JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Nov. 21, 2020) - Central Missouri's second-half surge wasn't enough to pull off the season-opener victory as Lincoln defeated the Mules 86-80. Newcomers Cameron Hunter and Ja'Cor Nelson led the UCM offense with Hunter scoring a game-high 24 points and Nelson putting up 18.
How it Happened:
• Garrett Luinstra scored the first points of the season for the Mules with a jumper in the first minute after tip-off.
• The Mules controlled the lead for the opening minutes until Lincoln hit back-to-back three's to tie things up 9-9 at the 15:48 mark. From there, the Blue Tigers saw a 10-0 run to led the Mules 19-9 approaching the 10 minute mark.
• Lincoln saw their largest lead of the of the first half with 4:40 to go as the Blue Tigers led the Mules 32-18.
• The Blue Tigers hit 11-23 from the field and went 7-14 from the three-point line to lead the Mules 39-30 at the half.
• A three-pointer by Hunter ended Lincoln's 9-0 run to open the second half as the Blue Tigers had increased their lead over the Mules 48-33.
• With 14:44 to go UCM went on a run of their own, outscoring Lincoln 12-0 and decreasing their lead to just four points in 2:30 of play.
• A jumper by Hunter at the 9:03 mark brought the Mules within one point of the Blue Tigers.
• Lincoln was able to hold onto their lead for the remaining minutes as the Mules fell to the Blue Tigers 86-80 in the season MIAA opener.
• Central Missouri shot over 50% in the second half hitting 18-32 from the field to outscore Lincoln 50-47 in the second half.
• The Mules finished the game 29-59 from the field for 49%, made just 6-20 from behind the arc for 30%, and were 16-20 from the free throw line for 80.0%.
• Lincoln also shot 49% from the field going 25-51 and hit 9-25 from the three-point range for 36%.
• The Blue Tigers struggles at the foul line, making just 27-39 for 69.2%.
• Lincoln also had a defensive advantage over the Mules, out-rebounding UCM 33-27 and recorded eight steals to UCM's three.
Leading the Mules:
• Senior transfer Hunter went 7-12 from the field, 5-7 from the three and 5-5 from the foul line to record a game-high 24 points. Hunter also finished with five boards and three assists.
• Nelson was 7-9 from the field and 4-6 from the three-throw line to record 18 points in his UCM debut.
• Also scoring in double-figures was the Mules lone returning starter from the 2019-20 season, Gaven Pinkley. Pinkley hit just 3-12 from the field but added a perfect 6-6 at the free-throw line to finish with 13 points.
• Junior transfer Mohammed Abubakar was 4-5 from the field to total nine points in his UCM debut.
• Luinstra led the defense with eight boards, a career-high for the returning junior.
Leading the Blue Tigers:
• Lincoln saw four players in double-figure scoring.
• Yaniel Vidal went 5-7 from the field, 4-5 from the three-point range and 6-9 from the foul line to lead Lincoln with 20 points.
• Sai Witt added 19 points for the Blue Tigers while pulling down a game-high nine rebounds.
News & Notes:
• Central Missouri's added height this season helped the Mules outscore Lincoln 36-30 in the paint.
• The Blue Tigers lessen UCM's lead in the all-time series 62-37.
• The Mules are now 5-2 in season openers under Head Coach Doug Karleksint.
Up Next:
Mules Basketball returns to action Tuesday, Nov. 24, for their home opener against No. 21 Missouri Southern. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in UCM's Multipurpose Building.
