TIP-OFF
• Central Missouri Mules Basketball returns home for a two-game home stand this Thursday, Jan. 18, and Saturday, Jan. 20., against the Lincoln Blue Tigers and Lindenwood Lions. Tip-off against the Blue Tigers is set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, while Saturday's game against the Lions is set for a 3:30 p.m. tip.
• UCM saw its six-game winning streak end this past Monday as they fell short of an upset bid against the then No.4-ranked Northwest Missouri Bearcats, 70-61. UCM is 13-3 overall and 5-2 in MIAA play.
• The Mules were picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Lincoln is 8-9 on the season overall, with a 2-6 mark in league play. The Blue Tigers two conference wins are against Northeastern State and Pittsburg State.
• The Blue Tigers were picked to finish 11th in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Lindenwood is 11-6 overall this season and 3-5 in the MIAA. The Lions three MIAA wins are against Pittsburg State, Emporia State, and Northeastern State. The Lions also have two non-conference wins over Bemidji State and Minnesota-Duluth, who the Mules also defeated at the beginning of the season.
• The Lions were picked to finish ninth in MIAA Preseason Coaches' 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 1,688 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.

SERIES HISTORY VS. LINCOLN
• The Mules are 58-33 all-time against the Blue Tigers. In Warrensburg, UCM has a 30-15 advantage against Lincoln.
• The Mules will look to avenge a 70-63 overtime home loss they suffered against the Blue Tigers last season. Prior to that loss, UCM had it previous 18 games against Lincoln.

SERIES HISTORY VS. LINDENWOOD
• The Mules and Lions have a short history having only met 12 times overall. UCM is 6-1 against Lindenwood at the Multi.
• UCM's first ever home loss against Lindenwood was last season, 59-51. Prior to that, the Mules were 6-0 against the Lions in the Multi and won the previous four overall match ups.

LAST MEETING WITH LINCOLN
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 16, 2017)-- Lincoln rallied back from a 10-point deficit with just over three minutes to play to force overtime and defeat Central Missouri 70-63 on Thursday night at the Multi. With the loss, the Mules have their three-game winning streak end as they drop to 17-7 overall and 11-5 in MIAA play.
    The Mules led 51-41 with 3:06 to play in regulation after Marquiez Lawrence hit a layup, but the Blue Tigers (15-11, 8-9 MIAA) outscored the Mules 16-6 in regulation and 13-6 in OT to get the win.
    O'Shai Clark hit a layup to pull Lincoln within eight with 2:46 to play, but a technical foul was called on the Blue Tigers bench immediately after. Spencer Reaves went 1-for-2 at the line to give the Mules a nine-point edge, 52-43, with 2:03 left to play. Anthony Virdue was fouled on the ensuing Lincoln possession, made both free throws, then Richie Lewis scored a layup to cut the UCM's lead to seven, 52-45.
    The Mules struggled to score down the stretch, with their final five points coming at the charity strip. Reaves hit two free throws with 1:20 to play, giving UCM a 54-47 advantage, but the Blue Tigers answered back with Maurice Mason hitting a three-pointer with 1:10 on the clock, followed by a jumper from Jaylon Smith. Jakob Lowrance added a pair free throws to give UCM a 56-53 tilt with 32 seconds on the clock, while Kyle Wolf made one of two free throws.
    In overtime, Lincoln came out hitting a three with 4:08 on the clock to take their first lead of the game since the 16:02 mark in the first half when they led 6-5. The Mules scored a pair of free throws to cut Lincoln's lead to 60-59. The Blue Tigers then went on a 5-0 run to push their lead to 64-59. Dashuan Rice scored the Mules final four points, both on layups, but it was not enough as Lincoln hit 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
    The Mules 10-point lead in the second half was their largest of the game. The Mules scored their first field goal of the second half with 17:22 to play off a Richardson layup, giving UCM a 31-25 lead. Lincoln scored a layup 23 second later as Virdure penetrated the lane. The Blue Tigers cut their deficit to two, 31-29, with Kevin Bohlen adding a layup, but Reaves answered with a three giving UCM the 34-29 advantage. They traded shots until the 7:14 mark when UCM had a 43-41 lead and went on an 8-0 run to go up 10.
    The game was tight the whole first half, with the Mules leading much of the half. Lincoln lead 6-5 with 16:02 to play, but the Mules retook the lead with Reaves hitting a three pointer to make it an 8-6 lead for UCM. The Mules stretched their lead to as much as eight in the first half.
    Spencer Reaves led the Mules in scoring with 23 points and tied a career-high in rebounds with seven, also to lead UCM. He finished the game 7-of-13 from the field, and 4-of-6 from the three-point line. Kyle Wolf added 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting. The Mules shot 40 percent from the field going 22-of-55. They were 13-of-21 for 62 percent from the free throw line, and went 6-of-22 from behind the arc to finish at 27 percent.

LAST MEETING WITH LINDENWOOD
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 18, 2017)-- Mules Basketball dropped its second straight game as they fell at home to Lindenwood, 59-51, Saturday afternoon in the Multi. The Mules held the Lions (20-10, 9-8 MIAA) to just eight made field goals in the second half, but could not overcome a 10-point halftime deficit.
    The Mules (17-8, 11-6 MIAA) did not score a field goal in the first half until 14:16, when Marquiez Lawrence put down an uncontested dunk to bring the score to 7-4, Lions. Clarence Smith added two more points at 9:53 with a tough layup in the lane to keep UCM within three, 9-6. The Lions responded going on 13-0, pushing their three-point lead to 16, 22-6. The Mules cut the deficit to nine, 22-13, with a 7-0 run, five of which came from a Richardson three and a pair of free throws. The Lions led 27-17 going into halftime.
    Lindenwood pushed their lead to 13 in the second half after Jackson Price scored on back-to-back possessions. He hit a layup at 18:07 then came down 31 seconds later and nailed a three, giving the Lions the 32-19 advantage. UCM responded going on an 8-0 run. DJ Richardson scored six of the eight points for the Mules hitting two three-point shots. The Mules got within four, trailing 33-29.
    The Lions answered the Mules run with 10-1 run of their own, pushing their lead back to 13, 43-30. Price sparked it with a three at the 13:51 mark. Zac Haese and Rayko Dundalov also added threes during the run. The Mules only point in the run came from a Spencer Reaves free throw.
    The Mules got within six, 47-41, after a made layup by Eric Locke at 4:44, but the Mules went scoreless for over three minutes before they scored again. Reaves hit a layup with a just under a minute and a half remaining in the game and the Mules immediately started fouling to save clock. The Lions held off the Mules shooting 9-of-10 at the free throw line to secure the win.
    DJ Richardson led the Mules in scoring 16 points on 4-of-9 shooting, while going 3-of-6 from behind the three-point line. He also dished out four assists, had four steals, finished 5-of-6 from the charity strip. Spencer was the only other player for UCM to break double-digits scoring 11 points. Lawrence and Kyle Wolf each pulled down six rebounds to lead the Mules. 

SCOUTING LINCOLN
• The Blue Tigers went 17-13 last season with a 9-10 record in MIAA play. They made the MIAA Tournament and won on the road against Lindenwood, 72-61, before falling to Northwest Missouri, 80-76, in Kansas City. Lincoln has made the MIAA Quarterfinals each of the last two seasons.
• Amariontez Ivory leads the way for Lincoln scoring wise so far, this season. He is averaging 15.6 points per game on 46.8% shooting overall and 46.9% shooting from three-point range.
• Terrance Smith checks in as the second leading scorer at 14.7 points per game. He is shooting just under 50% at 49.4 per contest. He's second on the team in rebounds and blocks with 5.3 boards per game and 13 total blocks this season.
• John Burton, Maurice Mason, and Marquise Williams are averaging double figures for the Blue Tigers this season as well. They are averaging 13.7, 12.2, and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Williams is averaging 59.3% from the floor and is the team's leading rebounder at 9.1 boards per game, which is third in the MIAA.
• The Blue Tigers are averaging 79.8 points per game on 48.5% shooting, which are both fourth-most in the MIAA. Their opponents average 75.2 points per game on 45.9% shooting.

SCOUTING LINDENWOOD
• The Lions went 21-12 last season and finished 10-9 in conference play. Their 21 wins was the first 20-win season in their NCAA era. They hosted a first-round game against the Blue Tigers in the MIAA Tournament, but fell 72-61.
• Lindenwood returns Second Team All-MIAA performer Chandler Diekvoss. He averaged 15.2 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game last season. He is second on the team this season in scoring averaging 15.3 points per game. He leads the team in rebounds with 6.8 per contest.
• The Lions also bring back four returners from a season ago in Jackson Price, Dominique Dobbs, Brenon Larsin-Gulsvig, and Adam Pohlman. Price was an honorable mention all-MIAA pick after scoring 11.4 points a game. Dobbs was one of the top freshman in the MIAA last year averaging 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
• Larson-Gulsvig averaged double-figure points for most of the year before an injury knocked his final total down to 9.5 a game. Pohlman ranked 21st in the nation last year with a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Pohlman leads the team in assists at 4.6 per game.
• The leading scorer for Lindenwood this season is Brad Newman at 15.5 points on 48.0% shooting. He leads the team in free throw percentage at 89.6%, which is tied for fourth in the MIAA
• Lindenwood is averaging 77.9 points per game on 46.9% shooting, while allowing 71.6 points per game on 45.9% shooting.

LAST TIME OUT • NORTHWEST MISSOURI 70, CENTRAL MISSOURI 61 • 1/15/18
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.
• 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 without 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.
• 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.
• 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.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• Central Missouri is 5-2 in conference play with wins over Missouri Western (twice), Southwest Baptist, Fort Hays State, and Nebraska-Kearney. UCM's only two MIAA losses are against Northwest Missouri. UCM fell in the league lidlifter at home to Northwest Missouri, 79-55, and this past Monday, 70-61, on the road.
• UCM is winners of five of its last six conference games and currently sits fourth in the standings.
• The Mules are 40-27 in conference play under Doug Karleskint.

MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules went 8-1 in non-conference action after a 26-point win, 87-61, over Missouri Valley College on Dec. 30, 2017.
• The Mules were 8-3 in non-conference games last season, including a 6-2 mark in regular season non-con games. They are 146-36 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 6-2 at home this season after earning wins over MIAA foes Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney. They are 41-13 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 177-24 at home over the last 13 seasons, including 71-2 against non-conference opponents and 106-22 in MIAA play. 
• The Mules are 505-101 (.833) in their 42nd season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• UCM is 2-1 on the road this season with wins over Southwest Baptist, 78-76, and Missouri Western, 69-64.
• The Mules were 7-5 on the road last season.
• UCM is 19-18 in road games under Doug Karleskint.

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 233 points this season and1,102 for his career thus far. He is the 20th player in Mules Basketball History to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves 1,132 points ranks 16th on the UCM career scoring list. He needs to score 13 more points to move up to 15th all-time in UCM history.

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Defense continues to shine for the Mules as they are allowing just 64.5 points per game which ranks second-best in the MIAA in scoring defense this season and is tied for 10th best in all of Division II.
• Spencer Reaves is eighth in the MIAA in both scoring and field goal percentage at 16.4 points per game and 51.2%.
• Lowrance is second in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 57.6%, while averaging 15.3 points per game which is tied for 15th-best in the league. He is tied for sixth in blocks with 1.1 per game.
• Reaves leads the MIAA free throw percentage at 91.4% on 64-70 made free throws. DJ Richardson is fifth at 89.6% on 60-67 made free throws.
• Lowrance is tied for eighth in the league in rebounding averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Reaves is 20th with 5.3 rebounds per game.
• Blake Spellman is averaging 3.7 assists per game which is tied for ninth-best in the MIAA. He is second the league in assist-turnover ratio at 3.69, which is sixth in Division II this season. 
• Richardson is tied for second in the conference in steals with 1.8 per game. Reaves are tied for 11th at 1.3 steals per game, while Clarence Smith is tied for 16th at 1.1 per game.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 73-34 (.682) in his fourth season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 162-68 (.704) 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 BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 113th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,688-958 (.638) record in 2,646 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
• The Mules will hit the road to Kansas as MIAA play continues. They will take on the Emporia State Hornets and MIAA leading Washburn Ichabods on Thursday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 27, respectively.
• UCM will tip-off at Emporia State at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's game at Washburn will be at 3 p.m.