Mules Lose Nail-Biter to the Bronchos at Home

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 25, 2021) - Central Missouri Basketball lost a hard-fought battle to Central Oklahoma Thursday night in the Multipurpose Building. Four Mules finished in double-figures led by Ja'Cor Nelson with 20.

How it Happened:
• The Bronchos and the Mules second matchup of the season saw eight lead changes and was tied five different times. 
• The first minutes following the tip was a back-and-forth battle. Central Missouri saw its largest lead of the game at the 12:27 mark with a 14-9 lead over the Bronchos. 
•  Central Oklahoma quickly nipped the Mules lead with an 11-0 run that would carry the Bronchos past the 10-minute mark with a 20-14 lead. 
• A pair of free-throws by Ja'Cor Nelson and back-to-back threes from Cameron Hunter and Jalen Blaize caught the Mules up for the fifth tied score of the game at 22-22 with 7:31 left in the first. 
• The Bronchos gains a slight lead over UCM in the final five minutes of the first half. Central Oklahoma led the Mules by seven at the break, 36-29. 
• Central Oklahoma ended the first half with 46.7% shooting from the floor and 29.4% from the three while UCM hit just 38.5% from the field and 28.6% from the three. 
• Central Oklahoma saw its largest advantage over the Mules with a 51-40 lead four minutes into the second half. 
• From the 16:29 mark to the 12:35 mark the Mules got hot, scoring on five consecutive drives with three threes and two layups for an impressive 13 points. 
• After back-to-back defensive stops that were each followed with a pair of fast-break layups from Nelson, Garrett Luinstra landed a huge three to give UCM its first lead of the second half at 64-63 with 6:47 left to play.  
• Central Missouri kept control of the lead until a Bronchos jumper at the 3:11 mark sparked a 6-0 UCO run which the Mules wouldn't recover from. Central Oklahoma wins in 77-75.
• Both offenses improved greatly in the second half. Central Oklahoma shot over 60% in the final twenty minutes while UCM shot over 54%. 
• Overall, the Mules finished 28-59 for 47.5% shooting from the field, 11-30 for 36.7% from behind the arc, and 8-10 at the free-throw line for 80%.
• The Bronchos hit 28-53 (52.8%) from the floor, 9-25 (36%) from the three, and 12-19 (63.2%) at the line in total. 
• Central Oklahoma also won the defensive battle at the boards, out-rebounding the Mules 33-28. However, Central Missouri capitalized on the boards they did earn, totaling nine more second-chance points than the Bronchos.

It was Over When...
After a pair of UCO free-throw, the Mules were down by three, 73-76 with 27 seconds left on the clock. Defensive stops by the Bronchos forced the Mules to foul, sending Isaiah Wade to the line. Wade went 1-1 to award UCO a four-point lead with 16 seconds to play. Garrett Luintra did make a final-second layup to end it 77-75. 

Leading the Mules:
• Ja'Cor Nelson finished 8-11 from the field, 2-2 at the three and 2-3 at the foul line to lead the Mules offense and tie for a game-high 20 points. 
• Nelson also led the Mules defense with a season-best eight rebounds and six steals. 
• Koray Gilbert led UCM with three threes as he finished with 17 points and collected five rebounds. 
• Gaven Pinkley totaled 15 points and six boards.
• Cameron Hunter led the Mules with five assists while totaling 10 points.         

Leading the Bronchos:
• Callen Haydon went 6-10 from the floor, 2-4 from behind the arc and 6-8 at the line to share the game-high 20 points. Haydon also led UCO with a game-high eight assists.
• Jaden Wells knocked down a game-high five threes to finish with 19.    
• Isaiah Wade led the UCO defense with nine rebounds, one away from a double-double as he finished with 12 points.      

News & Notes:
• This was UCM's 11th game this season outscoring its opponents in the second half and sixth game the Mules have shot 50% or better. 
• Gaven Pinkley leads UCM with 13 double-figure games this season. 
• Central Oklahoma now leads the all-time series against the Mules 11-10.  

Up Next:
Mules Basketball will host its final home game of the 2020-21 season against Lincoln on Saturday, Feb. 28th. Saturday's game will also be a Senior Day celebration at the Mules honor seven seniors. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in the UCM Multipurpose Building.