Mules Prepare for Wayne State in First Road Game

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Nov. 21, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Basketball hits the road this week for the first road game of the season against Wayne State.

Opponent:
Wayne State Wildcats (2-5, 0-0 NSIC)

Where:
Rice Auditorium - Wayne, Neb.

When:
Friday, Nov. 22 - 7 p.m.

Tip Off:
• Friday night's game in Wayne State's Rice Auditorium marks the second meeting between the Wildcats and the Mules. 
• Central Missouri is off to a 1-3 start to the season after hosting the Central Region Tipoff Classic and the Fairfield Inn Classic in Warrensburg the past two weekends. 
• The Mules are coming off a 1-1 finish in their annual Fairfield Inn Classic. In the classic, Central Missouri defeated Upper Iowa for their first win of the season and then fell to William Jewell for the first time since 1958.
• Wayne State is fresh off a win after defeating Concordia (Neb.) 92-70 on Tuesday night. The Wildcats are now on a two-game win streak after losing their first five games of the season. 
• Friday night's game marks the Mules first road game of the season. Central Missouri went 2-9 last season in away games.  

How to Watch: 
• The games will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Dan Swoboda calling the action.
• The games will also be webcast online through the Wayne State's Stretch portal at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wsc/. 
• Links to live stats and live video can also be found at ucmathletics.com. 

Quick Hits:
Last Time Out 
William Jewell 56, Central Missouri 53
• William Jewell gained the lead over UCM in their second possession after the tip off and continued to lead the way for the entire game. 
• The Cardinals came out hot in the first half, hitting 56.5% from the field and 54.5% from the three-point range to outscore the Mules 33-27 in the first 20 minutes. 
• Central Missouri's slight shooting improvement in the second half was enough to outscore the Cardinals 26-23. 
• The Mules finished 20-64 from the field, 5-23 from the three and 8-11 at the line. 
• Central Missouri crushed the offensive boards, earning 15 to William Jewell's four. The Mule went on to finish the game out-rebounding the Cardinals 35-34. 
• William Jewell's 20 turnovers allowed the Mules to stay within less than five points through the entire game as UCM scored 22 of their 53 points off Cardinal turnovers. 
• Back-to-back UCM jump shots by Matt Wilkinson and Dllyan Robinson brought the Mules within one point at 54-53 with under a minute to play. Personal fouls took the Cardinals to the free throw line where Nick Bradley gave Jewell the 56-53 lead. Wilkinson's final second three-point attempt for the tie just missed as the clock ran down to zero. 
• Joshua Greer lead the Mules offense with eight points. The Junior transfer from Motlow State CC was the only Mule to shoot over 50% as he finished 3-5 from the field and hit three of his four free throws.
• Robinson lead the Mules defense with eight boards, five offensive and three defensive. 
• Daniel Farris recorded the team-high of six assists.

Perviously vs Wayne State
• This will be the second meeting between the Mules and the Wildcats. 
• The first time these teams met was last season in UCM's Central Region Tipoff Classic. The Mules defeated Wayne State 73-62.

Individual Milestones
• Matt Wilkinson surpassed the 300 career point marker in the first seven games last season. Wilkinson now has 474 points on his career at UCM. Wilkinson also surpassed 100 rebounds on his career and is currently 32 boards away from 200 career rebounds. 
• Daniel Farris also surpassed the 300 career point market last season with 263 points on the year. Farris  began his junior campaign with 348 career points. 
• Gaven Pinkley had a career-high game against Upper Iowa in the second week of the 2019-20 season. Pinkley scored a career-high of 21 points and brought down a career-high of 17 rebounds. 

Scouting the Competition:
• Last season the Wildcats finished 21-10 overall and earned a share of the NSIC South Division title with a 14-8 league record.
•  Wayne State was selected 10th overall and picked fifth in the South Division in the 2019 Preseason NSIC Men's Basketball Coaches Poll.
• The Wildcats return two starters and eight letter winners from last year's team.
• Jordan Janssen is listed as Wayne State's Player to Watch this season. The 6-7 sophomore started all 31 games last season for the Wildcats averaging 11.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest while recording 10 double-doubles. He led the NSIC in offensive rebounds per game (3.2), was second in rebounds per game, fourth in field goal percentage (.578) and ninth in blocked shots (1.1), free throw percentage (.825) and steals per game (1.2). 
• Janssen is currently leading the Wildcats with 107 points, 59 rebounds, 21 assists and 10 steals. He is shooting 52.1% from the field. He has not attempted a three-point shot in their seven games so far this season. 
• Nate Mohr leads Wayne State from beyond the arc with 14 three's.
• As a team, the Wildcats are currently shooting 42.8% from inside the arc and 33% from the three-point range. 

Mules Feed: 
• The Mules finished off 2018-19 at 14-14 overall and were selected sixth in the MIAA Preseason Poll. 
• UCM brings back All-MIAA selection junior guard Daniel Farris. Farris joins a group of returners including senior Matt Wilkinson, junior Michael Winger and sophomores Gaven Pinkley and Dawson Jones.
• Farris finished his sophomore season ranked in the top-10 in two categories in the MIAA. His 3.6 assists per game and 1.5 assists to turnover ration put him 10th in the MIAA. Farris averaged 9.4 points per contest, shooting 46-percent from the field and 70.5 percent from the stripe. He has a team-high of 102 assists, 39 steals, and his 1.4 per game make him third in the MIAA. 
• Last season, UCM's defense finished second in the league in scoring (66.1 ppg). The Mules also finished third in field goal percentage defense at 43.8% and sixth in three-point field goal percentage defense at 34.6%.
• The Mules introduce six talented transfers to the squad this season: senior Kendale Hampton, juniors Koray Gilbert, Joshua Greer, Tristen Hull and Dyllan Robinson and sophomore Garrett Luinstra. 
• UCM's lone freshman is DeAndre Sorrells from Grandview, Mo.
• As a team, the Mules are currently shooting 38.7% from the field and 35.2% from the three-point range. 
• Central Missouri's three losses have all been within five point deficits.
• Pinkley currently leads the Mules with 61 points and 30 rebounds in four games. The 6-9 sophomore is shooting 46.8% from the field and 50% from the three-point range while also averaging 7.5 boards per game.
• Kendale Hampton has hit 21-46 from the field for 45.7% and is shooting 31.6% from beyond the arc. The senior transfer has 55 points and 15 rebounds on the season. 
• Farris leads the Mules with 22 assists.