WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 13, 2020) - After leading the Ichabods for a consecutive 32 minutes, No. 16 Washburn fought back against the hot-shooting Mules to win the MIAA contest 70-68 with a last second layup. Central Missouri controlled almost the entire match up with over 50% shooting in each half.
How it Happened:
• Central Missouri came out hot against the Ichabods, connecting on three of their first four trips down the court for an early 7-0 lead.
• Washburn caught up quickly, scoring six points in 60 seconds be almost even with the Mules at 6-7 after five minutes of play.
• Back-to-back UCM threes by Gavin Pinkley and
Cameron Hunter began a 13-4 Mules scoring advantage which would carry the Mules into a double-figure lead.
• Another three-pointer by Hunter gave the Mules the largest advantage of the game with a 30-22 lead of the Ichabods with six minutes left in the half. Central Missouri held on to its 11-point advantage in the remaining minutes to lead 39-28 at the half.
• The Mules shot 54.2% in the first half, connecting 13-24 from the field, 6-14 (42.9%) from the three, and 7-8 (87.5%) from the free-throw line.
• Washburn recorded its second-lowest first-half point total with 28 points at the break. Over 50% of the Ichabods first-half points came from deep as they finished 6-12 from the three and just 11-30 in total for 36.7%.
• Central Missouri held onto its multiple-score lead until a Washburn 6-0 run brought the Ichabods within three points of the Mules, 46-43, at the 14-minute mark in the second half.
• The Mules continued to lead through the 10-minute mark despite a Washburn 9-0 run. Finally, a three-pointer by Tyler Nelson gave the Ichabods its first lead of the game at 53-52 with 8:20 left to play.
• There was a total of three times tied and three lead changes in the final minutes of the second half.
• With under five minutes to play, Washburn led UCM by two, 60-58.
• The final five minutes showed an even offensive contest with Washburn connecting on 4-6 from the floor and UCM 3-4. Washburn scored the final bucket of the game to win it 70-68.
• The Mules saw an advantage at the foul line in the final five as Hunter hit a perfect 4-4 and Washburn landed just 1-4.
• Washburn's offense stepped up in the second half, shooting 55.2% to outscore the Mules 42-29 in the final 20 minutes.
• In total, the Ichabods finished 27-59 from the field and 11-24 from the three for 48.5% shooting. Washburn struggled at the line, recording their worst free-throw percentage of the season at 41.7% (5-12).
• Central Missouri shot 53.5% (23-43) from the floor, 40.9% (9-22) from the three, and 81.3% (13-16) from the foul line.
• Central Missouri's 11 second-half turnovers helped allow Washburn's comeback as the Ichabods totaled 11 points from the Mules mistakes.
It Was Over When...
Tied 66-66 with under a minute left to play, a pair of free-throw by Hunter gave the Mules a 68-66 advantage. Washburn's leading scorer Tyler Geiman retied the match with a contested layup with 41 seconds on the clock. A missed UCM three-pointer gave the Ichabods a chance at the lead with one final shot clock possession. Geiman connected with Jace Williams in the air to score the final basket of the game with just two seconds remaining.
Leading the Mules:
•
Cameron Hunter led the UCM offense with 21 points. Hunter tied the game-high four threes as he finished 5-9 from the field and 4-7 from behind the arc. Hunter also hit the game-high seven free-throws on eight attempts.
•
Gaven Pinkley totaled 12 points and tied his career-high single-game blocks a game-high of three.
•
Garrett Luinstra finished 5-7 to finished with 11. The junior guard led the Mules with three assists.
•
Koray Gilbert was one against from a double-double with 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
Leading the Ichabods:
• Tyler Geiman went 9-18 from the floor, 3-7 from the three, and 2-2 at the line to lead Washburn with 23 points. The MIAA assist leader also recorded the game-high seven assists.
• Geiman also led the Ichabods defense with eight boards.
• Jalen Lewis led Washburn with four threes as he totaled 16.
• Tyler Nelson finished with 13.
News & Notes:
• Central Missouri's 43 field goal attempts is a season-low for the Mules.
• Averaging 34.6 rebounds per game, Washburn only brought down 29 against the Mules.
• Central Missouri's defense held the MIAA's top three-point shooter to just one three on four attempts.
• This was the Mules sixth game this season shooting better than 50%.
•
Ja'Cor Nelson's first basket against the Ichabods was good for this 200th point of the season.
• Hunter also surpassed this 200th point of the season. He now leads the Mules offense with 209 points this season.
• Washburn leads the all-time series against the Mules 54-52.
Up Next:
Mules Basketball returns to the road next week. Central Missouri will first face Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday, Feb. 18th. Tip-off against the 7-11 Lopers is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Kearney's Health & Sports Center.
