WARRENSBURG, Mo. (November 19, 2020) - The Central Missouri Mules Basketball team gears up for the season against the Blue Tigers as the MIAA becomes one of the first NCAA leagues at any division to open the 2020-21 basketball slate.
OPPONENT
Lincoln Blue Tigers (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
WHEN
Saturday, November 21, 2020 - 1:30 p.m.
WHERE
Jefferson City, Mo. -
Jason Gym - Lincoln University
FAN INFORMATION
• Jason Gym is limited capacity seating to 385. General admission tickets are on sale and must be purchased online. No tickets will be sold at the gate.
• Fans are to enter through the Northwest door and exit using the Northeast door.
• Face masks are required in all facilities on Lincoln University campus.
• All spectators must sit with the individuals (group) with whom they entered the facility with appropriate social distancing (six feet) between groups.
• Spectators are not allowed to move between groups in the stands.
• Any fan that leaves the facility during the contest will not be allowed to re-enter.
• Restrooms and concessions will be open.
HOW TO WATCH
• Home games will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action.
• All games will also be webcast online through the MIAA's Blue Frame portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/.
• Links to live stats and live video can also be found at ucmathletics.com.
TIP-OFF
• The University of Central Missouri Mules basketball team will open its 2020-21 season Saturday (Nov. 21) against Lincoln University.
• The Mules celebrate the holiday break with two more MIAA match-ups against the No.21 Missouri Southern Lions and the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
• This is the 115th season of Central Missouri Mules Basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,719 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 are coming into 2020 revamped with eight of their 15 student-athletes having never stepped on the court for UCM.
• After finishing the 2019-20 season 10-18 overall and 5-14 in the MIAA, Central Missouri was picked to finish 11th by the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, just four points behind 10th ranked Nebraska-Kearney and seven points behind ninth ranked Lincoln.
• With a 37.9% three-point field goal percentage last season, the Mules ranked second in the MIAA from behind the arc.
• Central Missouri returns its 2019-20 leading scorer and rebounder Gavin Pinkley. The 6-9 junior forward averaged 13.2 points per game last season while scoring double-figures in 22 games. He is the only returern of the Mules 2019-20 starting line-up.
•
• The Mules brought in Division I transfers
Cameron Hunter of North Dakota State,
Ja'Cor Nelson out of Campbell and
Ante Sustic out of Marshall.
• Hunter helped the Bison to their second-straight Summit League title and a berth in the 2020 NCAA tournament. He started 12 of 33 games for NDSU averaging 6.6 points per game.
• Nelson appeared in 25 games with 13 starts for the Fighting Camels,scoring in double-figures 11 times.
• Other transfers include
Mohammed Abubakar from Division II Oklahoma Baptist, and
Jalen Blaize of Western Wyoming CC.
• Abubakar helped OBU to a 22-9 record last season, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 boards in 25 games.
• Blaize qualified for the NJCAA national tournament after helping the Mustangs to a 30-4 record and a NJCAA Division I Regional Championship. Blaize saw 14 games in double-figures and scored an average of 8.3 points per game.
•
Tristen Hull was a transfer who came to UCM at the start of 2019-20 but missed the season with an injury.
• The Mules also added two freshmen,
Easton Darling and
Austin Murrow.
• Darling graduated from Winterset High School as the all-time leading scorer (1,819 points) as well as the all-time leader in steals (200), field-goals (702), three-point field-goals made (210), and ranks second in all-time assists (277).
• In his senior season at Blue Valley Southwest High School, Murrow averaged 12 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 38% from the three. Murrow is also Blue Valley Southwest's all-time leader in three-pointers made.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LINCOLN.
• Saturday's match-up marks the 99th meeting between the Mules and Blue Tigers with UCM leading the all-time series 62-36.
• Last season UCM lost to Lincoln in Jefferson City 77-51 then took revenge in Warrensburg, defeating the Blue Tigers 69-62.
• The Mules hit a season-high three-pointers in their lost to the Blue Tigers last season, making 14 of 33 attempts.
SCOUTING LINCOLN
• Lincoln posted a 2019-20 record of 11-19 overall and clinched a ticket to the MIAA tournament with a league record of 7-12.
• The Blue Tigers return just four members of their 2019-20 roster and have added eight newcomers to the program.
• Second in scoring last season, the Blue Tigers return Cameron Potts, a guard who averaged 11.6 points per game and led Lincoln's defense with 5.5 boards per game.
LAST TIME OUT
PITTSBURG, Kan. (Feb. 29, 2020) - Central Missouri Mules Basketball lost a hard-fought battle to Pittsburg State in their final regular-season game of the 2020 season. The Pittsburg victory punches the Gorillas' ticket to the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City.
• Pitt State held a steady lead for the first nine minutes after the tip until a jumper by
Koray Gilbert gave the Mules a 20-19 advantage.
• At the 5:52 mark, Central Missouri and Pitt were tied 29-29 and remained tied for four minutes and 25 seconds of scoreless basketball.
• The game was tied twice and saw three lead changes in the final 10 minutes of the first half as the Gorillas led 32-31 into the break.
• The Gorillas led the entire second half with their largest lead being an 11 point difference with just under 10 minutes to play.
• After shooting 7-12 from behind the arc in the the first half, the Mules were just 4-12 from the three in the second half.
• Pitt State improved their long shot in the second half, hitting 7-11 for 68.6%.
• Central Missouri finished the game 23-51 for 45% while Pitt State went 25-54 for 46.3% and had five different players score in double-figures.
• The Mules outperformed the Gorillas at the free throw line, shooting 16-20 to Pitt's 18-26.
• Pitt State out-rebounded UCM 33-20 while totaling 11 points off of 11 offensive boards.
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Kendale Hampton finished 7-12 with four three's and 4-5 at the free throw line to record the game-high of 22 points.
•
Garrett Luinstra totaled 17 points. A new career-high for the sophomore transfer.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• For the first time in program history, Central Missouri did not make it to the MIAA tournament after posting a 5-14 record in league play last season.
• The Mules finished 12th in the MIAA, above Emporia State and Newman.
• The Mules are 58-59 in conference play under
Doug Karleskint.
MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• Central Missouri went 5-4 in non-conference action last season.
• They are 159-42 over the last 18 seasons.
• Central Missouri is now 82-5 in the last 87 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES AT HOME
• Last season the Mules went 9-7 while playing in the Multipurpose Building.
• The Mules are 54-34 at home under Karleskint.
• Central Missouri posts a 191-35 record at home over the last 14 seasons, including 82-7 against non-conference opponents and 115-28 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 530-114 (.823) as they enter their 44th season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD
• UCM finished the 2019-20 season 0-11 on the road.
• UCM is 23-42 in road games under
Doug Karleskint.
MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
• Central Missouri went undefeated at 1-0 while completing at a neutral site last season.
• In the past five seasons, UCM posts a record of 16-5 at neutral sites.
INDIVIDUAL MILESTONES.
• Gavin Pinkley is just 20 points away from reaching his career 500th.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
•
Doug Karleskint enters the 2020-21 season with a record of 104-73 (.588) as head coach at Central Missouri and a 193-107 (.643) overall mark in his 10th season as a head coach.
• Doug saw is 100th career win as head coach of the Mules last season in a 93-62 victory over Saint Mary's. Their 93 points was the most single game points scored by the Mules all season.
• Karleskint 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.
