TIP-OFF
• Central Missouri Mules Basketball will open up MIAA action this Sunday, Dec. 10, against the No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the Jennies game.
• UCM is 7-1 overall this season and winners of its last five games. The Mules last suffered a defeat back on Nov. 16, when they fell to the Cameron Aggies 77-63 in the home opener.
• The Mules were picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Northwest Missouri is 9-0 this season and already has three MIAA wins under its belt. The Bearcats three conference wins are over Northeastern State (99-56), Central Oklahoma (60-47), and Missouri Western (74-60).
• The Bearcats were picked to finish first in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and earned all 13 possible first place votes in the poll.
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 the MIAA's Blue Frame portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/. It is a pay-per-view webcast.
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
• This is the 113th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,682 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, senior guard
Spencer Reaves, who earned second team all-conference honors after averaging 17.1 points and 4.2 boards per game.
• The Mules averaged 73.1 points per game and shot 48.4 percent from the field last season. Defensively, UCM allowed 65.4 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting.
• 10 different players scored in double figures for the Mules in 2016-17 and five of those players return to the squad this year.
•
Spencer Reaves is the only returning UCM player to record a double-double during the 2016-17 season. He scored in double figures in 29 of 30 games played, including 13 20-point performances.
•
DJ Richardson is the only other returner besides Reaves who averaged double-figure points last season at 10.3 points per game.
REAVES HITS CAREER MARK AS A MULE
• In the win over Baker,
Spencer Reaves became the 20th player in Mules Basketball history to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves scored entered the game with 986 career points in a UCM uniform and needed just 14 to reach 1,000. He scored 25 to put his career total at 1,011 points, which is 20th in UCM history.
SERIES HISTORY
• The Mules and Bearcats are set to clash for the 217th overall. Northwest Missouri has won the last five meetings against UCM. Since the turn of the decade UCM is 9-6 against Northwest Missouri.
• The last meeting between the Mules and Bearcats was a season ago in the MIAA Championship in Kansas City, Mo. The Bearcats defeated the Mules 69-61 to claim the tournament title.
• UCM last defeated Northwest Missouri during the 2014-15 season with a 66-61 home victory on Jan. 17, 2015.
LAST MEETING WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 5, 2017) -- Central Missouri shot 48 percent from the field and battled to the very end, but couldn't overcome a big second half deficit, falling to No. 3 Northwest Missouri 69-61 in Sunday's MIAA Tournament Championship Game at Municipal Auditorium.
The Mules (21-9) got off to a great start, jumping out to a 9-4 advantage at the 16:01 mark. The Mules led by five at 11-6 after two Dushaun Rice free throws, but a three-pointer from Ryan Welty started a 7-0 run that gave the Bearcats (30-1) a 13-11 lead with 12:49 to play in the half.
Clarence Smith drained a three-pointer to put UCM back in front and later Kyle Wolf buried a three to give the Mules a 17-15 lead.
Justin Pitts hit a three to put the Bearcats back in front and Zach Schneider converted a four-point play to give NWMSU a 22-17 lead. The Mules pulled back to within three at 24-21 on a Smith layup, but Northwest Missouri scored seven straight points to open an eight-point lead. The lead was nine after a
DJ Richardson steal and dunk, but five straight points gave NW a 40-26 lead. Wolf scored on a putback to beat the halftime buzzer and the Mules trailed 40-28 at halftime.
The Bearcats opened the second half on a 19-8 run to lead 59-36 with 13:00 to play in the game. The lead hovered around 20 for a good chunk of the second half before three straight points from
Spencer Reaves started a 9-0 run that pulled the Mules within 65-53 with 3:01 to play. Wolf hit a late three-pointer to pull UCM within single digits, but it was the final bucket of the game and the Mules fell 69-61.
Reaves led UCM with 15 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Wolf finished with 12 points and five rebounds, while Lawrence closed out his career with 11 points and nine rebounds. UCM shot 19-40 from the field for 48 percent and 5-15 from three-point range.
The Mules were 18-22 at the foul line, but were out-rebounded 31-25, including 13 offensive boards for the Bearcats.
Pitts was the only Bearcat in double figures with 26 points, but six players scored at least seven points.
SCOUTING NORTHWEST MISSOURI
• The Bearcats finished 35-1 last season to win the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship. Northwest Missouri went 18-1 against MIAA opponents while claiming both the regular season and tournament title.
• Justin Pitts leads the Bearcats in scoring so far this season averaging 23.4 points per game on 56.7 percent shooting. He leads the team in assists per game at 5.2 and is second in three-point percentage at 47.4.
• Chris-Ebou Ndow is the second leading scoring for Northwest Missouri averaging 14.8 points per game and is pulling down a team best 6.3 rebounds per game. He is also second on the team in steals with 13 behind Pitts with 16. He leads the team in three-point percentage at 61.0.
• Joey Withus checks in as the final player averaging double-digit points for the Bearcats with 10.6 points per game. He leads the team in total blocked shots with four.
• As a team, Northwest Missouri has forced a combined 136 turnovers against its opposition, 63 of which that have been off steals.
• Overall, Northwest Missouri is averaging 80.1 points per game and limiting the opposition to 60.2 points per game. The team is shooting 50.6 percent from the floor, while the opposition is is shooting 45.1 percent from the floor.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 67, BAKER 50 • 12/5/17
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Dec. 5, 2017)--
Spencer Reaves scored a game-high 25 points and eclipsed 1,000 career points as he led Mules Basketball to a 67-50 win over NAIA opponent, Baker University on Tuesday night at the Multipurpose Building. With the win the Mules improve to 7-1 on season.
• Central Missouri shot 41.8% percent from the floor and nailed 11 triples on 25 attempts, while limiting the Wildcats to just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc and 18-of-45 shooting from the floor overall. The Mules also forced 25 Wildcats turnovers which they converted to 21 points.
• Reaves scored 10 of his 25 points in the first half. The Wildcats scored the first two points of the game, but trailed the majority of the first half. With 11:45 to play in the first, Baker kept within one of UCM 13-12, but a 10-0 run help give UCM its first double-digit lead of the game.
• Baker trailed by as much as 13 in the first half, but did not let the game get out of reach by halftime. Trailing 27-14, the Wildcats went on a 14-0 run to retake the lead over the Mules. Layups from Jesus Izquierdo and Brett Elifritz got the run started, while a jumper and three pointer both by Clae Martin got Baker within four with 4:03 to play in the half.
• The Mules retook the lead, 29-28, off a pair of made free throws by Reaves and pushed it to 31-28 off a fast break layup by Winston. Despite leading by just three going into the break, UCM managed to force 13 first half turnovers and converted it for 11 points.
• UCM came out fast on offense to start the second half and used a 18-3 run to re-establish their double-digit lead, 49-31. The Mules first nine points of the run all came on three point attempts from Reaves,
Clarence Smith, and Richardson in that order.
Blake Spellman played a key role as he assisted on five of the Mules made shots in their run and chipped in four of their 18 points.
• Baker kept things interesting with a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to under 10 one last time, 54-45, with 3:45 left to play. It was not enough though as the Mules scored 13 points in the final three minutes while limiting the Wildcats to five to secure the 17 point win at home.
• Reaves scored 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor including five made three pointers. He tied the team lead in rebounds with six and dished out four assists.
• Richardson had another solid game for UCM with 17 points. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor and had three made triples. He tallied a game-best three steals.
• Spellman was the final double-figure scorer for the Mules with 10 points, seven of which that came in the second half. He also tied the game-high in assists with four and had two steals.
MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules are 7-1 in non-conference action this season with wins over Minnesota-Duluth, Bemidji State, Maryville, East Central, Rockhurst, Newman, and Baker.
• The Mules were 8-3 in non-conference games last season, including a 6-2 mark in regular season non-con games. They are 145-36 over the last 16 seasons.
• Central Missouri is 70-2 in the last 72 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES AT HOME
• UCM is 2-1 at home in the early go around of this season after defeating Baker 67-50. UCM dropped the home opener to Cameron 77-63, but bounced back with a 74-56 win over Maryville.
• The Mules were 10-3 at home last season and are 36-12 at home under
Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 173-23 at home over the last 13 seasons, including 70-2 against non-conference opponents and 103-21 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 501-100 (.834) in their 42nd season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules were 7-5 on the road last season.
• UCM is 17-17 in road games under
Doug Karleskint.
MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
• The Mules are 5-0 this season and are 14-3 overall in neutral site games under
Doug Karleskint.
• The Mules were 4-1 in neutral site games in 2016-17 and the other seven of those games were played in the 2014-15 season.
MULES IN MIAA OPENERS
• Central Missouri is 3-0 in MIAA openers under
Doug Karleskint, including a 76-59 win over Missouri Western in last year's league lidlifter on the road.
• The Mules have won four straight conference openers and five of the last six.
1,000 POINT CLUB
• Senior
Spencer Reaves scored 512 points last season, averaging 17.1 points per game and in his first two seasons with the Mules he scored 869 career points.
• He has 142 points this season and now has 1,011 for his career. He is the 20th player in Mules Basketball History to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves 1,011 points ranks 20th on the UCM career scoring list and he needs just three more points to move up to 19th all-time in UCM history.
MIAA STAT LEADERS - As of Dec. 8, 2017
•
Spencer Reaves is eighth in the MIAA in scoring and field goal percentage at 17.8 points per game and 54.5 percent.
• Lowrance is third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 61.2 percent, while averaging 13.3 points per game. He is tied for third in blocks with 1.4 per game.
• Reaves is second the MIAA free throw percentage at 91.2 percent on 31-of-34 made free throws.
• Lowrance is 12th in the league in rebounding averaging 6.4 rebounds per game. Reaves is 17th with 5.8 rebounds per game.
•
Blake Spellman is averaging 3.9 assists per game which is 10th best in the MIAA. He is third in the league in assist-turnover ratio at 3.1.
•
DJ Richardson is fifth in the conference in steals with 1.9 per game and Reaves is not far behind him in a tie for 10th at 1.5 steals per game.
A WIN OVER NORTHWEST MISSOURI WOULD...
• Give the Mules an 8-1 start to the season and a 1-0 start in MIAA play for the fourth time under
Doug Karleskint.
• Snap a five-game skid against the Bearcats and a two-game skid in Warrensburg.
• Give UCM a 128-90 all-time series lead against Northwest Missouri.
A LOSS TO NORTHWEST MISSOURI WOULD...
• Drop the Mules 7-2 overall and a 0-1 start in MIAA play for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
• Give the Mules six straight losses to Northwest Missouri for the first time since dropping 10 straight from 2000-2004.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 67-32 (.677) in his fourth season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 156-66 (.703) overall mark in his eighth 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 IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
• The Mules entered the top-25 in the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA released on Dec. 5 for the first time since Dec. 8, 2015 when they were ranked 16th. The poll is voted on by a panel of Sports Information Directors.
• The Mules have been receiving votes in every regular season NABC Poll this season and in the preseason poll.
MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 113th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,682-956 (.638) record in 2,638 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 each 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 16 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 (Conejos De Tuxtla (Mexico), Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 211 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured three MIAA regular season titles, one MIAA Tournament crown and two NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 157 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.
• In 2016-17, Central Missouri won the inaugural MIAA's Commissioner's Cup trophy for the conference's top overall athletic department.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 252 student-athletes named to the 2016-17 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 22 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.
• 20 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had five student-athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in their respective sports.
• All-time UCM is fourth in NCAA-II with 103 Academic All-Americans.
•
Carly Thomas of Jennies Bowling was awarded prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships last year.
UPCOMING
• UCM will be back on the hardwood on Thursday, Dec. 14, as MIAA play continues. The Mules will host the Griffons of Missouri Western and tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. following the Jennies game.
• UCM will hit the road two days after their home stand to Bolivar, Mo. to take on the Southwest Baptist Bearcats. The game is Saturday, Dec. 16, and tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. following the Jens game.
