Mules Welcome Maryville to Multi for Friday Matinee

TIP-OFF
• After posting a 72-63 win in its 2021-22 season and home opener Tuesday, Nov. 16, University of Central Missouri Mules basketball returns to the hardwood to host the Maryville University Saints Friday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m. inside the Multipurpose Building.
• The Saints, who are 2-1 overall on the season, roll into the 'Burg after a 73-65 win over Fontbonne University in their home opener Nov. 16 in St. Louis, Mo.

ON THE AIR
• Friday's game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Joe Moore 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.

PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
• This is the 116th 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
• Central Missouri returns four starters and six letterwinners from last season's team that posted an overall record of 7-15.
• Returning starters include redshirt junior forward Gaven Pinkley, redshirt senior guard Ja'Cor Nelson, redshirt senior guard Koray Gilbert and redshirt senior guard Cameron Hunter.
• Other returners for UCM include redshirt junior guard Garrett Luinstra, redshirt freshman guard Easton Darling and redshirt freshman forward Austin Murrow.
• Central Missouri welcomes nine newcomers for 2021-22, including five transfers and four freshmen. Incoming transfers include redshirt junior guard Matthew Todd, redshirt sophomore guard Ikenna Okeke, redshirt sophomore guard Trey Sides, redshirt freshman guard Reggie Morris and redshirt sophomore forward Mark Mayle, while incoming freshmen are guard Connor Arment, guard/forward Blake Busateri, guard Jaden Rogers and forward Ben Fritz.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MARYVILLE
• Central Missouri is 2-0 all-time against Maryville
• The Saints and Mules met once in 2018-19 during the UMSL Thanksgiving Classic which resulted in a 83-76 UCM win in St. Louis, Mo.
• The first meeting was in 2017-18, with UCM posting a 74-56 victory over Maryville in Warrensburg.

SCOUTING MARYVILE
• The 2-1 Maryville Saints won their home opener against Tiffin University, 77-75, before falling to Walsh University on Nov. 14, 73-81. They faced Fontbonne University on the road before traveling to Warrensburg to take on the Mules.
• In the victory over Fontbonne, Dylan Ingram and Cameron Scales combined for 35 points.
• Through three games, Maryville is led offensively by Cameron Scales, who is averaging a team-high 16 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
• Ari Jackson (14.7 points) and Dylan Ingram (11 points) are also averaging in double figures for Maryville through three contests.
• Ingram has a team-high six steals, while Donovan Park has compiled a team-best four blocks, leading the Saints defensively.
• Maryville is shooting 42 percent from the floor, 26 percent from three-point range and 74 percent at the free-throw line going into Friday's game against the Mules. The Saints are also rebounding their opponents, 36.7 to 35.7.

LAST TIME OUT
• Gaven Pinkley posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the University of Central Missouri Mules basketball team to a 72-63 win over the Grand View Vikings Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 16, in their 2021-22 season and home opener inside the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• A redshirt junior from Hillsboro, Mo., Pinkley picked up his first double-double of 2021-22 after going 7-for-9 from the field, 1-of-3 from three-point range and 2-of-2 at the free-throw line for his team-high 17 points while also crashing the glass for 11 boards.
• Ja'Cor Nelson also reached double figures in his first game of the season, scoring 12 points and 4-of-8 shooting and a 4-of-4 showing at the free-throw line. He also had six rebounds and a game-high four steals in the contest.
• For the game, the Mules shot 46 percent from the field, going 29-for-63, but were only 21 percent from beyond-the-arc, making six out of 29 attempts from downtown. Central Missouri went 8-for-12 at the free-throw line for 67 percent.
• UCM outrebounded Grand View (4-2), 40-38, and outscored the Vikings in the paint, 36-28.

MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules 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
• The Mules are 1-0 at home in 2021-22 after their season-opening win Tuesday, Nov. 16.
• The Mules are 62-49 at home under Karleskint.
• Central Missouri has posted 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.

INDIVIDUAL MILESTONES
• Cameron Hunter enters Friday just 71 points shy of 1,000 in his career. He is at 929 going into Friday's game.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint enters the 2021-22 season with a record of 112-88 (.588) as head coach at Central Missouri and a 193-107 (.643) overall mark in his 12th 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.

MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 116th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,719-997 (.633) record in 2,716 total games.
• The Mules are the third winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• Central Missouri is one of just four NCAA-II programs with 1,700 all-time wins.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 26 times in the history of the program.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season three times (2006-07, 2008-09, and 2013-14).
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.

THE NEXT LEVEL
• In the past 16 years, 23 former UCM players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster; Donte Adams (Conejos De Tuxtla (Mexico), Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Central Missouri has won a combined 215 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• In 2017-18, UCM captured two national championships, two MIAA regular season and two MIAA tournament championships.
• Last season, UCM won three MIAA regular season championships, one MIAA tournament Championship and one national championship.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 164 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won 11 national championships during Hughes' tenure (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003, men's basketball in 2014, women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015, and women's soccer and women's basketball) and 13 national championships overall.
• In 2016-17 and 2017-18, Central Missouri won the first two MIAA's Commissioner's Cup trophy for the conference's top overall athletic department.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Throughout the 2020-21 seasons, 275 UCM student-athletes were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.00 GPA or higher.
• 31 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar-Athletes with at least a 3.50 GPA and having earned all-MIAA honors in their respective sport
• 28 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with perfect 4.00 GPAs.
• 3 UCM student-athletes were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in their respective sports
• Jennies Basketball's Morgan Fleming was named a 2020 D2CCA Regional Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
• All-time, UCM is fourth in NCAA-II with 119 Academic All-Americans.

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