TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules wrap up their three-game road trip on Wednesday night in Pittsburg, Kan. UCM will take on Pittsburg State in a 7:30 p.m. tip at John Lance Arena.
• The Mules are coming off a 78-58 win at Northeastern State on Saturday to split a two-game road trip to Oklahoma. UCM has won six of its last seven games.
• Pittsburg State enters the game at 4-17 overall and 2-11 in MIAA play following an 88-70 loss at Missouri Southern on Saturday. The Gorillas have lost seven of their last eight games.
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 1,669 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
•
Spencer Reaves is averaging 16.6 points per game this season, best on the team and seventh in the MIAA. He recorded his first career double-double against Northwest Missouri with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
•
Marquiez Lawrence leads the Mules with three double-doubles this season. He recorded his third of the year in the win over Washburn with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He has nine in his two seasons with UCM.
• Ten different players have scored in double figures for the Mules this season with
Spencer Reaves scoring at least 20 points in eight games.
• The Mules are third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 49.0 percent, fourth in three-point shooting at 38.5 percent and third in free throw percentage at 75.2 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (66.2 ppg). The Mules are seventh in field goal percentage allowed at 44.6 percent and 10th in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 38.1 percent.
SERIES HISTORY VS. PITTSBURG STATE
• This will be the 114th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Pittsburg State with the Mules holding a 70-43 advantage in the series.
• The Gorillas swept the season series last year, winning 80-69 in Pittsburg and 74-72 in Warrensburg. UCM had won four straight in the series before last year's PSU sweep.
• The Mules have won 18 of the last 22 meetings between the two schools.
• PSU holds a 28-22 lead in games played in Pittsburg.
LAST MEETING WITH PITTSBURG STATE
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 17, 2016) --
Spencer Reaves scored a season-high 33 points and
Jakob Lowrance added 17, but the Mules came up short in a 74-72 loss to Pittsburg State on Wednesday night at the Multi. The loss is the fifth straight for UCM and drops the Mules to 13-12 overall and 7-12 in MIAA play.
   The Mules started hot from the field as they jumped out to a 13-7 lead just over six minutes in to the game, but the Gorillas (15-11, 10-10 MIAA) came roaring back. A three-pointer from Trey Starks, one of nine in the game for PSU, jump started a 12-3 run that gave Pitt State a 19-16 lead with 10:38 left in the half. The Gorillas pushed the lead to four only to see the Mules come back with a 5-0 run to regain the lead, 25-24, with 7:50 left.
   A layup from Josiah Gustafson put PSU back in front, but Reaves hit one of his six threes in the game to put the Mules in front 28-26. Jaxon Holden answered with a three for Pitt State and they led 29-28 with 6:43 left.
   The Mules jumped back in front 32-30 on a
Jakob Lowrance layup, but Dakota Jones answered with a jumper to knot the game at 32 with 4:08 left. Both teams made just one field goal the rest of the half and it was tied 34-34 at the intermission.
   The Mules opened the second half on a 5-0 run and scored 14 of the first 18 points to open a 48-38 lead with 15:03 to play in the game, but that's when UCM went ice cold. The Mules didn't make another field goal until the 8:38 mark, a span of 6:25, on a
D'Marnier Cunningham steal and fast-break layup, by that time it was 52-50 Gorillas.
   The Mules came back and regained the lead 59-58 with 6:31 to play on a Reaves jumper and three straight points from Lowrance pushed the UCM lead to 62-58 with 5:01 left. The lead was three at the 3:29 mark, but a missed UCM layup led to a three-pointer from Jones that tied the game at 63-all with 2:41 to play. A jumper from Cunningham put UCM back in front, but Starks buried a three from the top of the key that put PSU back in front for good.
   A three from Jones made it a four-point PSU lead, but
Marquiez Lawrence's layup with :32 to play cut it to a 69-67 lead. The Gorillas then made four straight free throws to lead 73-67 with just :17 to play. Reaves made two foul shots to cut it back to four, but Starks hit one of two and PSU led 74-69.
   Reaves was fouled shooting a three with :01 to play. He made all three shots, but PSU was able to inbound the ball and run out the clock and hand the Mules their fifth straight loss.
   Reaves finished the game 9-of-14 from the field as the Mules shot 52 percent as a team. UCM was 7-of-15 from beyond the arc for 47 percent and made 15-of-18 at the foul line for 83 percent.
   Pittsburg State was led by Jones and Starks with 19 points each, while Holden added 10 off the bench. PSU shot 47 percent from the floor and 9-of-21 from beyond the arc for 43 percent. The Gorillas made 17-of-26 at the free throw line for 65 percent.
   The Mules turned the ball over 14 times in the game, leading to 19 PSU points. The Gorilla bench also outscored UCM's 22-7. Both teams finished with 28 rebounds.
SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE
• The Gorillas enter the contest at 4-17 overall and 2-11 in league play following an 88-70 loss at Missouri Southern on Saturday. PSU has lost seven of its last eight games.
• PSU is 12th in the league in scoring (65.8 ppg) and 10th in scoring defense (74.0). The Gorillas are 12th in the MIAA in field goal percentage (43.0%) and 13th in three-point field goal percentage (34.9%), while ranking ninth in field goal percentage defense (46.5%) and seventh in three-point field defense (37.1).
• Jaxon Holden is the only Gorilla averaging in double figures at 10.5 points per game. He did not play in Saturday's loss at Missouri Southern.
• Creighton Brinker leads the team in rebounding with 5.2 boards per game, while Isaiah Hicks pulls down 5.0 per contest.
• Six players average at least 7.2 points per game for Pittsburg State.
• Opponents have attempted 84 more free throws than the Gorillas.
• PSU is averaging over 16 turnovers per game as a team.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 78, NORTHEASTERN STATE 58
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Feb. 4, 2017) -- Central Missouri used a 9-0 run early in the first half to grab the lead and never looked back en route to a 78-58 win at Northeastern State on Saturday afternoon.
   The RiverHawks (3-18, 2-11 MIAA) led 3-0 early in the game and held the Mules (15-6, 9-4 MIAA) scoreless for nearly three minutes, but
Spencer Reaves hit a three-pointer to get UCM on the board and it started a 9-0 spurt that put UCM in front with 15:48 to play in the first half.
   The Mules pushed the lead to 11, thanks in part to a technical foul on the NSU bench that gave the Mules a four-point possession. UCM led 18-7 with 13 minutes to play. The RiverHawks battled back, however, getting within five at 20-15 by the 8:27 mark. The lead was six, 28-22, when
Dushaun Rice hit two foul shots and
Kyle Wolf scored on a jumper to push the lead to 10. The lead grew to 14 at 38-24 on layups from
Brad Woodson and Reaves later in the half and the Mules led 42-30 at halftime.
   NSU got the lead back to single digits at nine early in the second half, but a layup from Wolf and a three from Rice quickly pushed the lead back to 14.
DJ Richardson added two free throws and
Marquiez Lawrence scored on lay-in and the Mules led 56-37 with 14:18 to play in the game. The RiverHawks got back to within 13 at the 11:52 mark, but that was as close as they'd get.
   The Mules led by as many as 20 in the second half and ended the game with a 20-point win to stay in no worse than a tie for second place in the MIAA standings.
   Reaves led UCM with 20 points, with 19 coming in the first half. Lawrence had 14 and Rice finished with 11. Wolf recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. His first of the season and third of his career.
   The Mules shot 48 percent (26-54) for the game, but were just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc. UCM was 23-of-31 at the foul line. The Mules out-rebounded the RiverHawks 42-41 and held a 42-20 advantage in points in the paint.
   Tyler Williams led NSU with 14 points as the RiverHawks shot 31 percent (19-62) for the game.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 9-4 in MIAA play and tied for second place with Central Oklahoma after splitting a pair of games in Oklahoma last week.
• UCM is 31-23 in conference play during the
Doug Karleskint era.
• 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 8-1 at home this season after the 87-71 win over Washburn and are 31-9 at home under
Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 169-20 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 68-1 against non-conference opponents and 101-19 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 497-97 (.837) in their 41st season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 5-5 on the road this season after splitting games at UCO and NSU last week.
• UCM is 15-17 in road games under
Doug Karleskint.
BLOCK PARTY
• Senior
Marquiez Lawrence had two blocked shot in the win at Northeastern State, giving him 22 blocks on the season.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, tied for the 10th most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
• He is now at 54 for his career, tied for sixth all-time at UCM. He is two blocks shy of fifth all-time.
20 MINUTE GAME?
• The Mules are 13-0 this season when leading at halftime. They are just 2-6 when tied or trailing after the first 20 minutes of action.
• The same argument could be made for the first 35 minutes of the game. UCM is 15-1 when leading with 5:00 left in regulation and 0-5 when tied for trailing with five minutes to play.
MIAA STAT LEADERS
•
Spencer Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in scoring with an average of 16.6 points per game.
Kyle Wolf is 20th in the conference at 12.3 points per game.
• Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in field goal percentage (49.5) and free throw percentage at 83.2 percent. Reaves is also second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.0 (65 ast - 22 TO) and is 10th in assists per game at 3.1.
• Reaves is tied for seventh in the MIAA in steals averaging 1.5 per game, while
Clarence Smith is tied for 14 th with 1.1 per outing.
•
Marquiez Lawrence is ninth in the league with 6.1 rebounds per game. He also ranks tied for ninth in blocked shots, averaging 1.0 per contest.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 54-28 (.659) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 143-62 (.698) 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 1,669-952 (.637) record in 2,621 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 on Saturday to host Missouri Southern at 3:30 p.m. Saturday is Hall of Fame Day with the 2017 UCM Athletic Hall of Fame induction class being honored at halftime of the game.
