WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 24, 2021) - Central Missouri Mules Basketball will host its final games of the 2020-21 season against two teams fighting for spots in the MIAA Tournament. Saturday's game will also be a Senior Day celebration as the Mules honor seven senior players prior to the afternoon tip-off.
Opponents:
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (10-9, 10-9 MIAA)
Lincoln Blue Tigers (11-9, 11-9 MIAA)
Where:
UCM Multipurpose Building - Warrensburg, Mo.
When:
Thursday, Feb. 25 - 7:30 p.m. vs Central Oklahoma
Saturday, Feb. 27 - 3:00 p.m. vs. Lincoln
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.
Senior Day:
• Mules basketball will honor its seven seniors on Saturday, 10 minutes prior to tip-off against Lincoln.
• Central Missouri's seniors include:
Drew Apsher,
Dillon Blain,
Koray Gilbert,
Cameron Hunter,
Dawson Jones,
Ja'Cor Nelson, and
Ante Sustic.
On the Air:
• Both games will be broadcasted 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 is set to host Central Oklahoma and Lincoln in the Mules final contests of the 2020-21 season.
• The Mules look to end a six-game losing streak after picking up two more losses against Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State last week on the road.
• Central Oklahoma and Lincoln are both competing for spot in the MIAA Tournament. The Blue Tigers are currently fifth in the league while the Bronchos are seventh. The teams that finish in the top eight will compete in the 2021 MIAA Championship Tournament.
• Due to multiple postponed games throughout the season, Central Oklahoma played three games last week. The Bronchos defeated Rogers State 94-61 last Thursday then played back-to-back games last Saturday and Sunday against Northeastern State. The RiverHawks handed the Bronchos two straight losses winning 84-72 in game one and 96-89 in game two.
• Central Oklahoma is schedule to face Rogers State again on Wednesday, Feb. 24th before traveling to Warrensburg on Thursday.
• Lincoln hosts Newman in Jefferson City before traveling to the Burg for Saturday afternoon's match up.
• The Blue Tigers also split last week, losing to Fort Hays State 67-84 before defeating Nebraska-Kearney 68-65.
Mules Feed:
• Central Missouri's offense ranks towards the bottom of the MIAA, averaging just 67.5 ppg with 43.7% shooting from the field and 32% from the three-point range.
• At the free-throw line the Mules are shooting 73.6% to rank sixth in the league.
• The Mules are one of the best in the league at taking care of the ball. Central Missouri shares the league-low turnovers per game with 12.0 with the third-best turnover margin in the MIAA at 2.15.
• Central Missouri also ranks second in the MIAA with 8.15 steals per game.
• Four players,
Koray Gilbert,
Cameron Hunter,
Ja'Cor Nelson, and
Gaven Pinkley are currently averaging in double-figure scoring.
• Senior guard
Koray Gilbert is leading the Mules with 12.7 ppg. Gilbert leads all shooters from outside the arc with a .405 three-point field goal percentage and leads all guards with 50.8% shooting.
• Gilbert has led the offense in four of the last six 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 12.2 ppg. The senior guard also leads UCM in free-throws made (91), free-throw percentage (87.5%) and assists (59).
• Hunter's free-throw percentage ranks fourth in the MIAA and his 3.1 assist per game ranks 11th.
•
Ja'Cor Nelson leads the offense with 82 made field goals at 48.8% shooting and is averaging 10.6 ppg. Nelson also leads the Mules with 34 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 4.6 rebounds per game while also averaging 10.0 ppg. Pinkley also the leads the Mules in minutes played (625), minutes per game (31.3), total rebounds (92), total blocks (13), and double-figure games (12).
•
Jalen Blaize leads the Mules with 30 threes on the season while averaging 8.2 ppg.
• Central Missouri's big
Ante Sustic posts the team-high 60% field goal percentage and averages 4.2 ppg.
• 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 half their game.
Series History vs. Central Oklahoma:
• Central Missouri suffered a 70-89 loss to UCO in Edmond, Okla. eariler this season. The Bronchos recorded their best three-point shooting performance of the season shooting 56% from the three while shooting 54.9% overall.
•
Koray Gilbert led all scorers with 26 points while
Ja'Cor Nelson led UCM in assists and steals while also totaling 16 points.
• The Bronchos have won three of the last five meetings against the Mules. The last time UCO traveled to Warrensburg was in the 2017-18 season which ended in a 74-64 UCM victory. The Bronchos last win in the Multipurpose Building was a 72-57 victory in 2014.
• The all-time series is tied 10-10.
Series History vs. Lincoln:
• Central Missouri opened the 2020-21 season with a 80-86 loss to the Blue Tigers in Jefferson City. The Mules shot over 50% in the second half to win the final 20 minutes but it wasn't enough to overcome Lincoln's first-half lead.
• In his first game with the Mules,
Cameron Hunter shot 7-11 from the field, 5-6 from the three, and 5-5 at the line to lead all scorers with 24 points.
• Lincoln and the Mules have split 1-1 the last four seasons. The last time the Blue Tigers traveled to Warrensburg they suffered a 69-62 loss to the Mules.
• Central Missouri leads the all-time series 61-37.
Scouting the Bronchos (10-9, 10-9 MIAA):
• The 10-9 Bronchos currently rank seventh in the MIAA standings.
• Prior to last weekend, Central Oklahoma had been the highest scoring team in the MIAA in the month of February.
• The Bronchos are the fifth-highest scoring team in the MIAA with 79.5 ppg. Their 45.7% shooting from the field ranks eighth in the league while their 37.5% shooting from the three ranks fifth.
• Central Oklahoma leads the league with 10.1 offense rebounds per game and ranks second overall with 36.8 boards per contest.
• Central Oklahoma has shot over 50% in just five games this season. In their last outing on Saturday, Feb. 20th, the Bronchos shot 51.7% from the floor and 50% from the three-point range in a 89-96 loss to Northeastern State.
• The Bronchos are 3-5 while playing on the road this season.
Central Oklahoma Key Players:
• Callen Haydon leads UCO in scoring at 14.2 ppg. The junior point guard is also leads the Bronchos with 4.8 assists per game, which ranks fourth in the league while his 92 total assists also ranks fourth. Haydon posts the team-high 55.3% shooting overall to rank third in the MIAA. He is also shooting 62.2% from behind the three-point line and ranks seventh in the MIAA shooting 86.3% from the free-throw line.
• Isaiah Wade is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg. Wade shoots 52.8% from the field and leads the Bronchos with 2.4 three's per game which ranks eighth in the league.
• Wade also leads the UCO defense and ranks second in the MIAA with 9.2 boards per game.
• Camryn Givens joins Haydon and Wade in averaging double figures in scoring this season. The junior forward is averaging 13.6 ppg to go with 7.1 rebounds per game. He's currently shooting 48.1% from the field, 35.8% from behind the arc with 29 made threes this season, and 80.3% from the free-throw line.
• Jaden Wells makes it four Bronchos in double figures with his 10.2 ppg average. Wells leads the team from outside having gone 45-for-115 from behind the arc at 39.1% shooting.
Scouting the Blue Tigers (11-9, 11-9 MIAA):
• The 11-9 Blue Tigers currently rank ffith in the MIAA standings.
• Lincoln is tied for sixth in the league with 76.0 ppg. The team's 46.8% shooting from the field also ranks sixth in the MIAA while their 36% three-point shooting ranks seventh.
• The Blue Tigers have struggled at the foul line all season and post the league-low free-throw percentage of 65.4%.
• Lincoln's defense has proven to be on of the best in the league. The Blue Tigers rank fourth with 35.1 rebounds per game, third in steals with 7.95 per game, and fifth in blocked shots with 2.5 per game.
• Lincoln has won the rebounding battle in 11 games this year and owns a 10-1 record when ending the game with more boards than the opponent.
• At the national level, Lincoln ranks fifth in NCAA Division II with 159 total steals and seventh with 701 total rebounds.
• The Blue Tigers have two wins over ranked teams this season and have shot over 50% in seven games.
• Lincoln is just 3-7 while playing on the road this season.
Lincoln Key Players:
• Lincoln's offense is lead by Quinton Drayton and Sai Witt who both rank in the MIAA's top-10 offensively.
• Witt leads the Blue Tigers and ranks fifth in the MIAA in rebounding. The junior forward/guard is close to averaging double-double double figures with 15.9 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Witt leads the MIAA and ranks 21st nationally with 3.5 offensive boards per game. His 54.4% shooting is good for fourth in the league and ranks seventh in the league in blocking as he leads Lincoln with 15 total blocks.
• Quinton Drayton leads Lincoln with 332 total points and averages 16.6 ppg with 45.9% shooting.
• Cameron Potts leads the Blue Tigers in playing time with 33.3 minute per game while averaging 11.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg. The senior guard ranks second in the MIAA and seventh in Division II with 41 steals on the season. Potts also leads the Blue Tigers and ranks second in the league with 5.3 assists per game. He ranks second in Division II with 106 assists on the season.
• Junior Forward Derrick Woods is also averaging in double-figures with 12.3 ppg with 47.7% shooting from the floor and 34.9% shooting from the three.
• Yaniel Vidal leads the Blue Tigers from behind the arc with 47 threes on the season at 41.6%. The junior guard ranks sixth in the MIAA with 1.7 steals per contest while also averaging 9.1 ppg.
Last Time Out:
HAYS, Kan. (Feb. 20, 2021) - Central Missouri Mules basketball suffered a 48-84 loss to Fort Hays State on the road. The Tigers recorded a season-best field goal percentage of 58% while the Mules shot a season-low 30.2%.
• Fort Hays State opened with nine unanswered points against the Mules in the first four minutes following the tip.
• A contested layup from
Ja'Cor Nelson finally put UCM on the board at the 15:56 mark.
• The Tigers followed Nelson's bucket with another 9-0 run and led the Mules 24-7 through the second media timeout.
• Central Missouri tripled its seven points in the final eight minutes to complete the first half at a 35-21 deficit.
• Fort Hays State shot 56.5% in the first half as they finished 13-23 from the field and 5-11 from the three-point range for 45.5%.
• The Mules hit just 8-27 in the first 20 minutes for 29.6% shooting.
• The Tigers offensive leader Jared Vitztum scored 12 solo points in the first three minutes of the second half.
• Fort Hays State continued to lead the Mules by double-figures throughout the second-half. The Tigers largest advantage over the Mules was a 39 point lead with 1:09 left to play.
• Central Missouri hit eight buckets in each half to finish 16-53 from the floor for a season-low 30.2%. The Mules also shot 5-26 from the three for 19.2% and 11-19 from the free-throw line for 57.9%.
• Overall, FHSU finished 29-50 from the floor for a season-high field goal percentage of 58%. The Tigers also went 9-20 from behind the arc for 45% and 17-22 from the line for 77.3%.
• The Tigers also dominated the rebounding battle totaling 33 boards to the Mules 16.
•
Koray Gilbert went 4-12 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 at the line to lead UCM with 12 points.
•
Ja'Cor Nelson led the UCM defense with four rebounds and two steals.
Individual Milestones:
•
Gaven Pinkley scored his 200th point on the season in the Mules last outing against Fort Hays State. The junior forward is also 20 points away from his career 700th.
•
Koray Gilbert is 11 rebounds away from his career 100th and 30 points away from his career 300th.
