PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Central Missouri Mules (14-14, 9-10 MIAA) fell to the Pittsburg State Gorillas (17-11, 13-6 MIAA) by a final score of 76-42 on Saturday, March 1, inside John Lance Arena in Pittsburg.
 
The Gorillas took the lead in the opening three minutes of play and never relinquished en route to their 17^th win of the season led Avery Taggart's game-high 23 points.
 
Two Mules finished the contest with double-digit scoring performances in forward Josh Nwankwo (17 points and a team-high seven rebounds) and Louisville, Ky. native Kyran Tilley (10 points and five boards). Freshman Kyree Polk had six points and two rebounds while guard Jake Fritz had five points and two boards for good measure.
 
Central Missouri outscored the Gorillas in bench points (15-13), fast break points (10-2), and second chance points (8-4) as Corey Skillman Jr. (two rebounds) and Tim Jordan Jr. both finished with two points.

No. 7 Central Missouri returns to the court on Wednesday, March 5, as they take on No. 10 Northeastern State RiverHawks (14-14, 8-11 MIAA) in the opening game of the 2025 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship presented by Southern Bank beginning at 2:15 p.m. inside Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo. making it their first trip to the conference tournament since the 2021-22 season.