WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 2, 2020) - After some non-conference match ups over the Holiday season, Central Missouri Mules Basketball returns to league play with three MIAA road games to begin the 2020 calendar year.
Opponents:
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (4-8, 1-2 MIAA)
Newman Jets (6-6, 0-3 MIAA)
Lincoln Blue Tigers (4-7, 1-1 MIAA)
When:
Saturday, Jan. 4 at 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m.
Where:
Saturday, Jan. 4 - Edmond, Okla.
Monday, Jan. 6 - Wichita, Kan.
Saturday, Jan. 11 - Jefferson City, Mo.
Tip Off:
• The Mules are currently on a three-game win streak after upsetting the No. 1 team in the nation, Northwest Missouri, followed by non-conference wins over Missouri Baptist and Saint Mary's (Kan.).
• Central Oklahoma will face the Mules after a 14-day game break. The Bronchos last win was a close 68-66 victory over Newman on Dec. 21.
• Before taking on the Mules, Newman and Lincoln go head-to-head on Saturday, Jan. 4 on the Blue Tiger's home court in Wichita, Kan. Lincoln will also face UCO on Monday, Jan. 16 in Edmond, Okla before meeting the Mules on Saturday, Jan. 11 back home in Jefferson City, Mo.
• Central Missouri is currently 0-1 on the road this season. The Mules last road game was against Wayne State on Nov. 22.
How to Follow:
• All games will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action.
•The game 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.
• Links to live stats and live video can also be found at ucmathletics.com.
Quick Hits:
Last Time Out
Central Missouri recorded a season-high shooting performance against Saint Mary's on New Year's Eve in the Multipurpose Building. In their final game of 2019, the Mules recorded a season-high of 93 points while shooting 61.8% from the field and 63.2% from the three-point range. The win was also
Doug Karleskint's 100th victory as Head Coach for the Mules.
Previously vs. Central Oklahoma
• The Mules and the Bronchos are currently tied 9-9 in a series that dates back to a 68-55 UCO victory in the 1957-58 season.
• Central Missouri defeated UCO 61-58 in Edmond, Okla. last season.
• The last time the Bronchos defeated UCM was a 72-68 UCO victory in the 2018 MIAA Tournament.
Previously vs. Newman
• Monday marks the second meeting between Central Missouri and Newman.
• The first time the Mules met the Jets was in a 71-63 UCM victory in the 2017-18 season.
Previously vs. Lincoln
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series against Lincoln 60-35. The series dates back to a 73-65 Blue Tigers victory in the 1954-55 season.
• From 2002 to 2017, the Mules won 18 consecutive games against the Blue Tigers.
• The Mules and Blue Tigers met twice in the 2018-19 season. Central Missouri won the first meeting in a 71-55 victory in the Multipurpose Building, then Lincoln on the second match up 78-59 win in the Mules final game of the season.
Individual Milestones
•
Matt Wilkinson surpassed the 500 career point marker in the first nine games this season. Wilkinson also surpassed 100 rebounds on his career and is currently four boards away from 200 career rebounds.
• In Central Missouri's last outing against Saint Mary's, Wilkinson recorded a career-high performance with 22 points.
• With 66 points this season,
Daniel Farris surpassed the 400 career point marker in the Mules upset over #1 Northwest Missouri. The junior guard is also 13 assists away from 200 career assists.
•
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.
•
Michael Winger had a career-high shooting performance in UCM's 82-46 win over Central Christian on Nov. 30, 2019. The redshirt junior hit 7-8 from 87.5% from the field and 5-6 for 83.3% from the three point range to record a career-high of 21 points.
Mules Feed:
• As a team, the Mules are currently shooting 44.5% from the field and 36.7% from the three-point range.
• Central Missouri currently ranks second in the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage and third in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score an average of 62.8 points per game.
• The Mules also rank in the top-10 of the MIAA in three-pointers made per game averaging 7.9 per contest, and third in the league in steals per game averaging 7.8 through 11 games.
• Central Missouri's upset over No. 1 Northwest Missouri on Dec. 7 was the first time UCM has defeated the No. 1 ranked team was when they beat Metro State in the NCAA Tournament semifinals back in 2014.
• Central Missouri's 47 second-half points against the Bearcats are their most in a half against a Division II opponents this season.
• Sophomore forward
Gaven Pinkley paces Central Missouri averaging 14.2 points and about six rebounds per game. Pinkley has scored in double figures in nine of the Mules 11 games so far this season, including a season-high performance of 21 points against Augustana and followed with a 20-point effort against Upper Iowa.
• Pinkley also ranks third in the MIAA with an average field goal percentage of 55.2.
• Winger leads the Mules from outside the arc with 18 three's on the season and posts a three-point field goal percentage of 48.6.
• Junior guard
Daniel Farris leads the Mules with 40 assists which ranks in the top-10 of the MIAA. Farris also has the team-high of 16 steals.
Scouting the Competition:
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (4-8, 1-2 MIAA)
• After finished 11-17 last season, the Bronchos are off to a 4-8 start to the 2019-20 season. The Bronchos we're selected 13th in the MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll.
• As a team, UCO is averaging 69.5 points per game this season.
• The Bronchos scored a season-high 105 points in double overtime against Oklahoma Baptist last Tuesday, Dec. 17.
• The Bronchos are shooting 43.3 percent from the floor overall this season, 30.5 percent from behind the arc, and 73.8 percent from the free-throw line.
• Junior guard Dashawn McDowell leads the Bronchos in minutes played and points with 161 on the season. McDowell is shooting 51% from the field to average 13.4 points per game.
• Sophomore Colt Savage leads UCO from outside the arc with a three-point field goal percentage of 41.7%.
• Senior Bell Dashon is one of the top-10 assisters in the league. Dashon leads UCO with 40 assists and 16 steals while also averaging 10.3 points per game.
• In UCO's last time out, the Bronchos defeated Newman on their home court 68-66.
Newman Jets (6-6, 0-3 MIAA)
• After going 20-9 overall and 11-5 in the MIAA last season, Newman was selected 11th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Jets are currently 6-6 on the season and off to a 0-3 start in league games.
• The Jets are averaging 78.8 points per game. As a team, Newman shoots 49.4 percent from the floor, 39.8 percent from behind the arc with 7.5 three's per game.
• Newman is led in scoring by senior Marshawn Blackmon at 15.9 points per game and senior Juwan Davenport at 12.7 points per game.
• Blackmon leads the Jets and the MIAA in rebounding. The 6-5 forward has the most rebounds in the league with 113 to average 9.4 per game. He also ranks top-5 in the league with a field goal percentage of 51.3%.
Lincoln Blue Tigers (4-7, 1-1 MIAA)
• Lincoln posted a 2018-19 overall record of 18-12 and finished 10-9 in the MIAA. The Blue Tigers were picked seventh in the MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll, one spot below the Mules.
• As a team, the Blue Tigers rank fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense (78.8) and fourth in scoring defense (67.3).
• Newman has the second-highest shooting percentage from outside the arc at 39.8% and also ranks third in the league with a team field goal percentage of 49.4%.
• The Blue Tigers are also sixth in the MIAA in defensive rebounding (26.9) and 10th in offensive rebounding (9.6), are ninth in the conference with 36.5 boards per night.
• Senior guard Jonell Burton is the Blue Tigers top scorer with 16.5 points per night while senior forward L'Kielynn Taylor leads Lincoln defense with 8.1 rebounds per game.
• Senior Marcel Burton leads the Blue Tigers with 22 three's on the season and is averaging 9.8 points per game.
• Junior Cameron Potts has Lincoln's team-high of 57 assists and 20 steals while also averaging 11.5 points per game.
