Mules Prepare for Weekday MIAA Match Ups

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 17, 2020) - Mules Basketball looks to terminate a four-game losing streak this week with another pair of MIAA match ups on the horizon. Central Missouri will host their final home game of the season Tuesday night before ending the year on a three-game road stretch. 

Opponents:
Lincoln Blue Tigers (10-14, 7-8 MIAA)
Washburn Ichabods (14-10, 9-6 MIAA)

When:
vs Lincoln - Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
vs Washburn - Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Where:
Tuesday - UCM Multipurpose Building - Warrensburg, Mo.
Thursday - WU's Lee Arena - Topeka, Kan.

How To Watch:
• This week's games will be aired on the MIAA Network on the Mules BlueFrame portal. Greg Hassler will be calling the action. Live stats are available and found at ucmathletics.com.

Tip Off:
• Central Missouri looks to bounce back after suffering two losses at home last week against Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney.
• Lincoln also faced Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney last week. The Blue Tigers defeated the Lopers 64-61 and took the Tigers into overtime, coming out on top 74-71. 
• Washburn finished 1-1 last week with a 86-72 win over Northeastern State and a 80-62 loss to Rogers State over the weekend. 
• This is the second time this season the Mules will face Lincoln and Washburn. 
• The Ichabods currently sit in sixth in the MIAA standings and have clinched a spot in the 2020 MIAA Championship. Lincoln is currently eighth in the league standings and are still fighting to punch their ticket to Kansas City. 
• When playing in the Multipurpose Building, the Mules are 8-7 overall and 4-4 in MIAA match ups. 
• Central Missouri is 0-8 in road games this season. 

Mules Feed:
• Central Missouri's defense has ranked in the league's scoring defense top-three every week this season.
• The Mules currently rank third in the MIAA, allowing opponents to score an average low of 67.8 points per contest. 
• Central Missouri also ranks in the top-five while protecting the arc as their opponents made an average of 33.9% from the three-point range. 
• The Mules lead the MIAA in steals with an average of 7.54 per game. 
• Offensively, the Mules are currently averaging the league-low of 66.3 points per game while shooting 42.8% from the field. 
• However, from outside the arc the Mules are shooting 37.6% to rank fifth in the MIAA..
• Sophomore forward Gaven Pinkley paces Central Missouri averaging 13.7 points per game and about six rebounds per game. Pinkley's field goal percentage of 51.1% currently ranks seventh in the league. 
• Pinkley has scored in double figures in 20 of the Mules 24 games so far this season.
• Senior Kendale Hampton is averaging 10.5 points per game and leads the Mules from the three-point range with 41 three's on the season. 
• Hampton ranked seventh in the MIAA with 1.4 steals per contest and also leads the Mules in blocks with 17 which ranks 12th in the league.
• Junior guard Daniel Farris is averaging 3.4 assists per game to rank 10th in the MIAA. 

Quick Hits:
Last Time Out
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 15, 2020) - Four Mules scored in double-figures in Central Missouri's 78-74 loss to the Lopers. It was a hard-fought battle for the entire 40 minutes with neither team generating a lead larger than six points. 
• Central Missouri recorded their second-best field goal percentage of the season, finishing 26-48 for 54.2%.
• The Mules also shot over 50% from the three-point range for just the fourth time this season. Central Missouri hit 10-19 from behind the arc for 52.6%.
• Nebraska-Kearney went 25-53 from the field for 47.2% and hit only 9-23 from the three for 39.1%. 
• DeAndre Sorrells finished 7-9 from the field with two three's and 2-2 at the free throw line to lead the offense with 18 points. 

Previously vs Lincoln
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series against Lincoln 60-36. 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. 
• When the Mules and Blue Tigers met previously this season,  Lincoln pulled off a close 88-84 victory over UCM on their home court in Jefferson City. 

Previously vs Washburn
• Central Missouri currently leads the all-time series 52-50. 
• The Ichabods went 2-0 against the Mules last season, beating them 70-50 in their first meeting and 74-69 in their second. 
• The Mules have not won a game since defeating Washburn on Feb. 1 in the Multipurpose Building.

Individual Milestones
• Daniel Farris is six points away from hitting 500 in his career.
• Matt Wilkinson is nine points away from recording 200 on the season and 650 in his career. 

Scouting the Competition:
Lincoln Blue Tigers (10-14, 7-8 MIAA)
• The Blue Tigers have used 13 different starting lineups in 2019-20. The only constant has been L'Kielynn Taylor, as the senior has started all 24 games this year. 
• Offensively as a team, Lincoln is shooting 69.4% from the field and is shooting the league-low of 32.4% form the three-point range. 
• Jonell Burton  leads the Blue Tigers with 15.1 points per game, is currently ninth in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in total field goals made (111).
• Eight Lincoln players are posting a field goal percentage of .400 or higher, with Alafia Oluwasogo (.536), leading four LU players making at least 50-percent of their shot attempts.
• Cameron Potts leads Lincoln with 97 assists on the year, and is one of the MIAA's leaders in that category as well. Potts is fifth in the league in assists per game (4.4) and fifth in total assists, and his 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is eighth in the league. In assists per game, Potts ranks 81st in NCAA Division II.
• Leading the Lincoln defense is L'Kielynn Taylor. The 6-6 forward has pulled down five or more boards in 21 of Lincoln's 24 games.. His 8.0 average is the third-best in the MIAA and his 193 total rebounds are also third in the MIAA. Taylor additionally ranks 74th in Division II in rebounds per game.

Washburn Ichabods (14-10, 9-6 MIAA)
• The Ichabods are currently seventh in the MIAA in scoring average at 75.0 points per contest and they rank sixth in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score an average of 69.5 points per game.
• Washburn ranks ninth in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 45.8% and they rank sixth in field goal defense at 43.5%.
• All put one of the Ichabods starters are averaging in double-figures. Tyler Geiman is averaging 15.0 points per game, Jalen Lewis is scoring 13.2, while Drew Maschoff is scoring 11.5 and Jonny Clausing is scoring 10.4 points per game. 
• Geiman leads Washburn with a 41.2 three-point field goal percentage which ranks fourth in the league and a 47.4 field goal percentage which ranks ninth. Geiman's free-throw percentage of 86.5% also ranks ranks third in the MIAA.
• Defensively, Clausing leads the Ichabods in rebounds at 7.5 per game, ranking fourth in the league. He also leads the team in blocks at 1.8 per game which leads the MIAA, and is also 20th in the latest national rankings and his total blocks is 18th overall nationwide.