WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Nov. 16, 2017)-- Mules Basketball suffered a tough loss in the 2017-18 home opener as they fell to the Cameron Aggies 77-63 in the UCM Multipurpose Building on Thursday night. With the loss, Central Missouri falls to 2-1 on the season.

How It Happened
• The Mules shot the ball decently well from the field going 22-of-53 for 41.5%, but struggled from beyond the arc making just seven shots on 29 attempts for 24.1%. The Aggies (2-1) went 26-of-51 from the floor for 51% and made two more triples than the Mules, 9-of-18, for 50%.
• The Mules and Aggies traded shots in the first half. Trailing 3-0 early, Spencer Reaves got the Mules on the board after being fouled on a drive to the lane at the 18:10 mark. The two teams went back and forth and neither team led by more than three points in the first nine minutes of action.
• With the game tied at 11-11 with 12:08 to play in the first half, the Aggies went on a 9-0 run to separate from the Mules and grab their biggest lead of the half, 20-11. The Mules responded going on a 13-4 run to tie the game back at 24-24 with less than five minutes left to play.
• Jakob Lowrance and Blake Spellman led the Mules charge with a combined 11 points between the two. Spellman got the UCM run going with a three at the 9:13 mark. Lowrance and DJ Richardson kept things rolling with back-to-back layups in transition. Spellman finished off the run with a soft no look bounce pass to Lowrance at the top of the key for a three pointer to tie the game at 24-24.
• Neither team separated from each other through most of the first half as it was a tightly fought game through the final five minutes. The Aggies took a slim two-point lead, 34-32 into the break.
• Lowrance had a solid first half for UCM scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while pulling down five rebounds in 12 minutes of action to keep the game close, but as a team the Mules were outshot 50% to 42.9%.
• The Aggies continued to shoot the ball well and opened up the second half with a 9-3 run against the Mules to jump out 43-35. Reaves kept the Mules within six with jumper in the paint with 15:11 to play in the game, but Cameron scored 21 unanswered points over the next six minutes to create separation.
• During the Aggie scoring run, the Mules produced just seven points and trailed 64-44, with 8:13 left in regulation. Three pointers by Spellman and Reaves, along with a layup by Lowrance were all the Mules managed. Tyus Momoh accounted for 10 of the Aggies 21 points, while JV Long and Bryce Elie chipped in five and four, respectively during the run.
• The Aggies held the double digit lead the rest of the way through and led by as much as 20 in the second half. The Mules never recovered from the Cameron run, as they ultimately fell 77-63.
• Both teams committed 11 turnovers on the night, but the Aggies scored 19 points off the Mules 11 turnovers while the Mules managed to score just 11. The Aggies also outscored the Mules 32-24 in the paint for the game.
 
It Was Over When…
• The Mules stayed within 10 of the Aggies, 54-44, with 10:08 left to go in the game, but part of the 21 unanswered point from the Aggies came in the form of a 10-0 run, which pushed their lead to 20 points with 8:13 left to play. Cameron led the by double digits the rest of the way forward to seal their 14 point win.
 
Mules Stat Leaders
•Lowrance poured in a game-high 20 points for UCM on 8-of-12 shooting and was just two boards shy of a double-double with eight. He was 3-of-4 from the free throw line and 1-of-3 from three point range.
• Spellman was the second-highest scorer for the Mules with 11 points. He shot 3-of-6 from the field, all of which was from behind the arc. He dished out a game-high six assists and pulled down three rebounds.
• Richardson and Clarence Smith both chipped in 10 points apiece and were the only other two UCM players to finish in double figures.
• Daniel Farris and Reaves both had a game-high two steals and Reaves added eight points on the night.
 
For the Aggies
• Tyus Momoh led the Cameron offense with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He tied the team lead in rebounds with seven, while handing out two assists and grabbing one steal.
• Tyler Williams finished the night with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. He was 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity strip.
• Zach Dumas and Bryce Elie each had 11 points, while Dumas pulled down four boards for the Aggies.
• JV Long only scored eight points for Cameron, but dished out a team-high four assists and had two steals on the night.
 
News and Notes
• The Mules loss on Thursday night ended a 34 home opening game win streak and it is the first home opening loss under Doug Karleskint.
• The Mules loss is also just their second loss to a non-conference opponent at home in the last 70 games. Prior to tonight, UCM was 68-1 against non-conference opponents in the past 13 season at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• This was the first game played between Cameron and UCM in Warrensburg. Prior to Thursday night, the two schools had met a total of five times, all at neutral sites.
• The Mules are now 34-12 in home games under Doug Karleskint.
 
Up Next
The Mules will have a day off before their next game at the Fairfield Inn Classic. They will take on in-state foe Maryville on Nov. 18. Tip-off against the Saints will be at 12 p.m. in the UCM Multipurpose Building.