Mules Fall to Lions 82-80 in Overtime

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 22, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Basketball dropped a heart breaker at home on Senior Night as they fell to Missouri Southern 82-80 in overtime at the Multi on Thursday. With the loss the Mules are now 19-8 overall and 11-7 in the MIAA.

How It Happened
• UCM shot 51.7% from the floor on 30-58 shooting. They held the Lions to 39.7% shooting (27-68), but a big help for the visitors was 12 made triples, while the Mules has just seven.
• The Lions (20-8, 15-4 MIAA) jumped out to an 8-2 lead to start the game, but the Mules answered scoring five straight to trail 8-7 with 16:09 to play.
• MSSU led for over 17 minutes in the first half, but the Mules managed to take the lead three times in the first half.
• A Duane Clark Jr. layup at the 5:54 mark tied the game, 23-23, but MSSU outscored UCM 14-6 to close out the half and lead 37-29.
• The Mules did shoot 50% in the first half (14-28), but went just 1-8 from three-point range. The Lions were 6-15 from deep and shot 41.9% in the half (13-31).
• Both teams traded shots out of the break, but a 14-0 run by the Mules gave them a 51-46 lead with 8:24 to play in the game.
• UCM went another run, this time 8-0, and grabbed its largest lead of the game of seven points, 63-56, with 1:02 remaining on the clock.
• The Lions outscored the Mules 10-3 in the final minute to tie the game 66-all and send the contest to overtime.
• Overtime was a back-and-forth affair, but MSSU outscored the Mules by two, 16-14, to hold on for a 82-80 win. 
• MSSU outrebounded UCM 47-29 overall, with a 18-4 edge in offensive boards. That led to 22 second chance points for MSSU, while UCM had just six.
• The Mules did win the scoring battle in the paint, 42-28.

It Was Over When...
• Daniel Farris nailed a layup with :17 to play in overtime and drew contact to make it a three-point play opportunity. His made free throw got UCM within three, 78-75. After a pair of missed free throws by MSSU, Reaves came down and put up a three-pointer at the top of key, but it rattled in and out. The Lions made a free throws the rest of way and secured the two-point overtime win. 

Mules Stat Leaders
• Reaves scored a game-high 23 points on a 8-13 shooting performance. He finished 3-6 from three-point range and was 4-5 from the free throw line. 
• Richardson scored 22 points, with 18 of them coming in the second half and overtime. He shot 7-12 from the floor and had a game-high three steals. 
• Blake Spellman added 12 points while shooting 50% from the floor (5-10). He also dished out three assists and had a steal.
• Farris rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points. He was 4-8 shooting and also grabbed five rebounds. 
• Jakob Lowrance chipped nine points and pulled down a team-high nine boards. He shot 4-9 on the night and led the team in assists with four. 

For the Lions
• Elyjah Clark led the charge for MSSU with 18 points. He shot 4-17 from the floor and was 4-12 from beyond the arc. He earned a double-double with 12 rebounds to go with his 18 points. 
• Kinzer Lambert posted a double-double as well with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He was 6-13 from the floor.
• Enis Memic added 13 points while going 6-9 from the floor. He also grabbed seven boards and dished out four assists. 
• CJ Carr chipped in 11 points. He also had a game-high nine assists, tabbed three steals, and pulled down five rebounds. 

News and Notes
• The Mules have now lost four straight games for the first time since losing six straight in the 2014-15 season. It is just the second time they have lost four straight under Doug Karleskint.
• It is just the second loss of the of year when UCM has shot a better percentage than the opposition. They are now 16-2 when shooting a better percentage than the opposition. 
• Reaves continues to add to his career point total. He now has 1,311 for his career, which is now eighth all-time in career scoring in Mules Basketball History. He needs five points to move up to seventh.
• The Mules finish the regular season 10-4 at the Multi and are now 44-15 at home under Doug Karleskint.

Up Next
• The Mules regular season finale will be at Pittsburg State this Saturday, Feb 24. The Gorillas are 15-12 overall and 8-10 in the MIAA after falling to MSSU this past Tuesday night. UCM defeated Pittsburg State earlier this season 87-85 at the Multi. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.