TIP-OFF
• Central Missouri Mules Basketball is home for their next three games before hitting the road for three straight. They host Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State before wrapping up the home stand with Pittsburg State. Tip-off against the Bronchos is set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1. UCM then hosts the RiverHawks on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 3:30 p.m.
• UCM picked up two tough road wins last week in Kansas with wins over Emporia State, 77-59, and MIAA leader Washburn, 63-55. UCM will look to extend its wins streak to four as a pair of Oklahoma schools visit this week.
• The Mules were picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit third in the league standings at 16-4 overall and 8-3 against MIAA opponents.
• Central Oklahoma enters this week with 14-6 overall and a 7-4 mark in MIAA play. They are fifth in the league standings. Their MIAA losses are to Northwest Missouri, Emporia State, Washburn, and Missouri Southern.
• The Bronchos were picked to finish fifth in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and totaled 115 points.
• Northeastern State is 6-14 this season and 2-9 against MIAA opponents. Their two conference wins are against Emporia State and Missouri Southern. Their four other wins are over Southeastern Oklahoma, Ecclesia College, Oklahoma Baptist, and William Woods.
• The RiverHawks were picked to finish 12th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll ahead of Southwest Baptist and Missouri Western, respectively.
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 1,671 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. CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• The Mules and Bronchos have a short history with the favor going to the Bronchos, 8-7. Prior to the 2010-11 season, the two teams only met four times, with the Mules winning three of the four. Since the turn of the decade, Central Oklahoma has a 7-4 edge over UCM.
• UCM and UCO met twice last season and split the series 1-1. UCO held off UCM, 58-54, at home back in early February, but UCM settled the score with a 59-54 win at the MIAA Tournament. The win also snapped a three-game losing streak to UCO.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The Mules will square off against the RiverHawks for just the seventh time overall. The two teams never met until Northeastern State joined the MIAA at the start of the 2012-13 season. UCM leads 4-2 against NSU and is 2-0 at home.
• UCM routed NSU in their lone meeting last season, 78-58, on the road. The Mules have won three straight against the RiverHawks. Their only two losses to them came in the 2013-14 National Championship season.
LAST MEETING WITH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 2, 2017) --
DJ Richardson hit a three-pointer with 1:23 to play in the game to put UCM ahead and the Mules salted the game away at the free throw line to beat Central Oklahoma 59-54 on Thursday afternoon in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals at Municipal Auditorium.
With the win, the Mules advance to Saturday's noon semifinal to face third-seeded Nebraska-Kearney.
The Mules (20-8) trailed 54-52 with just under 90 seconds to play when Richardson swished his three-pointer from the right wing as the shot clock was expiring. The Bronchos (17-12) got the ball back with 33 seconds left after a UCM miss, still trailing by one. Josh Holliday drove the lane with :13 on the clock, but his shot was no good and
Clarence Smith secured the rebound for the Mules.
After a UCO timeout, Smith calmly hit both free throws to put UCM up 57-54. The Mules elected to foul Marquis Johnson as he crossed half court with :04 left. He missed both free throws, the second one intentionally, and
Jakob Lowrance snagged the rebound for the Mules and hit both free throws to put the game away, 59-54, and send the Mules on to the next round.
The Mules got off to a strong start, leading 6-2 just two minutes in to the game and 8-2 by the 17:12 mark. UCM pushed the lead to seven at 11-4 only to see UCO go on an 8-2 run to pull within one at 13-12 with 11:16 to play first half.
Four points from Richardson and a layup by
Jakob Lowrance pushed the lead back to seven at 19-12 with 9:54 left in the half. Again, the Bronchos rallied with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 19, but
Spencer Reaves drilled a three-pointer and got fouled, he converted the four-point play and UCM led 23-19 with just under five to play. UCM pushed the lead to six at 27-21, but Central Oklahoma closed the half on a 7-0 run and led for the first time, 28-27, at halftime.
UCM quickly regained the lead out of the halftime break and a three-pointer from
Kyle Wolf gave UCM a 34-30 lead at the 15:50 mark. The Mules pushed the lead to six at 42-36 on a three-pointer from Smith as the game see-sawed back and forth.
A 6-0 run from UCO gave the Bronchos a 45-44 lead with 6:32 to play but a layup from Wolf and a steal and breakaway layup for Richardson gave the Mules a 48-45 edge with 5:50 to play.
The game saw eight ties or lead changes the final 5:50 before Richardson's three-pointer put the Mules in front for good.
He led UCM with 18 points and four steals. Reaves had 13 points, five assists and four steals as well. Lowrance had eight points, six boards and two blocks off the bench, while
Brad Woodson had a team-high nine rebounds.
The win snaps a three-game losing streak to Central Oklahoma and gives the Mules a 3-0 record against UCO in MIAA Tournament games played in Kansas City.
LAST MEETING WITH NORTHEASTERN STATE
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.
SCOUTING CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
• The Bronchos finished 17-12 last season and went 11-8 against MIAA competition. They made the MIAA Tournament and defeated Emporia State, 62-49, in the opening round before falling to the Mules in the quarterfinals, 59-54.
• UCO returns a pair of post players in Corbin Byford and Jake Hammond. The two combined for 22.9 points and 13.4 rebounds last year. Also back is leading scorer Josh Holliday who averaged 13.1 points per game.
• Byford leads Bronchos in scoring and rebounding averaging 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. His rebounding average is tied for 11th in the MIAA, and his 58.9% shooting is third-highest in the league. He also ranks in the top-five in blocked shots at 1.5 per game, which is fourth.
• Senior guard Marqueese Grayson is the second leading scorer for UCO averaging 11.3 points per game on 43.6% shooting and is 39.0% from three-point range. He averages 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Bronchos.
• Sophomore guard Marquis Johnson facilitates the offense averaging 3.0 assists per game and has an assist-turnover ratio of 2.61 which ranks fourth best in the MIAA. He is the third leading scorer averaging 9.9 points per contest.
• As a team, the Bronchos average 75.5 points per game on 47.0% shooting. Defensively, they are the fourth-best in the MIAA as they hold their opposition to 67.8 points per game. Their field goal percentage defense of 41.5% is second-best in the league.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE
• The RiverHawks finished the 2016-17 campaign at 5-23 overall and 4-15 in the MIAA. The made the opening round of the conference tournament, but fell on the road to Fort Hays State, 61-53.
• Northeastern State is now led by Mark Downey who entered the season with a 204-103 overall head coaching record, along with four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. During the offseason, Downey brought in 13 newcomers with four players who have played previously on a NCAA Division I program.
• Jamir Andrews is the top scorer for the RiverHawks thsi season averaging 15.2 points per game, which is 13th in the league, on 41.9% shooting. He is the only player in double figures and also averages 2.4 rebounds per game.
• Senior guard Montre' Williams is the leading assist man with 3.5 per game. His 3.5 assists per game rank 10th in the MIAA. He is the fourth in scoring with 8.5 points per game and shoots 34.3% from the floor overall.
• Sophomore forward Gordon Hill is the leading rebounder for NSU pulling down 5.8 boards per game which is tied for 14th in the MIAA this season.
• Coryon Mason checks in as the second leading scorer averaging 9.3 points per game.
• Lucas Antunez is third on the team in points per game with 8.6 on 42.4% shooting.
• The RiverHawks average 71.1 points per game which is second lowest in the MIAA on 42.5% shooting. Defensively, they allow 76.9 points per game. Field goal percentage wise, they are last in the MIAA allowing teams to shoot 48.2% from the floor.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 63, WASHBURN 55 • 1/27/18
TOPEKA, Kan. (Jan. 27, 2018)-- Central Missouri Mules Basketball scored 44 second-half points to mount a comeback on the road against the top team in the MIAA in the Washburn Ichabods, 63-55, on Saturday afternoon in Lee Arena. Four Mules scored in double figures as they improved to 16-4 overall, and 8-3 in the MIAA.
• UCM trailed by as much as 14 in the game against Washburn (15-5, 9-2 MIAA) and never led by more than eight in the game. Despite shooting just 38.9% (7-18) in the first half, the Mules found rhythm in the second shooting 54.2% (13-24) to finish the game at 47.6% (20-42).
• The Ichabods never shot over 50% in either half, but a cold second half of 31.6% shooting (6-19) kept them from maintaining a double figure lead at home against the Mules. They finished the game shooting 19-50 from the floor for 28.0%.
• Washburn used an 11-0 run early in the first half and held the Mules to just six points to lead them 15-9 with 11:49 to play. The Ichabods made 13 shots in the first frame on 31 attempts (41.9%) to lead the Mules 32-19 going into the locker room.
• Although shots did not fall in the first 20 minutes of action, UCM never let the Ichabods lead by 10-plus points until the final 4:45 of the first half. Both teams struggled from three-point range making just two triples apiece. The Mules went 2-12 (16.37), while the Ichabods were just 2-10 (20.0%).
• Coming out of the break, the Mules used a 9-0 run to cut the Ichabods lead to four, 32-28, with 16:38 to play. The tides turned in favor of the Mules from then on as they outscored Washburn 23-6 in the first 10 minutes of the second half to lead 42-38 at the midway point.
• The final 10 minutes of action was a battle to the very end, but UCM's quick pace out of halftime proved to be a difference maker.
Jakob Lowrance poured in 16 second half points to lead the Mules. He had help as
Spencer Reaves and
Matt Wilkinson scored nine and eight, respectively, to help mount the comeback.
• Washburn did out-rebound UCM 30-28 and both teams finished with 18 total turnovers. In the second half, the Mules limited their turnovers and had just five after giving up 13 in the first half. The battle in the paint was tightly contested, but UCM won, 30-28.
• Free throws played a role in the second frame as the two teams combined 37 attempts. UCM went 15-17, while Washburn managed to finish 11-20 in the second half.
• Lowrance's strong second half of 16 points helped him finish with 20 for the game. He shot a blistering 81.8% on 9-11 shooting. He was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine.
• Reaves scored 15 points on 5-12 shooting. He had three made triples and grabbed seven boards.
• Wilkinson chipped in 11 points and was a difference maker at the free throw line going 9-10 for the game. He also pulled down four rebounds and handed out three assists.
•
DJ Richardson put up 10 points for UCM on 3-7 shooting, while going 4-6 at the free throw line. He also finished with a game-high two steals and dished out two assists.
• Tyas Martin led the way for Washburn scoring 13 points. He was 6-7 from the floor and had three assists.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• Central Missouri is 8-3 in conference play with wins over Missouri Western (twice), Southwest Baptist, Fort Hays State, Nebraska-Kearney, Lincoln, Emporia State, and Washburn. UCM's three MIAA losses are against Northwest Missouri (twice) and Lindenwood.
• UCM still currently sits third in the standings behind Northwest Missouri and Washburn.
• The Mules are 43-28 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 4-1 on the road this season with wins with all four wins coming against MIAA opponents.
• The Mules were 7-5 on the road last season.
• UCM is 21-18 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 319 points this season and 1,188 for his career thus far. He is the 20th player in Mules Basketball History to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves 1,188 points ranks 14th on the UCM career scoring list. He needs to score 12 more points to reach 1,200 for his career and 23 to move up to 13th all-time in UCM history.
MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Defense continues to be a strong suit for the Mules as they are allowing just 63.8 points per game which ranks second-best in the MIAA in scoring defense this season and is ninth best in all of Division II.
• Reaves is tied for eighth in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in field goal percentage at 16.0 points per game and 50.7%.
• Lowrance still sits second in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 59.7%, while averaging 15.5 points per game which is tied for 11th-best in the league. He is seventh in blocks with 1.2 per game.
• Reaves is third in the MIAA free throw percentage at 91.5% on 75-82 made free throws.
DJ Richardson is ninth at 84.1% on 69-82 made free throws.
• Lowrance is eighth in the league in rebounding averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. Reaves is tied for 18th with 5.4 rebounds per game.
•
Blake Spellman is averaging 3.4 assists per game which is tied for 11th-best in the MIAA. He is third the league in assist-turnover ratio at 2.79, which is 20th in Division II this season.
• Richardson is tied for second in the conference in steals with 1.8 per game. Reaves is tied for 10th at 1.3 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 76-35 (.685) 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 1,691-959 (.638) record in 2,650 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.
• 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 close out their three-game home stand against Pittsburg State. Tip-off against the Gorillas will be on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m.
• Following the game against the Gorillas, UCM will hit the road for three straight games. The road trip starts in Joplin on Saturday, Feb. 10, as UCM will square off against Missouri Southern. Tip-off against the Lions is set for 3:30 p.m.
