WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 27, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules basketball punched their ticket to the second round of the MIAA Tournament Tuesday night with a 75-59 home win over the Missouri Western Griffons at the UCM Multipurpose Building. The Mules led wire-to-wire as they picked up their 20th win of the season to advance to the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
How It Happened
• The Mules (20-9, 11-8 MIAA) shot over 50% in both halves to finish the night at 55.8% on 29-52 shooting, including 7-16 from three-point range for 43.8%.
• Defensively, UCM held Missouri Western (6-21, 4-15 MIAA) to 45.1% shooting (23-51) overall and 27.3% from beyond the arc (6-22).
•
Jakob Lowrance was a force for the Mules offensively scoring 17 first half points on 8-9 shooting. The Griffons had 22 points as a team in the first half.
• It was a slow start for both teams in the first 10 minutes as UCM led by a score of 10-8 at the midway point.
• With 7:25 to play in the half, Lowrance started to take over the Mules as he scored 13 straight points. The Mules closed the final 5:00 of the half with 12-2 scoring run over the Griffons to lead 35-22 at the break.
• UCM shot 60% in the first half going 15-25 from the floor, while holding Missouri Western to just eight made shots on 23 attempts for 34.8%.
• The Griffons started the second half with a 11-2 scoring run, including seven straight to get within four, 37-33, with 16:16 to play.
• An 8-0 run by the Mules, six of which that came from
Matt Wilkinson pushed the Mules lead to back to double figures, 51-37, with 11:37 on the clock.
• UCM held a double-digit lead for just over seven minutes until Missouri Western put together a 9-0 scoring run to cut the lead to eight, 59-51, with 6:21 to play in regulation.
• After a quick timeout by the Mules,
Spencer Reaves nailed a triple to put the lead back into double-digits and it sparked a 9-0 scoring run that gave the Mules a 17-point lead, 68-51.
• UCM never let Missouri Western get within 10 in the final five minutes and led by as much as 18 in that span.
• A big help in the Mules in their 16-point home win was second chance points. They had 11, while Griffons had zero. They also outscored the Griffons in the paint 38-30.
It Was Over When...
• The Griffons 9-0 run got them within eight, 59-51, with 6:10 to play forcing the Mules to call a quick timeout. Out of the timeout, Reaves hit triple to push it back to double-digit lead for UCM. Wilkinson produced a steal on the next defensive stand, which led to a layup in transition that he was fouled on. He completed the three-point play and the Mules never looked back as they held on for the 75-59 win.
Mules Stat Leaders
• Lowrance finished the night with a game-high 24 points on 11-13 shooting. He was 2-3 from three-point range and also had a game-high seven boards.
• Reaves added 18 points on a 6-11 shooting performance. He pulled down three rebounds, had two assists and was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
• Wilkinson chipped in 11 points on 50% shooting (4-8), while grabbing three rebounds.
•
Clarence Smith put up six points, while
Blake Spellman and
Brandon Emmert each scored five points. Spellman also had a game-high five assists
.
For the Griffons
• Lavon Hightower scored 23 points, going 9-20 from the floor. He led the team in rebounds with six and had a blocked shot.
• Bryan Hudson was the only other double-digit scorer with 16 points. He shot 6-9 on the night and was a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line.
• Seth Bonifas chipped in eight points without missing a shot (4-4).
News and Notes
• UCM improves to 16-1 all-time in MIAA home tournament games and is now 20-17 in the first round of the conference tournament. They are 36-31 all-time in the MIAA Tournament overall.
• With the win, the Mules have now won five straight against the Griffons. They improve to 39-28 all-time against the Griffons and are now 8-1 against them under
Doug Karleskint.
• UCM improves to 11-4 at the Multi this season and is now 72-2 in the last 74 non-conference games at the Multi.
• The Mules have 20 wins in a season for the second year in a row and for the 26th time in program history, including five of the last six seasons.
Up Next
• The Mules will take on the No. 4 seeded Central Oklahoma Bronchos this Friday, March 2. UCM defeated UCO earlier this season 74-64 at the Multi. Tip-off for the quarterfinals match is set for 8:15 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
