WARRENSBURG, Mo. (November 23, 2020) - The Central Missouri Basketball hosts its first MIAA matchup of the season as the 21st-ranked Lions travel to Warrensburg to take on the Mules.
OPPONENT
Missouri Southern Lions (2-0, 2-0 MIAA)
WHEN
Tuesday, November 23, 2020 - 7:30 p.m.
WHERE
UCM Multipurpose Building - Warrensburg, Mo.
FAN INFORMATION
• The UCM Multipurpose Building is limited to 25% capacity. Fans are strongly encourage to purchase their tickets in advance at the link above.
• Face masks are required at all times while on the UCM campus.
• Fans are strongly encouraged to socially distance themselves when seated and only sit with the group they entered the facility with.
• Restrooms and east-end concessions will be open, but fans are asked not to congregate in hallways or the lobby.
• There will be no reserved seating for visiting fans behind the visiting bench.
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 Mules open the holiday break with their first home competition of the season against No.21 Missouri Southern.
• UCM is coming off a season-opener road loss to Lincoln this past Saturday.
• The Lions are off to a 2-0 start on the season after defeated Central Oklahoma 75-74 in their season opener and Newman 82-79 this past Saturday.
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. MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• Tuesday's match-up marks the 70th meeting between the Lions and the Mules.
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series 40-29.
• Early in the 2019-20 season, UCM upset the No.10 Lions 54-52 in the Multipurpose Building.
• The victory was the Mules second over a top-25 ranked team this season as they defeated No. 1 Northwest prior to facing the Lions.
• Missouri Southern faced the Mules again later in the season and defeated UCM 99-68.
SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN
• With two games completed, Missouri Southern is currently shooting 47.2% from the field and 41.7% from the three-point range.
• Star returner Cam Martin led the Lions against UCO with 27 points and 10 rebounds but it was Winston Dessesow hitting the game-winning jumper with nine seconds left to defeat the Bronchos 75-74.
• Sophomore Kyle Younge led the Lions offense against Newman scoring a career-high 23 points, including a career-high five three pointers. Martin was close behind Younge with 21 points while adding 11 rebounds and seven assists. Senior Stan Scott also recorded a career-high outing with 19 points.
• The Lions are coming off of a 23-8 season last year that saw the team make the NCAA Tournament before it was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
• The Lions were picked to finished second, behind No.1 ranked Northwest, in the MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll.
• MSSU has just five players return from last year's team, including All-MIAA, All-Region and All-American Cam Martin.
• Martin was a finalist for the Bevo Francis Small College Basketball Player of the Year Award after averaging 24.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 58 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free throw line.
• The Lions led the MIAA last season in scoring and rebounding, averaging 84.8 points per game and 38.5 boards per game.
LAST TIME OUT
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.
•
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.
• 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.
INDIVIDUAL MILESTONES.
• Gavin Pinkley is just seven points away from reaching his career 500th.
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).
MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• UCM is currently 0-1 in league play after falling to Lincoln 86-80 in the season opener.
• 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
• The Mules opened the 2020-21 season with a road loss to Lincoln.
• UCM finished the 2019-20 season 0-11 on the road.
• UCM is 23-43 in road games under 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.
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.
