No. 25 Mules Split Home and Road This Week

TIP-OFF
• Central Missouri Mules Basketball wraps up their three-game home stand against MIAA rival Pittsburg State before hitting the road to Joplin to battle Missouri Southern. The Mules tip-off against the Gorillas on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m., while their road game against the Lions is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. tip. 
• UCM picked up back-to-back home wins last week against Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State to remain in the top-four in the MIAA standings. UCM will look to extend its win streak to six as the regular season begins to wrap up.
• The Mules were picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit third in the league standings at 18-4 overall and 10-3 against MIAA opponents.
• Pittsburg State comes into the midweek matchup against UCM with a 13-9 overall record and a 6-7 mark in the MIAA. Pitt State dropped its lone MIAA game last Saturday, falling to  Missouri Southern, 90-76.
• The Gorillas were picked to finish eighth in MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and totaled 87 points. They currently sit seventh in league standings
• Missouri Southern enters the week 14-8 overall and and 9-4 against MIAA opponents. MSSU swept its competition last week picking up wins over Central Oklahoma, 95-89, and Pittsburg State, 90-76.
• The Lions were picked to finish sixth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll with a total of 112 points. They currently sit fourth in league standings behind Northwest Missouri, Washburn, and Central Missouri.

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 1,693 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. PITTSBURG STATE
• The Mules and Gorillas have a history that dates back to the 1916-17 season. All-time, UCM holds a 72-43 series lead over PSU. In Warrensburg, UCM is 45-12 against PSU.
• UCM went 2-0 against the Gorillas last season winning by scores of 73-58 on the road and 81-75 at home. The Mules are 9-4 against PSU since the 2010-11 season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• The Mules are 38-25 all-time against the Lions, but in Joplin the Lions are in front by just two games, 15-13. Since the 2010-11 season, UCM is 9-6 against MSSU.
• UCM downed MSSU both times last season by scores of 76-63 and 99-66, respectively. Prior to last season's wins, the Mules had lost three straight games to the Lions.

LAST MEETING WITH PITTSBURG STATE
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 25, 2017) -- Mules Basketball shot 52 percent from the field and withstood a game Pittsburg State team to win 81-75 on Senior Day at the Multipurpose Building. With the win, the Mules clinch the No. 2 seed in next week's MIAA Tournament and will play at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 2 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
    Pittsburg State (5-22, 3-16 MIAA) got out to an early lead at 8-3 with 17:35 to play in the first half. That lead stood for nearly two minutes before Dushuan Rice scored on a layup to pull the Mules with three at the 15:12 mark. The Gorillas pushed their lead to as many as five a couple of times in the opening period, the last being 16-11 with 11:39 on the clock. A layup from Spencer Reaves and a three-pointer from Clarence Smith tied the game only to see Brandon Clifford connect from outside to put PSU back in front.
    A three-point play from Reaves tied the game once again, but Clifford put the Gorillas back in front with a layup. The Mules took their first lead of the game at 24-22 on Reaves' three-point play with 7:23 to play in the first half. UCM then extended the lead to seven a couple of time, including 36-29 with 2:02 to play, but Pitt State finished the half on a 5-0 run to pull within 36-34 at the break.
    The game was back and forth in the early minutes of the second half before a 9-2 run gave the Mules their largest lead of the day at 51-41 with 14:41 to play. The Gorillas kept fighting back and pulled back to within five at 53-48 and again at 55-50. A three-pointer from Jakob Lowrance sparked a mini 10-2 run that gave the Mules a 65-52 lead with 7:39 to play in the game.
    The lead was still 13 with 5:55 to play when the Gorillas started to creep a little closer. Three free throws from RJ Pair sparked an 14-2 spurt that pulled PSU within 71-70 with 3:24 to play in the game. DJ Richardson buried a big three-pointer to push the lead back to four and two shots from Reaves made it a six-point game, 76-70, with 1:15 on the clock. A three from Creighton Brinker pulled Pitt State back to within three, but Reaves buried a dagger three with :30 on the clock and then made two free throws with :11 left to give UCM the final margin.
    Reaves led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Lowrance had 16 points and five boards and Marquiez Lawrence had 14 points, five boards and three steals. The Mules were 26-of-50 from the field and made 8-of-17 from three-point range for 47 percent. UCM was 21-of-22 at the foul line for a season-best 96 percent.
    Pair led three Gorillas in double figures with 15 points. Isaiah Hicks had 14 and Clifford added 10 as PSU shot 48 percent from the field (23-48), including 46 percent from beyond the arc (10-22). Pittsburg State was 19-of-23 at the foul line.
    The Mules forced 17 Gorilla turnovers and turned those into a 25-16 advantage in points off turnovers.

LAST MEETING WITH MISSOURI SOUTHERN
JOPLIN, Mo. (Feb. 23, 2017) -- Central Missouri shot 55 percent from the field and five Mules finished in double figures as they blew out Missouri Southern 99-66 on Thursday night at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
    The Mules (18-8, 12-6 MIAA) out-scored the Lions (17-11, 11-8 MIAA) 41-19 in the final 15:00 of the first half to break a 13-all tie and the game was never in doubt after that as the Mules completed the season sweep of the Lions.
    With the game tied at 13-all the Mules hit four straight three pointers to grab a 26-15 lead with 12:05 to play first half. The Lions cut the lead back to nine with a quick score, but the Mules used an 18-5 spurt to open a 44-22 lead with just over five minutes left in the first half. The lead grew to as many as 26 in the first half at 54-28, before the Mules settled for a 54-32 halftime lead.
    A 13-4 spurt out of the break gave the Mules a 67-36 lead and the rout was on. The Mules led by as many as 36 in the second half as they snapped a two-game losing skid and with the win, secured a top four seed in the MIAA Tournament and a bye to the tournament quarterfinals next Thursday, March 2 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
    Spencer Reaves led the way for UCM with a game-high 22 points. Jakob Lowrance had 16 points while Erick Locke finished with a season-high 15. DJ Richardson had 12 points and Kyle Wolf finished with 10 as the Mules shot 34-of-62 from the field. UCM was 12-of-23 from three-point range for 52 percent and 19-of-22 at the free throw line.
    CJ Carr and JJ Cratit led four Lions in double figures with 14 points each. Missouri Southern shot 44 percent from the field, 26-of-59. The Lions were just 5-of-25 from beyond the arc for 20 percent and 9-of-14 at the free throw line.

SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE
• The Gorillas struggled in the 2016-17 season winning just five games and finished with a 5-22 record, while going 3-16 in league play. First year head coach and former UCM head coach Kim Anderson now leads the Gorillas.
• Pitt State brings back nine players from the 2016-17 squad, with nine newcomers joining this year's squad.
• Xavier Adams leads the way for the Pitt State offense averaging 18.3 points per game which is fourth most in the MIAA. He is also the leading rebounder pulling down 7.3 boards per game. His 53.2 shooting percentage also ranks sixth in the MIAA.
• Four other players are averaging double figure points. Donovan Franklin is the second leading scorer with 16.2 points per game which is eighth in the MIAA. He is fifth in the MIAA in free throw percentage at 87.6%.
• Grant Lozoya is third on the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game. He also averages 3.0 assists per game
• Jabari Antwine and Demetrius Levarity round out the double-digit scorers for Pitt State averaging 11.0 points and 10.2  points per game, respectively. Antwine leads the team in assits with 3.8 per game which is seventh in the MIAA, while Levarity pulls down 5.8 rebounds per game which is 14th in the MIAA.
• Pittsburg State leads the MIAA in scoring averaging 86.4 points per game and is second in field goal percentage at 49.4%,. The Gorillas hold opposing teams to 76.5 points per game on 44.0% shooting. 

SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• The Lions finished the 2016-17 campaign with an 18-12 record and a 11-8 mark in MIAA play. They made the MIAA Tournament and defeated Fort Hays State, 76-67, in the quarterfinals before falling to Northwest Missouri, 67-63, in the semifinal round.. 
• MSSU returns four starters from last year's team and nine total letterwinners. Returning starters are CJ Carr, LJ Ross, Dexter Frisbie, and the 2016-17 MIAA Freshman of the Year Elyjah Clark.
• Carr, a senior guard, leads the the Liosn scoring offensive averaging 16.7 points per game, which is fifth in the MIAA. Carr leads the MIAA in assists per game (6.0) and steals per game (2.0). His 43.6% shooting average is 14th in the league.
• Clark has had a strong showing in his sophomore campaign as he is second on the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game which is sixth in the MIAA. He shoots 46.3% from the floor and 46.1% from three-point range, which rank 14th and second in the MIAA, respectively. He leads the team in rebounds per game at 6.6 and ranks 10th in the MIAA.
• Kinzer Lambert and Enis Memic round out the double figure scoring averaging 10.7 points and 10.1 points per game. Lambert also averages 1.0 block per game which is 10th in the MIAA. Memic averages 4.9 boards per game.
• LJ Ross averages 9.7 points per game for the Lions and 6.3 rebounds per game. His rebounding average is 13th in the MIAA.
• The Lions are second in the MIAA in scoring averaging 81.2 points per game on 46.6% shooting. Defensively, MSSU is allowing 76.6 points per game on 45.7% shooting.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 75, NORTHEASTERN STATE 66 • 2/3/18
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 3, 2018)-- Central Missouri Mules Basketball won their fourth-straight MIAA game as they took down the Northeastern State RiverHawks, 75-66, Saturday afternoon in the Multi. Clarence Smith had a career-high 17 points off the bench to lead UCM to its 18th win of the season.
• The Mules (18-4, 10-3 MIAA) shot the ball well for the second straight game finishing 27-52 from the floor for 51.9%. Defensively, they held the RiverHawks (7-15, 3-10 MIAA) to 41.7% (25-60).
• UCM found success scoring in the paint and scored 12 more points than NSU, 34-22. Both teams had eight turnovers on the afternoon, but UCM converted more points off them with 14 while limiting NSU to just eight.
• The first 10 minutes of action was a low scoring affair with the Mules only scoring eight. Midway through the first frame, the RiverHawks led 13-8, thanks in part to a 6-0 run.
• Things shifted in favor for the Mules in the rest of the half as they outscored NSU 27-14, including a 9-0 scoring run with 3:08 to play.
• DJ Richardson scored nine points in the first half to lead the Mules. Blake Spellman was right behind him with eight. As a team, seven of nine players who played in the first half scored for UCM.
• The Mules went into the break leading 35-27. The first half saw them make 13 shots on 26 attempts for 50%. Defensively, they locked in and held the RiverHawks to 37.9% on 11-29 shooting.
• The second half saw two UCM players score 10 or more points in Spencer Reaves and Smith. They scored 13 and 10, respectively.
• Coming out of the break, UCM wasted little time establishing a double figure lead. Back-to-back triples by Spellman and Smith help set up a 10-4 scoring advantage in the first four minutes of the second half. 
• UCM grabbed its largest lead of 14 points over NSU, 45-31, with 16:00 to play.
• A 14-4 run by the RiverHawks that spanned just over five minutes help them get within four of the Mules twice and with 10:40 to play they trailed 49-45.
• Reaves cushioned UCM's lead back to double figures as he scored six straight points which was part of a 10-0 run that lasted 3:32. With 7:05 to play, UCM led 59-45 and the never allowed NSU to get any closer than nine points the rest of the game.
• The Mules bested their first half shooting performance with 53.8% shooting (14-26) in the second half. They finished the game a perfect 13-13 at the free throw line and nailed eight triples on 24 attempts for 33.3%.
• Smith scored his 17 points on 6-9 shooting and was 3-6 from beyond the arc. He finished 2-2 at the charity strip.
• Reaves put up 15 points while going 5-10 from the field and pulled down four rebounds. He was 4-4 at the free throw line.
• Richardson also totaled 15 points. He shot 6-13 from the field, led the team in rebounds with eight, and had a game-high two steals.
• Spellman added 13 points for the Mules on 5-7 shooting. He was 3-5 from three-point range and grabbed three boards. 
• Jakob Lowrance chipped in nine points. He also grabbed three rebounds, blocked two shots, and matched the game-high in steals with two.
• Jamir Andrews scored 22 points to lead all scorers. He finished 9-17 from the field and was 4-10 from beyond the arc. He also pulled in eight rebounds.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• Central Missouri is 10-3 in conference play after defeating Central Oklahoma, 74-64, and Northeastern State, 75-66. The Mules only three MIAA losses are to Northwest Missouri (twice) and Lindenwood.
• UCM still sits third in the MIAA standings behind Northwest Missouri and Washburn who are both 11-2.
• The Mules are 45-28 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 9-3 at home this season after winning both MIAA games against Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State. They are 43-14 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 180-25 at home over the last 13 seasons, including 71-2 against non-conference opponents and 109-23 in MIAA play. 
• The Mules are 508-102 (.833) 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 345 points this season and 1,214 for his career thus far. He is the 20th player in Mules Basketball History to eclipse 1,000 career points.
• Reaves 1,214 points ranks tied for 12th on the UCM career scoring list. He needs to score one more point to sit 12th outright and 16 points to enter the top-10 all-time in UCM history.

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Defense continues to be a strong suit for the Mules as they are allowing just 63.9 points per game which ranks second-best in the MIAA in scoring defense this season and is sixth best in all of Division II.
• Reaves is ninth in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in field goal percentage at 15.7 points per game and 49.8%.
• Lowrance is third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 59.0%, while averaging 15.0 points per game which is 13th-best in the league. He is still seventh in blocks with 1.2 per game.
• Reaves is still third in the MIAA free throw percentage at 91.5% on 86-94 made free throws. DJ Richardson is ninth at 83.1% on 74-89 made free throws.
• Lowrance is eighth in the league in rebounding averaging 6.8 per game. Reaves is 19th with 5.2 rebounds per game.
• Blake Spellman is averaging 3.1 assists per game which is 13th-best in the MIAA. He is third the league in assist-turnover ratio at 2.65, which is 28th in Division II this season. 
• Richardson is second in the conference in steals with 1.9 per game. Reaves is tied for 11th at 1.2 steals per game, while Clarence Smith is tied for 19th at 1.0 per game.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 78-35 (.690) in his fourth season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 167-69 (.708) 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 1,693-959 (.638) record in 2,652 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 remain on the road for their next two games and three of their final four games in the regular season will be on the road. UCM will head to Lincoln and Lindenwood following the game at Missouri Southern.
• UCM and Lincoln tip-off on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Jefferson City. The Mules will then travel to St. Charles on Saturday, Feb. 17, to take on Lindenwood. Tip-off against the lions is set for 3:30 p.m.