TIP-OFF
• Central Missouri Mules Basketball hits the road to Kansas this week to take on the Emporia State Hornets and MIAA-leading Washburn Ichabods. The Mules and Hornets tip-off on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Following that game the Mules will have a short two day break before squaring off with Washburn on Saturday, Jan. 27. That game is set for a 3 p.m. tip.
• UCM will look to bounce back from last week where the team went 1-2. UCM dropped tough games against Northwest Missouri, 70-61, and Lindenwood, 72-63, respectively. The team's one win came against Lincoln, 67-57.
• The Mules were picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit fourth in the league standings at 14-4 overall and 6-3 against MIAA opponents.
• Emporia State enters the midweek match against the Mules with a 8-10 overall record and a 3-6 mark against conference opponents. The Hornets three MIAA wins are against Nebraska-Kearney, Lincoln, and Central Oklahoma. The Hornets will look to snap a two-game losing skid when they host the Mules.
• The Hornets were picked to finish 10th in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Washburn is off to strong start for the year with a 14-4 overall record and a 8-1 record in the MIAA to sit atop the standings. The Ichabods had their 12-game overall win streak and eight-game MIAA win streak snapped last weekend as they fell 76-74 against Pittsburg State on the road.
• The Ichabods were picked to finished third in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll behind the Mules. They received one first-place vote and tallied just one less point than the Mules, 144-145.

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 1,689 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. EMPORIA STATE
• The Mules lead the Hornets 71-41 all-time and are winners of the last three games. On the road, the Mules are just three games under .500 at Emporia State with a 23-26 record. 
• The last time UCM was in Emporia, Kan., it was a hard fought win as the team walked away with a one-point win, 73-72, over the Hornets. Emporia State last defeated UCM in the 2014-15 season at home, 84-78, in overtime.

SERIES HISTORY VS. WASHBURN
• The Mules and Ichbods have gone back-and-forth in their history, but the Mules have the slight edge with a 50-48 series lead all-time. On the road, UCM is 19-29 at Washburn.
• UCM snapped a two-game losing streak to the Ichabods last season with an 87-71 win at home. The Mules last win at Washburn came in the 2014-15 season, 63-60.

LAST MEETING WITH EMPORIA STATE
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 25, 2017) -- The Mules shot 60 percent from the field and outscored Emporia State by nine points in the second half to come away with a 66-58 win on Wednesday night. The Mules have now won four straight games and are 13-5 overall and 7-3 in MIAA play.
    Both teams got off to a slow start with the Mules scoring the games first points, a three-pointer from Kyle Wolf, at the 16:49 mark. The Mules led 5-0 before Emporia State (10-9, 6-4 MIAA) got on the board. The Hornets grabbed their first lead of the game at 11-9 on a three-point play by Garin Vandiver with 12:17 left in the half. They pushed the lead to seven before the Mules went on a 12-4 run to regain the lead at 21-20 with 7:10 left int he opening period.
    The UCM lead grew to four at 26-22 on a three-pointer by Dushaun Rice, but the Mules went the final 5:37 of the half without a field goal and trailed 29-28 at halftime.
    The second half started the same way the first did with both teams struggling offensively. UCM grabbed a 31-29 lead at the 17:25 mark only to see ESU tie the game at the 16:07 mark. The game see-sawed back and forth through much of the half before a 5-0 run gave the Mules a 43-38 lead with 9:21 to play. Emporia State responded with a 7-2 spurt of its own to tie the game yet again at 43-all with 8:17 to play.
    The Mules responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead for good at 50-43. The Hornets fought back to within two at 57-55, but Spencer Reaves made a pair of free throws and the Mules led 59-55 with 2:22 to play. A jumper from Reaves and two free throws gave UCM a 63-55 lead with :32 to play. Jevon Taylor hit a three for the Hornets to pull them within five, but the Mules iced the game at the line to come away with the eight-point win.
    DJ Richardson led the Mules with 14 points. He was joined in double figures by Spencer Reaves' 13 and Kyle Wolf's 12 points as the Mules shot 60 percent from the field (22-37). UCM was 6-10 from beyond the arc, but struggled at the foul line, making just 16-28 attempts.
    Vandiver led ESU with 14 points, while Brandon Hall had 11 and Josh Pedersen had 10. ESU was 22-44 from the field and 8-20 from three-point range for 40 percent.

LAST MEETING WITH WASHBURN
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 28, 2017) -- Marquiez Lawrence tied his career-high with 21 points and added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and three other Mules scored in double figures as Central Missouri beat Washburn 87-71 on Saturday afternoon at the Multi. The win was the fifth straight for the Mules.
    The Mules (14-5, 8-3 MIAA) came racing out of the gates, scoring the first 10 points of the game and 17 of the first 19 to lead 17-2 with 14:25 to play in the half. The lead grew to 17 at 22-5 on buckets from Kyle Wolf and Spencer Reaves and a free throw from Brad Woodson. That's when Washburn (14-6, 6-5 MIAA) started its comeback. The Ichabods scored five straight points to pull within 12, then following a bucket from Marquiez Lawrence, they scored 13 straight to cut the lead to 24-23 with 5:35 left in the first half.
    DJ Richardson hit a three to push the UCM lead back to three only to see the lead dip back to one. Again, Richardson hit a three and the Mules led 32-28 with 3:01 to play. Javion Blake scored on a layup and Drew Pyle hit a three to give Washburn its first lead of the game at 33-32 with 1:11 left in the half, but Matt Wilkinson buried an open three and the Mules led 35-33 at halftime.
    Brady Skeens scored out of halftime to pull WU within one, but Lawrence scored on a layup and Reaves hit a three-pointer to push the UCM lead to 40-34. The Ichabods fought back and pulled to within one again, 42-41, on a pair of free throws from Skeens, but Clarence Smith and Wolf hit back-to-back threes and the Mules led 48-41 with 14:37 to play. Washburn cut the lead to five on a triple from Pyle, but Woodson hit four straight free throws to give UCM a 53-44 lead.
    The lead was seven when Lawrence made four straight free throws and Smith buried another three-pointer to push the lead to 14 at 60-46 with 10:17 to play. Later, a jumper from Reaves and two free throws from Smith gave the Mules their largest lead of the night, 65-48, with 8:50 to play. The lead never dipped below 11 the rest of the way as the Mules won their fifth straight game.
    Lawrence finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half as the Mules pulled away. Reaves finished with 19 points and eight assists, while Wolf had 16 points and six boards and Richardson chipped in 10 points.
    UCM shot 47 percent for the game (27-58) including 11 made three-pointers as they shot 37 percent (11-30) from beyond the arc. The Mules were 22-of-26 at the free throw line for 85 percent and out-rebounded Washburn 32-28. UCM had 18 assists on their 27 made baskets and turned the ball over just seven times.
    Skeens led five Ichabods in double figures with 14 points and nine rebounds. Randall Smith had 11 points, while Blake, Pyle and Isaac Clark all finished with 10. WU was 23-of-49 from the field for 47 percent. The Ichabods shot 41 percent (9-22) from three-point range and made 16-of-20 at the charity stripe for 80 percent.

SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE
• The Hornets finished the 2016-17 season 13-16 overall and 9-10 in league play. They made the MIAA tournament but fell in the first round, 62-49, to Central Oklahoma on the road.
• The Hornets bring back six players from last year's squad including Second Team All-MIAA selection Brandon Hall. Hall led ESU in scoring with 13.7 points per game  last season. Leading rebounder Gardin Vandiver also returns for his senior campaign. He averaged 5.0 rebounds per contest last year, but averages just 3.2 this year.
• Hall leads the Hornets in scoring again this season averaging 14.9 points per game thus far on 40.4% shooting. He also leads the team in assists per game with 3.4 which ranks 11th in the MIAA. 
• Stephan Limuel is the second leading scorer for the Hornets and is the only other double figure scorer with 11.9 points per game. His 8.2 rebounds per game not only lead ESU, but are fourth-most in the MIAA this year. He is shooting 69.0% from the floor this season and averaging 1.9 steals per game, which is second-best in the league.
• As a team, the Hornets average 73.3 points per game, but allow the opposition to score 72.6. They shoot 44.6% from the floor, while their opponents shoot 47.0%.

SCOUTING WASHBURN
• The Ichabods went 20-10 last season with an 11-8 mark in MIAA play. They made the MIAA Tournament and defeated Southwest Baptist, 89-70, in the first round at home before falling to Nebraska-Kearney, 75-69, in the quarterfinal round.
• Washburn returns all five starters form last year and 13 letterwinners overall. Leading the way for the Ichabods is two-time reigning MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Brady Skeens. He was named a Preseason All-American. Other returning starters are seniors Cameron Wiggins and Randall Smith, along with juniors Javion Blake and David Salach.
• Skeens is second on the team in scoring averaging 13.8 points per game. He is the MIAA and NCAA-II leader in field goal percentage at 72.8% per game. He also leads the league with 10.3 rebounds per game. He is just one of two players in the league averaging a double-double this season. He is second in blocked shots with 2.2 per contest.
• Blake leads the way in scoring for the Ichabods with 15.9 points per game on 50.3% shooting. His field goal percentage is 10th in the MIAA, while his points per game are tied for ninth.
• Isaac Clark and Tyas Martin are both averaging over nine points per game at 9.9 and 9.7, respectively. 
• Washburn is third in the MIAA in scoring and field goal percentage averaging 79.8 points per game on 49.0% shooting. They hold opponents to 67.7 points per game and lead the league in field goal percentage defense at 39.3%.

LAST TIME OUT • LINDENWOOD 72, CENTRAL MISSOURI 63 • 1/20/18
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 20, 2018)-- Central Missouri Mules Basketball played a tough game for 40 minutes against the Lindenwood Lions but came up short of comeback, falling 72-63 on Saturday afternoon in the Multipurpose Building. Three Mules finished in double figures with Spencer Reaves scoring a game-high 20 points. UCM is now 14-4 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA.
• The Mules shot the ball well going 23-47 for 48.9% from the floor, but the Lions (13-6, 5-5 MIAA) kept in front the majority of the night on 56.0% shooting (28-50). Both teams took care of the ball as the Mules finished with one less turnover than the Lions, 8-9. The biggest differences came from points in the paint and rebounds, as the Mules were outscored 34-16 in the post and out-rebounded 31-20.
• The first half saw UCM and Lindenwood tie the game six times and have six lead changes. UCM's largest lead was five, 18-13, with 9:29 top play. Lindenwood grabbed a six-point lead, 36-30, right as the first half came to a close. Both teams battled but never managed to separate before the break.
• Reaves scored 12 points in the first 20 minutes to pace the Mules on 5-6 shooting. The Lions produced two double figure scorers in the first half as TJ Crockett and Dominique Dobbs scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Mules shot 46.2% in the first 20 minutes of play on 12-26 shooting, but the Lions led by six going into the break due to 64.0% shooting (16-25) in the first half. The Mules had three less turnovers, 5-2, but the Lions had the upper hand scoring in points and the paint, 18-6, and bench points, 12-2.
• A 6-0 run by Lindenwood to end the first half extended to 14-0 to give the visitors a double-digit lead, 42-30. In the first four minutes of the second half, the Lions outscored the Mules 10-4 to lead 46-34 with 16 minutes to play in regulation.
• Despite being down by double figures, the Mules continued to battle and made things interesting down the stretch. After a made three by Adam Pohlman at the 11:18 mark, the Lions led the Mules by 13, 54-31, for their largest lead of the game. The Mules did not give up though as they went on an 8-0 run, to cut the deficit their five, 54-49 with 7:56 to play in the game.
• Blake Spellman capped the Mules 8-0 run with a three pointer. Dobbs looked to respond for Lindenwood with a layup on the next possession, but Spellman came down right after and nailed his second-straight three to get UCM within four, 56-52, with 6:40 to play.
• The Mules made one last push and got within three of the Lions, 57-54, with just over three minutes to play, but back-to-back layups and solid free throw shooting (9-10) in the final minute by the Lions help them secure the nine-point road win.
• Both teams committed just four turnovers in the second frame, but the Lions out-rebounded the Mules 16-12 in the half, and put up eight more points in the paint, 18-10. 
• Reaves scored his game-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting. He was 5-6 from the free throw line and grabbed a team-high seven boards.
• Richardson added 13 points. He was 5-14 from the floor and added three rebounds.
• Lowrance put 12 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. He was also 2-2 from three-point range and the charity strip, respectively. 
• Dobbs was perfect from the floor scoring 19 points on 9-9 shooting to lead Lindenwood. He also grabbed three rebounds.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• Central Missouri is 6-3 in conference play with wins over Missouri Western (twice), Southwest Baptist, Fort Hays State, Nebraska-Kearney, and Lincoln. UCM's three MIAA losses are against Northwest Missouri (twice) and Lindenwood.
• UCM still currently sits tied for fourth in the standings with Central Oklahoma.
• The Mules are 41-28 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 7-3 at home this season after splitting games against Lincoln and Lindenwood this past weekend. They are 42-14 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 178-25 at home over the last 13 seasons, including 71-2 against non-conference opponents and 107-23 in MIAA play. 
• The Mules are 506-102 (.832) 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 289 points this season and 1,158 for his career thus far. He is the 20th player in Mules Basketball History to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves 1,158 points ranks 15th on the UCM career scoring list. He needs to score 12 more points to move up to 14th all-time in UCM history.

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• The Mules continue to play well on defense as they are allowing just 64.5 points per game which ranks second-best in the MIAA in scoring defense this season and is 10th best in all of Division II.
• Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in scoring and ninth in field goal percentage at 16.1 points per game and 50.8%.
• Lowrance still sits second in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 57.8%, while averaging 14.8 points per game which is tied for 15th-best in the league. He is sixth in blocks with 1.2 per game.
• Reaves is third in the MIAA free throw percentage at 91.0% on 71-78 made free throws. DJ Richardson is seventh at 89.6% on 61-70 made free throws.
• Lowrance is eighth in the league in rebounding averaging 6.9 rebounds per game. Reaves is 20th with 5.2 rebounds per game.
• Blake Spellman is averaging 3.5 assists per game which is tied for ninth-best in the MIAA. He is second the league in assist-turnover ratio at 3.32, which is tied for ninth in Division II this season. 
• Richardson is third in the conference in steals with 1.8 per game. Reaves is tied for ninth at 1.4 steals per game, while Clarence Smith is tied for 17th at 1.1 per game.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 74-35 (.679) in his fourth season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 163-69 (.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 BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 113th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,689-959 (.638) record in 2,648 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 next three games will be at home as MIAA play begins to tighten up for tournament seeding. The first two games will be against a pair of Oklahoma schools in Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State on Feb. 1 and 3.
• UCM will tip-off against the Bronchos at 7:30 pm on Thursday, Feb. 1, while the game against the RiverHawks will tip at 3:30 pm on Saturday, Feb. 3.