WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 17, 2021) - Mules Basketball hits the road for its final away competitions of the regular season.
Opponents:
Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (7-11, 7-11 MIAA)
Fort Hays State Tigers (9-9, 9-9 MIAA)
Where:
Thursday -
Health & Sports Center - Kearney, Neb.
Saturday -
Gross Memorial Coliseum - Hays, Kan.
When:
Thursday, Feb. 18 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20 - 4:00 p.m.
Fan Information:
• Both Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State are operating at 25% capacity in their facilities. Fans are strongly encourage to purchase their tickets in advance at the link above.
• For Thursday's games against the Lopers, visiting fans will sit in sections A2 and A3.
• For Saturday's games against the Tigers, visitor seating will be located in the upper level GA.
• Face masks are required at all times while on both campuses.
• Fans are strongly encouraged to socially distance themselves when seated and only sit with the group they entered the facility with.
• Restrooms and concessions will be open at each facility, but fans are asked not to congregate in hallways or the lobby.
On the Air:
• Saturday's game will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and now the all new 107.9 fm. You can also stream online at 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:
• Central Missouri Basketball hits the road this week after a suffering a last-second loss to No. 16 Washburn last Saturday in the Multipurpose Building.
• The Mules led the Ichabods up until the final five minutes. The final minutes saw three lead changes and three ties before a last-second Washburn layup secured the Ichabods win at 70-6 and a cliched ticket to the MIAA Tournament.
• The Lopers are coming of a 1-1 week on the road with a 76-72 win over Northeastern State last Thursday and a 61-73 loss to Rogers State last Saturday.
• With two weeks of regular-season MIAA competition left, Nebraska-Kearney ranks 11th in the league, one spot above the Mules.
• Fort Hays State is tied four eighth in the MIAA as one of two teams with a .500 record.
• The Tigers also went 1-1 on the road last week, also defeating Northeastern State (73-58) falling to Rogers State (66-69).
• Prior to last week's loss against Rogers, FHSU was on a four-game winning streak which included back-to-back wins over Central Oklahoma.
Mules Feed:
• The 6-12 Mules are currently averaging 69.4 points per game while shooting 45.1% (436-966) from the floor and 33.3% (121-363) from the three to rank ninth in the MIAA in each category.
• Four players,
Cameron Hunter,
Ja'Cor Nelson,
Koray Gilbert and
Gaven Pinkley are currently averaging in double-figure scoring.
• Senior guard
Koray Gilbert is leading the Mules with 12.9 ppg. Gilbert leads UCM from outside the arc with 47.1% shooting and posts the second-best field goal percentage on the team at 54.0%.
• Gilbert has led the offense in three of the last four games, including a career-high performance against Pittsburg State. Against the Gorillas, Gilbert shot 11-16 from the floor, 5-8 from the three, and 4-5 from the free-throw line to lead all scorers with 31 points. That total is also the most single-game points scored by any Mules this season.
•
Cameron Hunter is averaging 12.3 ppg. The senior guard also leads UCM in free-throws made (87), free-throw percentage (87%) and assists (59). Hunter's free-throw percentage ranks fifth in the MIAA while his 1.5 assist to turnover ratio ranks eighth.
• Hunter led the Mules offense last week against the Ichabods with 21 points while hitting the game-high four threes.
•
Ja'Cor Nelson leads the offense with 80 made field goals at 50.6% shooting and is averaging 11.4 ppg. Nelson also leads the Mules with 32 steals and is the second-best rebounder on the squad with 3.8 boards per game.
•
Gaven Pinkley leads the Mules at the boards with 4.7 rebounds per game while also averaging 10.7 ppg. Pinkley also the leads the Mules in minutes played (570), minutes per game (31.7), total rebounds (84), total blocks (11), and double-figure games (12).
•
Jalen Blaize leads the Mules with 27 threes on the season while averaging 8.3 ppg.
• Central Missouri's big
Ante Sustic posts the team-high 64% field goal percentage and averages 4.4 ppg.
• The Mules have the third-best turnover margin in the league at 2.28. They also rank second in the MIAA with 8.33 steals per game and fifth with a .745 team free-throw percentage.
• Central Missouri has shot over 50% in six games this season, including a season-high 56% in their win over Pittsburg State earlier in the season.
• Proven to be more of a second-half team, the Mules have out-scored their opponents in the final 20 minutes in 10 of their 18 games.
Series History vs. Nebraska-Kearney:
• Nebraska-Kearney took the lead in the all time series against the Mules earlier this season with a 72-69 victory in the Multipurpose Building. The Lopers won the first half battle 41-29 while UCM won the second-half 40-31.
• Four Mules finished in double-figures led by
Cameron Hunter with 19 while Austin Luger led the Lopers with the game-high 21 points.
• Central Missouri hasn't played in Kearney since the 2016-17 season. The Mules post a record of 3-3 while playing on the Lopers home court.
• The Lopers lead the all-time series 8-7.
Scouting the Lopers (7-11, 7-11 MIAA):
• The 7-11 Lopers average 68.2 ppg with 42.9% shooting from the field and 31.3% shooting from the three-point range to rank 13th in the MIAA in all categories.
• Nebraska-Kearney's defense however ranks fourth in the league, holding their opposing offenses to 72.3 ppg and they are the second-best at guarding the three, posting a defensive three-point field goal percentage of 32.9%.
• At the line, the Lopers rank one spot above the Mules with a 75.7% free-throw percentage.
• Nebraska-Kearney is 4-5 while playing at home this season. The Lopers last outing in Kearney was a 70-65 victory over Newman on Feb. 6th.
Nebraska-Kearney Key Players:
• The Lopers have four starters who are averaging in double-figure scoring led by Jake Walker. The senior guard ranks 10th in the MIAA with 15.4 ppg. Walker leads UNK in total points (246), free-throw shooting (87.3%), total assists (43), and total steals (19). His free-throw percentage ranks fourth in the league.
• Austin Luger is averaging 14.4 ppg. The senior forward leads the Lopers from outside the arc with 28 threes on the season while posting a team-high .384 three-point field goal percentage. Luger also leads the UNK defense with 93 total rebounds and eight blocks.
• Darrian Nebeker has only played, and started, the last five games for UNK. He leads the Lopers with a .543 field-goal percentage and 6.2 rebounds per game while also averaging 12.6 ppg.
• Nebeker led the UNK offense last week with 23 points against Northeastern State and recorded a double-double against Rogers State with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
• Also making a late start to the season is Sam Morris. The redshirt senior has started the last seven games after not playing the first-half of the season. Morris is averaging 10.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg while also totaling 19 assists.
• Redshirt sophomore Cedric Johnson also recorded a double-double last week with 15 points and 14 rebounds in the Lopers win over the RiverHawks.
Series History vs. Fort Hays State:
• Central Missouri picked up its second win of the season with a 100-81 victory over Fort Hays State on Jan. 7th, 2020. The Mules 100 points scored is a season-high while they finished with 54.7% shooting for their second-best field goal percentage of the season.
•
Ja'Cor Nelson led the Mules with 22 while
Jalen Blaize finished with 20.
• The Mules have one three of the last four meetings with the Tigers and are 4-9 while playing in Hays, Kan.
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series against the Tigers 15-12.
Scouting the Tigers (9-9, 9-9 MIAA):
• The 9-9 Tigers are averaging 74.9 ppg to rank eighth in the league while their 37.3% three-point shooting ranks fourth and their .459 field-goal percentage ranks seventh.
• The Tigers rank at the top of the league in free-throw percentage, shooting 80.8% (277-343) at the line.
• Fort Hays State defense ranks one spot below the Lopers in defensive scoring at fifth, allowing 74.6 ppg.
• Three different Tigers have lead FHSU in scoring in the last three games. Those same players are also the only three currently averaging in double-figures.
• The Tigers are 5-3 while competing at home this season. In FHSU's last home action, the Tigers defeated Central Oklahoma 84-82 with a pair of free-throw in the final seconds.
Fort Hays State Key Players:
• Fort Hays State's offense and defence is lead by the MIAA's leading rebounder Jared Vitzum. Vitzum leads the league with 9.9 boards per game and a total of 178 on the season. His 17.9 ppg also ranks seventh in the MIAA.
• Vitzum also leads FHSU in total points (322), rebounds per game (9.9), total rebounds (178), and total blocks (13). He has lead the Tigers in rebounds in every game but one.
• Fort Hays State has two players ranking in the MIAA's top-10 assists. Kaleb Hammeke ranks seventh in the league with 4.2 apg while Quinten Rock ranks eighth with 4.0 apg.
• Rock also leads the MIAA in free-throw shooting with a percentage of 91.7% (55-60). The freshman guard also leads the Tigers from behind the arc with 41 threes this season at 40% shooting while averaging 12.9 ppg.
• Hammeke leads the Tigers with 76 total assists and 20 steals while averaging 11.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg.
• Bjarni Jonsson leads the FHSU starters with a .587 field-goal percentage. Jonsson recorded a season-high 14 points in the Tigers loss to Rogers State last Thursday.
• Rock led the offense in the Tigers last outing against Northeastern State with 19 points while Vitzum recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Last Time Out:
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.
• 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.
•
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.
Individual Milestones:
•
Cameron Hunter and
Ja'Cor Nelson both surpassed their 200th point of the season in the Mules last outing against No. 16 Washburn.
•
Gaven Pinkley is 28 points away from his career 700th.
