Lincoln Bests Mules in Regular Season Finale

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (March 2, 2019) - Central Missouri men's basketball wrapped up the regular season Saturday afternoon in the state capital. The Mules fell behind early and weren't able to recover in a 78-59 loss to the Blue Tigers. The Mules end the regular season 14-14 and 7-12 in the MIAA.

How it Happened
• The Mules couldn't keep up with the hot-shooting Blue Tigers. Lincoln was 57% from the field and 48% from three. 
• Lincoln also held a 30-22 rebounding advantage.
• Both teams turned the ball over 13 times, but UCM was able to take advantage 16-8 in points off turnovers.
• After getting down three, the Mules scored 10 of the next 13 to take a five-point lead. Daniel Kinsey and Jakob Lowrance each hit three-pointers and Michael Winger put in a fast-break layup to go up 10-5.
• The Blue Tigers got hot after that, scoring 19 straight. Solomon Finley ended the stretch with a three, but not before the Blue Tigers were able to grab a double-figure lead.
• Jakob Lowrance got UCM to within 10, 27-17, but the Blue Tigers responded with seven points in 40 seconds, forcing a UCM timeout.
• Michael Winger put in a three-pointer, but at the break, Lincoln was up 22, 46-24.
• The Mules tried to chip away, but couldn't cut deep enough into the Lincoln lead to make a run. Daniel Farris went coast-to-coast  and Matt Wilkinson and Michael Winger's threes made it a 59-41 game.
• Central Missouri went on a 10-2 run and a Jakob Lowrance layup got UCM within 11, 61-49.
• That's as close as they got though as Lincoln quickly responded with a 9-2 stretch and pushed the lead back to 70-51 at the under five minute media timeout.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Jakob Lowrance finished the game with a team-best 15 points. He was 8-8 at the free throw line.
• Daniel Farris added 12 points. He dished out three assists and came away with three steals.
• Michael Winger chipped in 11 and was 3-4 from three.
• Jafar Kinsey scored nine with three rebounds.

For the Blue Tigers
• Amariontez Ivory finished with a game-high 20 points. 
• Jontell Burton scored 12 off the bench with four assists.
• Terrance Smith added 10 with five rebounds.

News and Notes
• Jakob Lowrance moved up to 15th all-time in scoring. He also moved into a tie for 12th all-time in rebounding. 
• UCM shot better than 40% in each of their last three games.
• The Mules went 20-38 on three-pointers during this road trip.

Up Next
• The Mules will wait to see their fate as they need some help to get into the MIAA Tournament next week.