WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Central Missouri Mules (8-6, 3-5) defeated the Emporia State Hornets (11-6, 4-5) by a final score of 60-53 on Saturday afternoon inside the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg.
The Hornets led by one at the break extending their lead to as many as seven in the opening minutes of the second half, but Central Missouri responded with a 7-0 run tying the contest at 31 thanks to a
Jalen Knott three-pointer. The Cleveland, Ohio native gave the Mules the lead for good with another three with seven minutes to go as the Mules captured their third straight win in MIAA play.
Four Mules finished the contest scoring double-figures including Knott (game-high 19 points, five rebounds, and a game-high three steals), forward
Keith Kiner III (13 points, nine rebounds, and a game-high four assists), redshirt senior
Jordan Hayes (10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds), and forward
Tim Jordan Jr. (10 points and four rebounds) respectively.
Central Missouri outscored the Hornets in numerous categories including a 15-5 advantage off turnovers, 26-16 in the paint, and 9-8 in second chance as redshirt senior
Caleb Nero had five points, guard
Corey Skillman Jr. added two points, and junior
Yafet Haile had two rebounds and one point for good measure.
UCM returns to the court on Thursday, Jan. 18, as they continue MIAA play on the road against the Northeastern State RiverHawks with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah, Okla.
