TIP-OFF
• Central Missouri Mules Basketball wraps up regular season play this week. UCM hosts Missouri Southern Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to Pittsburg, Kan. to take on the Gorillas Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3:30 p.m.
• UCM dropped back-to-back games on the road last week. The Mules fell to Lincoln 79-65 in Jefferson City and then dropped a tough 56-52 contest to Lindenwood in St. Charles. UCM (19-7, 11-6 MIAA) currently sits fourth in the league standings.
• Missouri Southern is 19-8 overall and 14-4 in MIAA play. The Lions are winners of seven straight games and currently sit second in the MIAA standings. They have clinched a bye to Kansas City as a top-three seed in the MIAA Tournament.
• Pitt State enters the week 15-12 overall, with an 8-10 mark in MIAA action. The Gorillas are coming off a tight four-point loss, 92-88, this past Tuesday against MSSU. They are just one game back of being a top-eight seed in the MIAA Tournament.
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.
SENIOR DAY THURSDAY
• Thursday's game vs. MSSU is Senior Day. The Mules' three seniors will be honored at halftime of the Jennies' game.
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
•
Spencer Reaves is averaging 16.1 points per game this season, best on the team and 10th in the MIAA. He has posted 10-plus points in nine straight games and 22 overall games this season.
•
Jakob Lowrance leads the team in double-doubles with five this season. He posted his fifth in the Mules home win over Northeastern State with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
• Eight different players have scored in double figures for UCM this season.
Spencer Reaves and
DJ Richardson lead the way having scored 10-plus points in 22 games this season.
• The Mules are fifth in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 47.8 percent, seventh in three-point shooting at 36.9 percent and first in free throw percentage at 78.3 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (65.4 ppg). The Mules are sixth in field goal percentage allowed at 44.4 percent and sixth in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 35.4 percent.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• The Mules and Lions will square off for the 65th time overall. The Mules are 38-26 all-time against the Lions. Since the 2010-11 season, UCM is 9-7 against MSSU.
• UCM fell to MSSU on the road earlier this season, 76-69. The Mules have a 20-9 mark in Warrensburg against the Lions and are winners of four of their last five home games against them.
SERIES HISTORY VS. PITTSBURG STATE
• The Mules and Gorillas will meet for the 116th time. All-time, UCM holds a 73-43 series lead over PSU. In Pittsburg, PSU has a slight lead over UCM with a 28-23 mark.
• UCM defeated Pitt State earlier this season thanks, 87-85, to a buzzer-beating jumper by
Spencer Reaves in the final seconds. The Mules are 10-4 against the Gorillas since the 2010-11 season.
LAST MEETING WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN
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 for MSSU. He shot 5-11 from the floor and notched a double-double with 10 rebounds. He finished 4-9 from beyond the arc.
LAST MEETING WITH PITTSBURG STATE
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 7, 2018)-- It took a buzzer beating shot from senior
Spencer Reaves for No. 25 Central Missouri Mules Basketball to earn their fifth straight win and 19th overall. The Mules held off a furious late second half rally by the Pittsburg State Gorillas to defeat them 87-85 thanks to Reaves heroics. With the win, UCM is now 19-4 overall, 11-3 in MIAA action, and sits third in the league standings.
• The Mules shot a season-high 58.0% from the floor connecting on 29-50 buckets in the game. The Gorillas (13-10, 6-8 MIAA) were not far behind as they finished 50.0% from the floor on 26-52 shooting.
• UCM connected on 8-18 attempts from beyond the arc for 44.4%, while the Gorillas were 9-22 for 40.9%
• Bench scoring was a big help for the Mules as they outscored Pitt State's bench 30-19 on the night.
Daniel Farris and
Clarence Smith provided most of the bench scoring with 14 and 11, respectively.
• The game was tied 2-2 early with 18:52 to play, but the Mules then outscored the Gorillas 19-5, including a 10-0 run, to lead 21-7 at the midway point of the first half.
• The Gorillas responded with a quick 10-0 run of their own and cut the Mules lead to four, 21-17, with just over eight minutes to play in the half.
• Both teams traded shots the remainder of the half and UCM went into halftime leading by 10, 39-29.
• UCM and Pitt State traded shots for most of the second half, but UCM led by 10-plus points for the first 13 minutes. A jumper by Lowrance at the 12:40 mark gave UCM its biggest lead at 20, 59-39.
• The Gorillas did not go away, as they used a 9-0 scoring to get within seven of the Mules with just over six minutes to play in the game.
• In the final 6:52 to play in the game, Pitt State went 8-10 from the floor, and 3-4 from three-point range to tie the game, 85-85, with :14 left on the clock.
• Reaves was calm and collective as he came down the court for UCM and nailed the game-winner as the clock expired.
• The Mules bested their first half shooting performance going 13-22 in the second half for 59.1%. Pitt State shot better than the Mules, going 18-28 in the second 20 minutes for 64.3%.
• Reaves scored a game-high 24 points while missing just three shots. He finished 8-11 shooting and was 7-8 at the free throw line. He also pulled down six rebounds and had a team-best three assists.
• Farris had a career night scoring 14 points on 5-7 shooting. He grabbed four boards as well and handed out two assists.
• Lowrance posted his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 boards. He shot 5-12 from the field and was perfect 2-2 at the charity strip.
• Smith chipped in 11 points off the bench. He shot 3-5 on the night and connected on all three triples he took.
• Grant Loyoza scored 22 points on 7-10 shooting for Pitt State. He was 4-4 from both three-point range and the free throw line. He also grabbed four rebounds and had a game-high four assists.
SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• The Lions enter the contest at 19-8 overall and 14-4 in MIAA play following a four-point win, 92-88, over Pittsburg State this past Tuesday. MSSU is winners of its last seven games, including a win over UCM on Feb. 10.
• The Lions enter the game second the MIAA in scoring averaging 81.4 points per game, but are 11th in scoring defense at 76.1 points per game. They are sixth in field goal percentage (47.3%), while ranking third in three-point field goal percentage (41.0%). They are 12th in field goal percentage defense (46.3%).
• MSSU has the MIAA's No. 5 and No. 7 scorer in CJ Carr (17.8 ppg) and Elyjah Clark (16.8 ppg). Carr also leads the team and MIAA in assists with 6.0 per game. He also leads the MIAA in steals with 2.3 per game.
• Clark leads the team and is 12th in the MIAA in rebounding at 6.4 boards per game. LJ Ross is 13th at 6.3 boards per contest. The Lions are third in rebounding (35.9 rpg) and second the MIAA in offensive boards (10.4 rpg).
• Clark leads the team and MIAA in three-point field goal percentage (47.4%) and made three-point field goals (3.7).
• Kinzer Lambert (10.9 ppg), Ross (10.1 ppg), and Enis Memec (10.0 ppg) round out the double figure scoring for the Lions. Lambert is also tied for eighth in the MIAA in blocks with 1.1 per game.
SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE
• The Gorillas enter the game 15-12 overall, with an 8-10 MIAA record following a 92-88 loss at Missouri Southern. Pitt State is currently ninth in the MIAA and one game out of a top-eight seed for the MIAA Tournament.
• The Gorillas enter the contest leading the MIAA in scoring averaging 85.7 points per game, but are second to last (13th) in scoring defense at 77.0 points per game. They are second in field goal percentage (49.7%) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (39.1%)
• Pitt State has the league's No. 4 and No. 8 scorer in Xavier Adams (18.1 ppg) and Donovan Franklin (16.4 ppg). Adams is third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 53.4%. Franklin is sixth in free throw percentage (86.0%).
• Adams also leads the team and is seventh in the MIAA in rebound at 7.0 per game. Jabari Antwine leads the team and is eighth in the MIAA in assists at 3.5 per game. He is tied for sixth in the MIAA in steals with 1.5 per game.
• Grant Loyoza and Demetrius Levarity are both averaging double-digits points. Loyoza averages 13.1 points per game, Levarity at 11.2 points per game. Antwine is just under the 10-point average at 9.9 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT • LINDENWOOD 56, CENTRAL MISSOURI 52 • 2/17/18
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (Feb. 17, 2018)-- Central Missouri Mules Basketball dropped their third straight game as they feel by four, 56-52, to the Lindenwood Lions Saturday afternoon at Hyland Arena. With the loss, the Mules are now 9-7 overall and 11-6 in MIAA play.
• The Mules outshot the Lions (15-11, 7-10 MIAA) for the game 43.5% to 38.3%, but the Lions had the advantage from three-point range and the free throw line.
• Lindenwood went 7-23 (30.4%) from deep and 13-20 (65%) at the charity strip, while Central Missouri finished 3-14 (21.4%) from beyond the arc, and just 9-16 at the free throw line (56.3%).
• The game was tied 4-4 in the first two minutes, but the Lions created separation with a 14-2 run to jump out 18-6 with 12:07 to play.
• The Mules responded with a 7-0 run and get within five, 18-13, but the Lions answered right back with a 10-0 run to get back up by double figures, 28-13. The 15-point lead was their largest of the game.
• Looking to keep things close going into halftime, UCM put together one more run, 10-1, to get within single digits of Lindenwood. At the break, it was 29-23 Lions.
• The Mules went 9-20 in the first half for 45%, but made just one triple on seven attempts for 14.3%. The Lions shot 11-27 for 40.7% and were 4-12 from deep in the first half for 33.3%.
• The second half was a low scoring affair just like the first. UCM slowly chipped away at Lindenwood's lead and grabbed the lead with just over 13 minutes to play in the game.
•
DJ Richardson nailed an layup and drew contact on the way up. He made the free throw to get UCM within one, 34-33. After a defensive stop,
Duane Clark Jr. hit a shot the paint to get UCM up 35-34 with 13:01 to play.
• The Lions once again responded and held the Mules scoreless for over three minutes and scored seven straight to lead, 41-35.
• UCM made one more push and tied the game 48-48 with 3:54 to play.
Spencer Reaves scored five straight points on a three-pointer and layup to tie the game for UCM.
• The Lions answered with a quick three to retake the lead and never let the Mules get any closer than one point in the final three minutes. Free throws made the difference as the Lions took seven more than the Mules. They went 10-16, while the Mules were just 5-9.
• The Mules went 11-26 in the second frame for 42.3%, while holding the Lions to just seven made shots on 20 attempts for 35%.
• Reaves led all scorers with 21 points. He finished 8-13 from the floor and was the Mules top rebounder with eight.
• Diekvoss was leader in points and rebounds as he notched a double with 19 points and 11 boards. He finished the game 6-9 shooting for Lindenwood.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• UCM is 11-6 in league play after dropping back-to-back games at Lincoln and Lindenwood last week.
• The Mules sits fourth in the MIAA standings behind Northwest Missouri, Missouri Southern, and Washburn.
• The Mules are 46-31 in conference play under
Doug Karleskint.
MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules went 8-1 in non-conference action during the regular season. 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 4-4 on the road this season with wins with all four wins coming against MIAA opponents.
• UCM is 21-21 in road games under
Doug Karleskint.
1,000 POINT CLUB
•
Spencer Reaves scored 512 points last season and in his first two seasons with the Mules he scored 869 career points.
• He has 419 points this season and 1,288 for his career. He is the 20th player in Mules Basketball History to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves 1,288 points ranks ninth on the UCM career scoring list. He needs to score 12 more points to reach 1,300 and 22 points move up to eighth all-time in UCM history.
MULES IN THE MIAA TOURNAMENT
• The Mules have clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament and look to secure a top-four seed and a bye to the quarterfinals in Kansas City.
• UCM is the only school in conference history to play in every MIAA Tournament.
• Wins in each of their final two games coupled with two-straight losses by Washburn would give the Mules the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament.
• A Central Missouri win on Thursday or Saturday would secure the No. 4 seed for the Mules and a bye to the tournament quarterfinals in Kansas City.
MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Defensively, UCM is second is the MIAA is scoring defense (65.4 ppg) and 14th in Division II. They lead the MIAA in free throw percentage at 78.3%.
• Reaves is tied for eighth in the MIAA in scoring with 16.1 points per game.
Jakob Lowrance is tied for 17th in the league at 14.4 points per game
• Lowrance is second in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 58.5%. Reaves is eighth at 50.4%.
• Reaves is second in the MIAA free throw percentage at 90.4% (104-115).
DJ Richardson is 13th at 80.7% on (88-109).
• Lowrance is tied for eighth in the MIAA in rebounding at 6.7 per game and seventh in blocks with 1.2 per game. Reaves is 18th in rebounding average with 5.3 per game.
•
Blake Spellman is tied for 13th in the MIAA in assists per game with 3.0. He is fourth in assist-turnover ratio at 2.4.
• Richardson is tied for second in the league in steals with 1.7 per game. Reaves is tied for 10th at 1.2 per game.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 79-38 (.675) in his fourth season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 168-72 (.700) 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 1,694-962 (.638) record in 2,656 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 await their MIAA Tournament seed. UCM can finish as high as second and as low as fifth. If the Mules finish in the top four of the MIAA standings they will receive a first round bye and will play on Friday, March 2 in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. A fifth place finish would give UCM a home first round game on Tuesday night, Feb. 27.
