Mules Fall to Bearcats on the Road

MARYVILLE, Mo. (Jan. 15, 2018)-- Central Missouri Mules Basketball had their six game winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon as they fell to the No. 4-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 70-61, on the road. With the loss, the Mules fall to 13-3 overall and 5-2 in the MIAA.

How It Happened
• UCM shot 55.6% from the floor on 20-36 shooting,with five made triples. NWSMSU (15-1, 7-1 MIAA) put up 12 more shots than the Mules (25-44) and shot 56.8% for the game. The Bearcats also had seven more made three's than the Mules (12-17) for 44.4%.
• The Mules ran with the Bearcats for the majority of the first half and led the majority of the first 20 minutes for 13:59.
• Both teams came out shooting the ball extremely well and finished with the same percentage from floor (63.2%) and from beyond the arc (50.0%). Both teams shot 12-19, but NWMSU went 5-10 from three-point range, while UCM was 3-6.
• Spencer Reaves and DJ Richardson led the first half charge with 10 points and seven points,respectively. Justin Pitts kept the Bearcats in it with 12 first half points.
• The first half was a battle the whole way through with neither team leading by more than four points. UCM struggled in the final two minutes of play with out a made basket, while NWMSU ended the half on a 5-0 run to lead 34-31 at the break.
• The Bearcats extended their 5-0 run from the end of the first half into the start of the second, pushing it to 12-0. With the run they established a double-digit lead, 42-31, with 17:26 to play.
• The Mules got within six, 42-36, with a 5-0 run, but the Bearcats continued to make shots to keep the Mules out of the game. The Bearcats second half shooting proved to be the difference maker as they went 13-25 from the floor (52.0%), while limiting the Mules to 47.1% on of 8-17 shooting.
• UCM put up shots late, but it was too little too late as NWMSU held on for the nine point win. The game had seven lead changes and six ties, while both teams finished with 24 points in the paint.

It Was over When...
• The Bearcats established a 10 point lead, 52-42, with 11:47 and never let the Mules get it to under 10 until the final second of the game. An 11-2 help get the Bearcats up by 16, 60-4, as they controlled the pace the second half.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Richardson put up 17 points for the Mules on 6-8 shooting. He added three made triples on four attempts and was 2-2 at the free throw line.
• Reaves added 14 points while going 5-9 from the floor. He also pulled down five rebounds dished out five assists.
• Jakob Lowrance scored 14 points and fell one rebound shy of a double-double with a game-high of nine. He was 4-8 from the floor and a perfect 6-6 at the charity strip. 
• Matt Wilkinson chipped in nine points. He went 2-3 from beyond the arc also grabbed two rebounds.

For the Bearcats
• Justin Pitts scored a game-high 30 points on 10-15 shooting. He went 6-11 from three-point range and did not miss a free throw (4-4). He also had five assists on the afternoon.
• Chris-Ebou Ndow added 12 points for NWMSU and grabbed a team-high six boards. 
• Brett Dougherty chipped in 11 points while going 5-6 from the field. he also pulled down four rebounds.

News and Notes
• The Mules season-long winning streak ends at six. They now have also lost their last four match ups against the Bearcats on the road. The Mules are 9-8 against the Bearcats since 2010 and 1-7 under Doug Karleskint.
• Reaves 14 points now moves his career total to 1,132. He now sits 16th all-time on the Mules Basketball career scoring list. He needs 13 points to move up to 15th.
• With his nine rebounds, Lowrance now has 299 for his career. He is just one shy of reaching 300. 
• Richardson has scored in double figures in 14 consecutive games for the Mules.

Up Next
• The Mules return home this Thursday and Saturday, Jan. 18 and 20, to the Multi to take on Lincoln and Lindenwood. Tip-off of against the Blue Tigers is set for 7:30 pm on Thursday, while Saturday's game is set for a 3:30 pm tip.