PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Central Missouri Mules (10-11, 5-10) fell to the Pittsburg State Gorillas (14-8, 10-6) by a final score of 69-60 on Wednesday night inside John Lance Arena in Pittsburg.
The Mules trailed by as many as 12 points in the opening half of play but fought back to tie it at 31 with just over a minute to play thanks to a pair of
Jalen Knott (nine points and four rebounds overall) free-throws as PSU led 35-34 at the break.
After back in forth play in the second half, the Gorillas pulled away in the final minutes picking up their 14
th win of the season as forward Deshaun English II finished the contest with a double-double performance (14 points and 13 rebounds).
Central Missouri was paced offensively by redshirt senior
Keith Kiner III who had a game-high 21 points, going 9-of-17 from the floor including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc adding four rebounds. Guard
Jordan Hayes contributed 10 points, nine rebounds, and a career-best four steals while redshirt senior
Caleb Nero had seven points and five rebounds.
Guard
Corey Skillman Jr. finished the game with six points, freshman
Tim Jordan Jr. added seven rebounds and five points, and forward
Yafet Haile grabbed a career-high nine rebounds as the Mules outscored PSU in numerous categories including bench points (28-19), fast break (13-5), and off turnovers (14-12) for good measure.
Central Missouri returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 10, as they continue MIAA play on the road against the Missouri Southern Lions with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m. inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin.
