers broke the 14-0 run with a layup by Lucas Wendt at the 15:33 mark, but BSU never matched the tempo and aggression of the Mules as they committed six first half turnovers which the Mules converted to 17 points.
• With a 14-2 lead, the Mules traded buckets with the Beavers the rets of the first half, but never relinquished their double digit lead. Six different UCM players scored in the first 20 minutes, with Reaves leading the way with 18 points on 5-of-5 shooting including four made triples.
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Clarence Smith carried the momentum form his 13-point performance in the first game into game two as he scored six points in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting. He had a hard drive to the paint for layup at the 8:34 mark which started a 7-0 run for the Mules giving them a 32-15 lead with under eight minutes to play.
• The Beavers made run of their own in the final four minutes of the first half. They went on a 7-2 run in the final 4:06 to cut the Mules lead to 12, 38-26, going into halftime.
• UCM continued its strong play in the second half as they scored 38 points yet again. The team traded baskets early, but the Mules forced three turnovers in the first three minutes of the second half, which led to six points in transition. Reaves led the charge yet again scoring four of the Mules six points, while
DJ Richardson added the other two.
• Bemidji State refused to go down without a fight, cutting the Mules lead back to 14, 46-32, with a layup by Sharif Black. The Mules responded once more with a 6-0 run to grab their first 20-point lead of the game. Daniel Farris scored his first collegiate points in that run off an aggressive drive to the basket. He got his layup to fall and drew contact to go to the line for the and-1, which he made.
• One more final run help the Mules silence the Beavers hopes at a comeback. With 12:22 left to play in the game and a 57-38 lead, UCM went on an 8-0 run over a span of 2:41 to grab its largest lead of the game at 27 points.
• The Mules continued to hold their 20-plus point lead through the majority of the second half. The Beaver made one final run with 4:07 to play, outscoring the Mules 12-1, but it was too little too late as the Mules walked away with the 14 point win.
It was Over When…
• Leading by 19, 57-38, with 12:22 left in regulation was not enough for the Mules as they went on an 8-0 to lead 68-39, one the Beavers never recovered from. All eight points for the Mules came at the charity strip.
Mules Stat Leaders
• Reaves had the hot hand for the Mules racking up 26 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting, four of which were from beyond the arc. He was also a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line and tied the team lead in rebounds with four.
• Smith was the only other Mule to score in double figures with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting. He had a game-high two steals as well.
• After being in foul trouble the night before and scoring just two points, Richardson bounced back with nine points against the Beavers.
• Lowrance chipped in seven points in 18 minutes of action after scoring a career-high 26 points the night before. He was limited due to minor leg injury in the first half, but still grabbed four boards for the Mules.
• Spellman, Winger, and
Matt Wilkinson each scored six points.
For the Beavers
• Wendt led the way for BSU, scoring 19 points off the bench on 8-of-15 shooting. He also grabbed seven rebounds for the Beavers.
• Logan Bader and Black scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. They were the only other Beaver players to score in double figures. Black also had a game-high eight rebounds.
• Ja'Vionne Green, who led the Beavers in scoring a season ago, only had five points on the night, but dished out a game-high four assists.
News and Notes
• With 39 total points over the weekend, Reaves is now just 30 points shy of entering UCM's career Top 20 list for scoring and 32 points shy of eclipsing 1,000.
• Smith scored in double-figures for the second game in a row for UCM. In 30 games played last year, he had just two double-figure games.
• The Mules start the season 2-0 for the 15th year in a row. The last time the Mules lost their second game of the season was the 2001-02 season when they started 0-2.
• UCM is now 11-3 in neutral sites game under head coach
Doug Karleskint.
• The Mules are 3-0 all-time now against the Beavers.
Up Next
The Mules return home for this week to host the Fairfield Inn Classic this Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 16-18. On Thursday, Nov. 16, the Mules take on Cameron at 6 p.m. They'll have a day off before returning to action Saturday, Nov. 18, against the Maryville Saints at 12 p.m.
