Mules Take On In-State Foes Lincoln and Lindenwood

TIP-OFF
• Central Missouri Mules Basketball wraps up their three-game road trip with a pair of in-state games against Lincoln and Lindenwood. The Mules are at Lincoln on Thursday, Feb. 15, for a 7:30 p.m. tip against the Blue Tigers. They will then travel to Lindenwood on Saturday, Feb. 17. Tip-off against the Lions is set for 3:30 p.m.
• UCM split its two games last week against Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern and still remains in the top-four of the MIAA standings. UCM defeated Pittsburg State, 87-85, at home before falling to Missouri Southern, 76-69, on the road.
• The Mules were picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit third in the league standings at 19-5 overall and 11-4 against MIAA opponents.
• Lincoln is 14-11 overall and 8-8 in conference play going into the rematch with UCM. Since their loss to the Mules, the Blue Tigers are winners of six of their last seven games, including three straight wins.
• The Blue Tigers were picked to finish 11th in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. Lincoln is currently sixth in the league standings with a one game lead over Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, and Nebraska-Kearney who are all 7-8 in the MIAA.
• Lindenwood is 14-11 overall with a 6-10 mark against MIAA opponents. Lindenwood has struggled since its road win over UCM, dropping five of its last six games and are currently on a four-game losing streak.
• The Lions were picked to finish ninth in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit 10th in the league standings with a 6-10 conference mark and are just ahead of Southwest Baptist who is 5-10 in conference play.

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 1,694 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 59-33 all-time against the Blue Tigers after defeating them 67-57 earlier this season at home. In Jefferson City, UCM has a 26-15 advantage against Lincoln.
• The Mules will look to win their second straight game against the Blue Tigers this season. UCM is winners of 19 of the last 20 games against Lincoln.

SERIES HISTORY VS. LINDENWOOD
• The Mules and Lions already met earlier this season with the Lions walking away on top 72-63. The two teams have a short history having only met 13 times overall. UCM is 3-2 against Lindenwood in St. Charles
• UCM has dropped back-to-back games against Lindenwood. Prior to dropping two-straight at home, the Mules were 6-0 against the Lions at the Multi and were winners of the previous four overall match ups.

LAST MEETING WITH LINCOLN
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 18, 2018)-- Central Mules Basketball had a slow to start to their MIAA home contest against the Lincoln Blue Tigers, scoring just 21 points in the first half, but a strong second half with 46 points scored, help propel them to a 67-57 win at home Thursday night. With the win, UCM is now 14-3 overall and 6-2 in MIAA action. 
• The Mules struggled to make baskets in the first half, going just 7-28 from the floor for 25.0%, but an 18-28 second half shooting performance help them finish the game at 44.6% (25-56). The Blue Tigers (8-10, 2-7 MIAA) finished the night at 41.7% on 20-48 shooting.
• The start of the game was a struggle as UCM only led once the first 20 minutes of play, but managed to tie the game twice. It took UCM nearly 10 minutes in the first half to reach double-digits when DJ Richardson hit a three to make it one-point UCM deficit, 12-11.
• The Blue Tigers managed to grab an eight-point lead, 27-19, which was their largest of the game with :43 to play until the break, but a pair of free throws by Spencer Reaves in the final seconds help keep the game within reach for the Mules. 
• The second half was a complete turnaround for UCM's offense as the team put up 46 points on 18-28 made baskets for 64.3%. After hitting just two triples in the first half, UCM came out hitting nine on 14 attempts. UCM also found love in the paint outscoring Lincoln 16-8 in the second half alone. 
• Down 32-28 early in the second frame, the Mules used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 32-all with 16:23 to play. Jakob Lowrance scored four of the six points on tough layups, while Reaves added a jumper to cap off the run.  
• UCM maintained a slim lead for most of the second half, but did not separate from the Blue Tigers until the 5:58 mark when they established a double-digit lead, 56-45, that they never relinquished.
• The Mules got a lot of help from scoring the paint as they outscored Lincoln by 10, 26-16. Matt Wilkinson and Richardson came up big for UCM scoring 12 and 10 in the second half.
• Richardson led the Mules in scoring for the third consecutive game with 16 points on 6-13 shooting. He matched a career-high in made three's with four on eight attempts. He also pulled down four boards and handed a team-high five assists.
• Wilkinson put up his second double-digit game of the season scoring 14 points. 
• Lowrance chipped in 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to post his fourth double-double of the season.
• John Burton led the way for Lincoln with 18 points. He shot 5-13 from the floor with all five made shots coming from three-point range.

LAST MEETING WITH LINDENWOOD
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). 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 to play. Lindenwood grabbed a six-point lead, 36-30, right as the first half came to a close.
• Reaves scored 12 points in the first 20 minutes to pace the Mules. 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. 
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 win.
• 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.
• Dobbs was perfect from the floor scoring 19 points on 9-9 shooting. He also grabbed three rebounds for Lindenwood.

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 still leads Lincoln in scoring this season. He is averaging 15.0 points per game on 47.3% shooting overall and 46.0% shooting from three-point range. He is 11th in MIAA in scoring and 12th in field goal percentage.
• Terrance Smith is right behind Ivory averaging 14.9 points per game. He leads the team in field goal percentage and is ninth in the MIAA AT 50.4%. He's second on the team in rebounds with 5.3 per game and leads the team in blocks (20).
• John Burton is averaging12.9 points per game and is a threat from deep as he shoots 44.4% from beyond the arc which is third-highest in the MIAA. He averages 3.0 made triples per game which is tied for second in the MIAA.
• Marquise Williams is the top rebounder for the Blue Tigers averaging 8.7 boards per game, which is third-best in the MIAA. He is fourth on the team in scoring averaging 10.0 points per contest.
• Maurice Mason is averaging 10.9 points per game in 16 games played for Lincoln. He is averaging 4.9 assists per game which is third in the MIAA.
• The Blue Tigers are averaging 76.6 points per game on 47.9% shooting. Their opponents average 73.6 points per game on 44.5% 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.
• Brad Newman still leads the Lions in scoring at 14.5 points per game, which is 15th in the MIAA. His 89.6% free throw percentage leads the team as well and is fourth in the MIAA.
• Chandler Diekvoss is the second leading scorer for Lindenwood averaging 14.2 points per game. He shoots 53.1% from the floor which is tops on the team and fifth-best in the MIAA. He leads the team in rebounds with 6.6 per contest, which ranks 10th in the MIAA.
• Jackson Price is the final player in double figures for Lindenwood. He is averaging 11.3 points per game on 40.6% shooting. He averages 2.4 made three-pointers a game which is tied for sixth most in the MIAA.
• Adam Pohlman averages just 8.5 points per game but is a facilitator for the Lions. He leads the way in assists with 4.7 a game, which ranks fourth in the MIAA. His 3.65 assist-turnover ratio is tops in the MIAA and fourth in Division II. He is tied for second in the MIAA in steals with 1.8 per contest.
• Dominique Dobbs puts up 7.0 points per game and is second on the team in rebounds with 4.9 a game. His 1.5 blocks per game average leads the Lions and is tied for third in the MIAA.
• Lindenwood is averaging 73.8 points per game on 46.3% shooting, while allowing 69.9 points per game on 46.0% shooting.

LAST TIME OUT • MISSOURI SOUTHERN 76, CENTRAL MISSOURI 69 • 2/10/18
JOPLIN, Mo. (Feb. 10, 2018)-- DJ Richardson scored a career-high 26 points but it was not enough as Central Missouri Mules Basketball fell on the road to Missouri Southern, 76-69, on Saturday afternoon. A second half scoring drought that lasted over five minutes doomed the Mules in their contest against the Lions. With the loss, UCM is now 19-5 overall and 11-4 in the MIAA.
• Both teams had 28 made shots in the game. The Mules shot 52.8% (28-53), while the Lions (16-8, 11-4 MIAA) shot 53.8% on 28-52 shooting.
• The first half saw both teams shoot over 60% from the floor. The Mules shot 60.9% (14-23), but were barely bested by the Lions who shot 61.5% (16-26).
• UCM got up 5-2 to start the game, but Missouri Southern dictated the tempo going forward and led for nearly 18 minutes in the first half. 
• Richardson scored 14 first half points on 6-8 made shots to keep the game within reach. The Mules were 4-7 from three-point range in the first half.
• The Lions led by as much as nine on two separate occasions, but the Mules kept the game in reach and trailed 38-37 going into halftime.
• Coming out of the break, UCM went on a 10-3 run and led for the first time since the 17:40 mark of the first half. They led the Lions 47-41 with 15:29 to play.
• The two teams traded shots over the next six minutes, but UCM managed to keep out in front for the first 11 minutes of the second half. 
• Richardson continued his strong play and a three-pointer by him at the 9:07 mark gave the Mules their largest lead of eight, 61-53.
• The Lions responded with a 15-0 run that lasted over five minutes to get back on top over the Mules by seven, 68-61.
• The Mules never matched the tempo of the Lions in the final nine minutes and scored just eight points in that stretch.
• UCM shot 46.7% in the second half (14-30), while MSSU was 12-26 from the floor for 46.2%. 
• MSSU won the turnover battle 13-11, and outscored UCM's bench 11-6. Points in the paint favored the Mules though, 38-28. 
• The Mules finished 7-17 from beyond the arc for 41.2%. The Lions had three more made triples going 10-25 from deep for 40%.
• Richardson scored a game-high 26 points on 11-18 shooting, with two made triples. He also grabbed four boards.
• Jakob Lowrance added 12 points while going 5-8 from the floor. He was 2-3 from three-point range and pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
• Spencer Reaves chipped in 11 points on a 5-11 shooting performance. He tied the team lead in rebounds with six and also dished out two assists.
• Elyjah Clark led the way with 18 points. He shot 5-11 from the floor and notched a double-double with 10 rebounds. He finished 4-9 from beyond the arc.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• Central Missouri is 11-4 in league play after splitting games last week. They defeated Pitt State, 87-85, before falling to Missouri Southern, 76-69. The Mules other three MIAA losses are to Northwest Missouri (twice) and Lindenwood.
• UCM still sits third in the MIAA standings behind Northwest Missouri and Washburn.
• The Mules are 46-29 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 10-3 at home this season after a buzzer beating win over MIAA foe Pittsburg State last Wednesday. They are 44-14 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 181-25 at home over the last 13 seasons, including 71-2 against non-conference opponents and 110-23 in MIAA play. 
• The Mules are 509-102 (.833) in their 42nd season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• UCM is 4-2 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 21-19 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 380 points this season and 1,249 for his career thus far. He is the 20th player in Mules Basketball History to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves 1,249 points ranks 10th on the UCM career scoring list. He needs to score 14 more points to move up to ninth all-time in UCM history.

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Defense continues to be a strong suit for the Mules as they are allowing just 65.2 points per game which ranks second-best in the MIAA in scoring defense this season and is 13th best in all of Division II.
• Reaves is tied for eighth in the MIAA in scoring and ninth in field goal percentage at 15.8 points per game and 50.6%.
• Lowrance is third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 58.3%, while averaging 14.9 points per game which is tied for 13th-best in the league. He is still seventh in blocks with 1.2 per game.
• Reaves is second in the MIAA free throw percentage at 91.2% on 93-102 made free throws. DJ Richardson is 10th at 82.3% on 79-96 made free throws.
• Lowrance is seventh in the league in rebounding averaging 7.0 per game. Reaves is tied for 17th with 5.3 per game.
• Blake Spellman is averaging 3.1 assists per game which is tied for 13th-best in the MIAA. He is fourth the league in assist-turnover ratio at 2.4, which is 48th in Division II this season. 
• Richardson is tied for second in the conference in steals with 1.8 per game. Reaves is 14th at 1.2 steals per game.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 79-36 (.687) in his fourth season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 168-70 (.706) 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 1,694-960 (.638) record in 2,654 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 split their final two games of the regular season at home and on the road next week. They will host the Missouri Southern Lions for Senior Night and will then be at Pittsburg State for the regular season finale.
• UCM and Missouri Southern will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22. The Mules will honor three seniors in DJ Richardson, Clarence Smith, and Spencer Reaves at halftime of the Jennies game.
• The Mules and Gorillas will close out MIAA play and the regular season with a 3:30 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Feb. 24, in Pittsburg, Kan.