TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules open MIAA Tournament play as the No. 2 seed on Thursday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m. UCM will take on seventh-seeded Central Oklahoma in the tournament quarterfinals.
• The Mules closed out the regular season with back-to-back wins at Missouri Southern (99-66) and at home over Pittsburg State (81-75) to secure the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
• Seventh-seeded Central Oklahoma advanced to the MIAA quarterfinals with a 62-49 win over No. 10 seed Emporia State in the first round on Monday night in Edmond. The Bronchos enter the contest at 17-11 overall after going 11-8 in league play this season.
• This is the third straight year Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma have met in the MIAA Tournament and the fourth time in the last five years. The Mules are 2-1 against the Bronchos in the MIAA Tournament.
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 Stretch Internet portal at portal.stretchinternet.com/miaa/. 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 1,673 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 17.2 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 five double-doubles this season. He recorded his fifth in the win over Missouri Southern with 11 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.
• Ten different players have scored in double figures for the Mules this season with
Spencer Reaves scoring in double figures in 26 of 27 games and at least 20 points in 12 games.
• The Mules are eighth in the MIAA in scoring at 74.0 points per game, third in field goal percentage at 48.6 percent, fifth in three-point shooting at 38.0 percent and second in free throw percentage at 76.1 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (66.0 ppg). The Mules are fifth in field goal percentage allowed at 43.8 percent and seventh in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 36.2 percent.
REAVES NAMED THIRD TEAM COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
• Junior guard
Spencer Reaves was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team as announced this week.
• The Newark, Ark. native carries a 3.96 grade point average while majoring in Physical Education.
• To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution.
ALL-MIAA MULES
• Central Missouri had three players earn All-MIAA honors led by
Spencer Reaves on the second team.
Kyle Wolf was a third team honoree and
Marquiez Lawrence earned honorable mention honors in addition to being named to the league's All-Defensive Team.
• This is the second All-MIAA honor for Reaves and the first for both Wolf and Lawrence.
SERIES HISTORY VS. CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• This will be the 15th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma with the Bronchos holding an 8-6 lead in the series.
• UCO won the only meeting this year in Edmond and has won three straight and four of the last five meetings.
• The Mules' last win against Central Oklahoma came in the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, a 67-66 win in 2015. UCO won the first round MIAA Tournament meeting last year, 94-74, in Edmond.
• UCM holds a 3-2 edge in neutral site meetings, including a 2-0 mark in Municipal Auditorium.
• This is the fourth meeting between the two schools in the MIAA Tournament and the second time in the quarterfinals. UCM has won both meetings in Kansas City and is 2-1 overall against UCO in the MIAA Tournament.
LAST MEETING WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
EDMOND, Okla. (Feb. 2, 2017) -- Central Missouri saw its five-game winning streak come to an end as the Mules fell at Central Oklahoma 58-54 on Thursday night. The Mules fall to 14-6 overall and now find themselves in a three-way tie for second place in the MIAA at 8-4.
   The Mules came out on fire as they jumped out to a 10-3 lead behind seven points from
Kyle Wolf. The Bronchos (13-7, 8-4 MIAA) got back to within three, but Wolf hit another three and the Mules led 15-9 with 11:30 to play in the first half.
   Central Missouri pushed the lead to eight, 20-12, with 6:58 left on two free throws from
Spencer Reaves. It was during a stretch in which the Mules held UCO without a point for 6:47. The Bronchos went nearly eight minutes without a field goal, but the Mules went cold as well and couldn't add to their lead.
   When UCO did score again, starting with two foul shots from Marquis Johnson at the 4:28 mark, it sparked a 12-2 run that gave Central Oklahoma a 24-22 lead at halftime.
   The Bronchos pushed their lead to seven in the early moments of the second half, leading 34-27 with 16:25 to play in the game. UCM got back to within three multiple times only to see UCO push the lead back to seven. The Broncho lead was 48-41 with 7:04 to play in the game when
Brad Woodson hit a three and
Spencer Reaves scored on a jumper to make it a two-point game just a minute later.
   The teams traded buckets and free throws over the next three and half minutes. The UCO lead was five when Reaves scored on a jumper to make it 54-51 with 2:38 to play in the game. Johnson scored on a layup for UCO, but
Jakob Lowrance hit a three and the lead was 56-54 with 1:03 to play.
   The Mules got a stop on the defensive end and had the ball, down two, with :35 to play. UCM fed the ball down low to Lowrance who went up and got hit by two UCO defenders. After a discussion, however, he was whistled for a travel and gave the ball back to UCO. Josh Holliday was fouled on the inbounds pass and he made both free throws to ice the game and give UCO the win.
   The win was the third straight in the series for the Bronchos and their fourth in the last five meetings.They are now tied with the Mules and Nebraska-Kearney for second in the league standings.
   Wolf led UCM with 15 points, while Reaves had 11 and Lowrance finished with 10. UCM shot just 39 percent from the field (19-49), including 29 percent (5-17) from three-point range. UCM was 11-of-14 at the foul line.
   Johnson and Jake Hammond led UCO with 12 points each, while Jordan London finished with 10. The Bronchos shot 41 percent (17-42) for the game, including 35 percent (6-17) from beyond the arc. They were 18-of-19 at the free throw line.
   The Mules out-scored the Bronchos 26-18 in the paint and 20-9 in points off turnovers, but UCO held a 33-23 advantage on the glass.
SCOUTING CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• The Bronchos enter the quarterfinal matchup at 17-11 overall after a 62-49 win over Emporia State in Monday night's first round action. UCO went 11-8 during conference play this season and finished in a four-way tie for fourth. The Bronchos are seeded seventh in the tournament.
• The Bronchos enter the game sixth in the MIAA in scoring at 74.4 points per game, and eighth in scoring defense at 70.5 points per game allowed. The Bronchos are seventh in the league in field goal percentage (46.6%) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (35.6%), while ranking sixth in field goal percentage defense (44.0%) and sixth in three-point field defense (35.4).
• Central Oklahoma has four players averaging in double figure, led by Josh Holliday's 13.1 points per game. Corbin Byford averages 11.9 per contest and pulls down a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game as well. Jake Hammond averages 10.8 points per outing and Marquies Johnson chips in 10.5 per game. Johnson also leads the team in assists with 3.0 per contest.
• UCO is ninth in the league in turnovers and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio. In the first meeting between UCO and UCM, the Bronchos turned the ball over 22 times.
• The Bronchos are sixth in the league in rebounding with 33.4 boards per game. They out-rebounded the Mules 33-23 in the first meeting and limited UCM to just six second-chance points.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 81, PITTSBURG STATE 75
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 25, 2017) -- Mules Basketball shot 52 percent from the field and withstood a game Pittsburg State team to win 81-75 on Senior Day at the Multipurpose Building. With the win, the Mules clinch the No. 2 seed in next week's MIAA Tournament and will play at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 2 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
   Pittsburg State (5-22, 3-16 MIAA) got out to an early lead at 8-3 with 17:35 to play in the first half. That lead stood for nearly two minutes before Dushuan Rice scored on a layup to pull the Mules with three at the 15:12 mark. The Gorillas pushed their lead to as many as five a couple of times in the opening period, the last being 16-11 with 11:39 on the clock. A layup from
Spencer Reaves and a three-pointer from
Clarence Smith tied the game only to see Brandon Clifford connect from outside to put PSU back in front.
   A three-point play from Reaves tied the game once again, but Clifford put the Gorillas back in front with a layup. The Mules took their first lead of the game at 24-22 on Reaves' three-point play with 7:23 to play in the first half. UCM then extended the lead to seven a couple of time, including 36-29 with 2:02 to play, but Pitt State finished the half on a 5-0 run to pull within 36-34 at the break.
   The game was back and forth in the early minutes of the second half before a 9-2 run gave the Mules their largest lead of the day at 51-41 with 14:41 to play. The Gorillas kept fighting back and pulled back to within five at 53-48 and again at 55-50. A three-pointer from
Jakob Lowrance sparked a mini 10-2 run that gave the Mules a 65-52 lead with 7:39 to play in the game.
   The lead was still 13 with 5:55 to play when the Gorillas started to creep a little closer. Three free throws from RJ Pair sparked an 14-2 spurt that pulled PSU within 71-70 with 3:24 to play in the game.
DJ Richardson buried a big three-pointer to push the lead back to four and two shots from Reaves made it a six-point game, 76-70, with 1:15 on the clock. A three from Creighton Brinker pulled Pitt State back to within three, but Reaves buried a dagger three with :30 on the clock and then made two free throws with :11 left to give UCM the final margin.
   Reaves led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Lowrance had 16 points and five boards and
Marquiez Lawrence had 14 points, five boards and three steals. The Mules were 26-of-50 from the field and made 8-of-17 from three-point range for 47 percent. UCM was 21-of-22 at the foul line for a season-best 96 percent.
   Pair led three Gorillas in double figures with 15 points. Isaiah Hicks had 14 and Clifford added 10 as PSU shot 48 percent from the field (23-48), including 46 percent from beyond the arc (10-22). Pittsburg State was 19-of-23 at the foul line.
   The Mules forced 17 Gorilla turnovers and turned those into a 25-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules finished the season 13-6 in MIAA play and in second place after wins at Missouri Southern and over Pittsburg State.
• UCM is 35-25 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 finished the season 10-3 at home this season after the win over Pittsburg State and they are 33-11 at home under
Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 171-22 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 68-1 against non-conference opponents and 103-21 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 499-99 (.834) in their 41st season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 6-5 on the road this season after the win at Pittsburg State.
• UCM is 16-17 in road games under
Doug Karleskint.
MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
• The Mules are 2-0 this season and 7-2 overall under
Doug Karleskint in neutral site games after posting a 2-0 mark at the MIAA/NSIC Challenge in the Wisconsin Dells to open the season.
MULES IN THE MIAA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT
• The Mules are 33-30 all-time in the MIAA Tournament and 15-9 in games played in Kansas City after falling in the first round last year at Central Oklahoma.
• The Mules have captured six MIAA Tournament championships in school history, more than any other league school. UCM has been in the championship game 14 times in the history of the tournament.
• The Mules have made the championship game five of the 14 years the tournament has been held in Kansas City.
• UCM has won tournament championships in 1981-82, 1983-84, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2008-09 and 2012-13.
• The Mules have played in every MIAA Tournament since it's inception, the only school to do so.
BLOCK PARTY
• Senior
Marquiez Lawrence has 28 blocks on the season, just four shy of the single-season Top 10 list.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, tied for the 10th most in a single season in Central Missouri history and has 60 for his career, fifth all-time at UCM. He is 12 blocks shy of fourth all-time.
KEY TO A VICTORY? BALANCED ATTACK
• In their 19 wins this season, the Mules have three players averaging in double figures and five players averaging at least 9.8 points per game. In their eight losses, only one player averages in double figures and four average at least 8.7 ppg.
• The Mules are also shooting 52 percent in their wins and allowing just 43 percent, compard to 41 percent shooting and 47 percent field goal defense in their losses.
20 MINUTE GAME?
• The Mules are 17-1 this season when leading at halftime. They are just 2-7 when tied or trailing after the first 20 minutes of action.
• The same argument could be made for closing games out. UCM is 19-2 when leading with 5:00 left in regulation and 0-6 when tied or trailing with five minutes to play.
A CENTRAL MISSOURI WIN WOULD...
Give the Mules three straight wins and improve their record to 20-8 ... give the Mules their second 20-win season under
Doug Karleskint and the 25th in program history ... advance UCM to the MIAA Tournament semifinals against either Nebraska-Kearney or Washburn ... snap a three-game losing skid against UCO and give the Mules a 3-1 record against the Bronchos in the MIAA Tournament ... give the Mules a 34-30 all-time record in the MIAA Tournament ... make UCM 1,674-954 all-time.
A CENTRAL MISSOURI LOSS WOULD...
Snap the Mules' two-game winning streak and end their season at 19-9 ... give UCO four straight wins in the series and two straight in the MIAA Tournament ... give UCM a 33-31 all-time record in the MIAA Tournament ... make UCM 1,673-955 all-time.
MIAA STAT LEADERS
•
Spencer Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in scoring with an average of 17.2 points per game.
Kyle Wolf is 28th in the conference at 11.2 points per game.
• Reaves is fifth in the MIAA in field goal percentage (51.6) and eighth in free throw percentage at 84.7 percent. Reaves is also 15th in assists per game at 2.9.
• Reaves is eighth in the MIAA in steals averaging 1.4 per game, while
DJ Richardson is 12th with 1.3 per outing.
•
Marquiez Lawrence is eighth in the league with 6.5 rebounds per game. He also ranks ninth in blocked shots, averaging 1.0 per contest.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 58-30 (.659) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 147-64 (.697) 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 1,673-954 (.637) record in 2,627 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.
• 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
• If the Mules beat Central Oklahoma/Emporia State, they would advance to Saturday's tournament semifinals to take on the winner of third-seeded Nebraska-Kearney and 10th-seeded Washburn at noon.
