TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules return home to host Emporia State in a midweek showdown on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Tip-off at the Multi is set for 7:30 p.m.
• The Mules are coming off an 82-75 win at Lindenwood on Saturday afternoon that improved UCM's record to 12-5 overall and 6-3 in league play.
• Emporia State enters the contest at 10-8 overall and 6-3 in MIAA play after a 92-85 win over Missouri Southern on Sunday afternoon in Emporia.
• The Mules and Hornets are part of a three-way tie for second place in the MIAA standings.

ON THE AIR
• The games will be broadcast on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action.
• The games will also be webcast online through Central Missouri's Stretch Internet portal at UCMathletics.com/gamecentral. It is a pay-per-view webcast.

PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
• This is the 112th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,666 wins. One of just four NCAA-II programs with 1,600 wins.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).

MULE FEED
• Spencer Reaves is averaging 16.8 points per game this season, best on the team and seventh in the MIAA. He recorded his first career double-double against Northwest Missouri with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
• Marquiez Lawrence leads the Mules with a pair of double-doubles this season. He recorded his second of the year in the win over Missouri Western on Jan. 16. He has eight in his two seasons with UCM.
• Ten different players have scored in double figures for the Mules this season with Spencer Reaves scoring at least 20 points in seven games.
• The Mules are third in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 49.3 percent, three-point shooting at 39.5 percent and free throw percentage at 75.7 percent.
• Defensively, UCM is second in the league in scoring (67.4 ppg). The Mules are ninth in field goal percentage allowed at 45.4 percent and 10th in three-point field goal percentage allowed at 38.1 percent.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 112th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Emporia State with the Mules holding a 70-41 advantage in the series.
• The Mules swept the season series last year to snap a two-game skid against the Hornets.
• The Mules have won 11 of the last 14 meetings overall.
• UCM leads the series 46-15 in games played in Warrensburg and the Mules have won six of the last seven at the Multi.

LAST MEETING WITH EMPORIA STATE
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 30, 2016) -- The Mules shot nearly 47 percent from the floor while holding Emporia State to 34 percent shooting in a 61-51 win on Saturday afternoon at the Multi. The Mules snap a two-game skid and improve to 13-7 overall and 7-7 in MIAA play.
    UCM jumped out to an early 11-5 lead less than four minutes in to the game, but they went stagnant from the floor and Emporia State (9-11, 6-8 MIAA) used a 10-0 run to grab a 15-11 lead at the 12:06 mark. The Mules would go from the 16:34 mark of the first half to the 9:34 mark between made baskets, both layups from Marquiez Lawrence. The second drew UCM to within a pair at 15-13 and Lawrence then sank two foul shots to tie the game at 15.
    The Hornets led 18-17 with 6:20 left in the opening period when Spencer Reaves got his first bucket of the game to put the Mules back in front 19-18. A 4-0 spurt gave the Hornets a 22-19 lead, but Reaves buried a three to tie the game and Brett O'Neil followed with a deep three of his own to beat the shot clock and UCM led 25-22. Reaves added two more free throws to cap an 8-0 run by the Mules as they led 27-22 with 31 seconds left in the first half. The Hornets got a pair of free throws from Josh Pedersen to close to within 27-24 at the intermission.
    ESU scored four straight points out of the break to regain the lead, 28-27, but Reaves hit another trey and Brad Woodson scored on a jumper to give the Mules a 32-28 lead with 17:12 to play. The lead see-sawed back and forth between two and four points until Reaves started a 7-0 run with a layup and ended it with a three to give UCM a 43-34 lead at the 11:57 mark.
    The lead was still nine with 5:52 to play in the game after a layup from D'Marnier Cunningham, but a three-point play by Micah Swank and a jumper from Terrence Moore in just over 30 seconds cut the Mule lead to four at 53-49. Eckwood buried a open three-pointer to push the lead back to seven and Moore's layup with 2:46 to play to cut the lead to five was the closest ESU would get the rest of the way.
    Cunningham hit two free throws and Woodson nailed a three-pointer with 1:24 to play that gave UCM a 10-point lead and iced the game.
    Reaves led UCM with 17 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Cunningham added 13 points and three steals. UCM was 21-of-45 from the floor and 7-of-16 from beyond the arc for 44 percent. The Mules made 12-of-14 free throws for 86 percent.
    Moore led Emporia State with 17 points as the Hornets shot just 19-of-56 from the field. They were 4-of-12 from beyond the arc and 9-of-13 at the charity stripe for 69 percent.
    The Mules forced ESU in to 19 turnovers, nine more than their season average and also had a season-high eight blocked shots in the game, four from Williams Gabriel.

SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE
• The Hornets enter the contest at 10-8 overall and 6-3 in MIAA play following a 92-85 win over Missouri Southern on Sunday. ESU is tied with the Mules and Central Oklahoma for second place in the MIAA standings.
• Emporia State had five players in double figures in their win over Missouri Southern, including Garin Vandiver with 18 points and 18 rebounds.
• ESU is seventh in the league in scoring (76.7 ppg) and 12th in scoring defense (74.2). The Hornets are 11th in the MIAA in field goal percentage (43.6%) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (38.5%), while ranking 11th in field goal percentage defense (46.4%) and seventh in three-point field defense (36.6).
• Brandon Hall is the only Hornet averaging in double figures at 14.1 points per game, but eight players average at least 6.3 points per contest. Josh Pedersen is averaging 9.8 points per game, but 11.3 during MIAA play.
• Hall also leads the team in assists, averaging 3.9 per game, while Stephaun Limuel (5.4), Vandiver (5.2) and Pedersen (4.8) are all averaging around five boards per game.
• The Hornets are fifth in the league in rebounding (35.4) and third in offensive boards (11.9). They are sixth in rebound margin at plus-2.5.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 82, LINDENWOOD 75 • 1/21/17
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (Jan. 21, 2017) -- The Mules built a 17-point second half lead then withstood a late Lindenwood rally to grab an 82-75 win at the Hyland Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Mules have now won three straight games and four of their last five.
    Lindenwood (14-8, 4-6 MIAA) jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game, but the Mules (12-5, 6-3 MIAA) responded with an 8-1 run to grab their first lead of the game, 8-6, with 16:06 to play in the game. A 7-2 spurt put the Lions back in front at 13-10 just two minutes later. Lindenwood would push the lead to seven at 20-13 midway through the first half, but a 9-1 run put the Mules in front 22-21 with 7:25 to play in the half.
    Lindenwood went back in front by five with a 7-1 spurt of their own, but the Mules scored 10 of the final 14 points of the half and led 33-32 at the intermission.
    The Lions opened the second half with seven of the first nine points to go in front 39-35, but Kyle Wolf scored four straight points and DJ Richardson added a steal and breakaway dunk to put the Mules back in front 40-39. It ignited a 12-0 run that gave UCM a 47-39 lead with 13 minutes to play in the game. The lead was five later in the half when UCM went on another run, this time a 16-4 spurt that gave the Mules a 67-50 lead with 5:02 to play in the game.
    The Lions battled back, making five three-pointers in the final five minutes, to get as close as five but the Mules iced the game at the foul line to secure the win.
    Kyle Wolf led three Mules in double figures with 16 points. Spencer Reaves added 13 points and Jakob Lowrance had 12. Marquiez Lawrence had nine points and eight rebounds. UCM was 19-of-36 from the field for 53 percent, including 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. The Mules were 38-of-45 at the free throw line for 84 percent.
    Jackson Price and Chandler Diekvoss led LWU with 17 points apiece, while LJ McIntosh and Bakari Triggs had 13 each. The Lions shot 48 percent from the field (28-of-58), and made 10 threes on 30 attempts. They were 9-of-14 at the free throw line.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 6-3 in MIAA play and tied for second on the league standings after the 82-75 win at Lindenwood on Jan. 21.
• UCM is 28-22 in conference play during the Doug Karleskint era.
• The Mules have won or shared 24 MIAA Regular Season Championships and five MIAA Tournament titles.

MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules are 6-2 in non-conference action this season after the 74-66 loss at Rockhurst on Dec. 31.
• UCM was 6-1 in non-conference games last season, including a 6-0 mark in regular season non-con games. They are 138-34 over the last 15 seasons.
• Central Missouri is 68-1 in the last 69 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES AT HOME
• The Mules are 6-1 at home this season after the 81-68 win over Missouri Western and are 29-9 at home under Doug Karleskint.
• UCM is 167-20 at home over the last 12 seasons, including 68-1 against non-conference opponents and 99-19 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 495-97 (.836) in their 41st season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 4-4 on the road this season after the win at Lindenwood on Jan. 21.
• UCM is 14-16 in road games under Doug Karleskint.

A CENTRAL MISSOURI WIN WOULD...
Give the Mules four straight wins for the first time since the Mules started last season 7-0 ... make UCM 13-5 overall and 7-3 in MIAA play ... give UCM three straight wins over Emporia State ... give the Mules a 47-15 advantage in games played in Warrensburg and make the all-time series 71-41 in favor of UCM ... make UCM 1,667-951 all-time.

A CENTRAL MISSOURI LOSS WOULD...
Snap the Mules' three-game winning streak ... make the Mules 12-6 overall and drop them to 6-4 in MIAA play ... snap a two-game winning streak against Emporia State ... give the Hornets two wins in the last three games at the Multi ... make the all-time series 70-42 in favor of UCM ... make UCM 1,666-952 all-time.

BLOCK PARTY
• Senior Marquiez Lawrence had one blocked shot in the win at Lincoln, giving him 18 blocks on the season.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, tied for the 10th most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
• He is now at 50 for his career, tied for sixth all-time at UCM. He is six blocks shy of fifth all-time.

MIAA STAT LEADERS
• Spencer Reaves is seventh in the MIAA in scoring with an average of 16.8 points per game. Kyle Wolf is 23rd in the conference at 11.8 points per game.
• Reaves is fifth in the MIAA in field goal percentage (49.1) and eighth in free throw percentage at 82.3 percent. Reaves also leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.3 (50 ast - 15 TO) and is 15th in assists per game at 2.9.
• Marquiez Lawrence is 10th in the league with 6.2 rebounds per game. He also ranks ninth in blocked shots, averaging 1.1 per contest.
• Reaves is eighth in the MIAA in steals averaging 1.6 per game, while Clarence Smith is 14th with 1.2 per outing.

UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 51-27 (.654) in his third season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 140-61 (.697) overall mark in his seventh season as a head coach.
• He became the first Mules' head coach to start his first season at UCM 7-0 when he accomplished the mark in 2014-15.
• His 25 wins in 2014-15 were the most by a first-year head coach in Central Missouri history.
• Karleskint became the fourth Mules' head coach to win at least 20 games in his first season.
• Before coming to UCM, he spent the previous five seasons at Arkansas Tech, including the last four as head coach. He compiled an 89-34 (.724) record with the Wonder Boys with four conference championships and four trips to the NCAA-II National Tournament, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2012.

MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 112th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,666-951 (.637) record in 2,617 total games.
• The Mules are the third winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• Central Missouri is one of just four NCAA-II programs with 1,600 all-time wins.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 24 times in the history of the program, including three of the last four seasons.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season three times (2006-07, 2008-09, and 2013-14).
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.

THE NEXT LEVEL
• In the past 15 years, 23 former UCM players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster; Donte Adams (Mexico, Conejos De Tuxtla), Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Entering the 2016 fall semester, Central Missouri has won a combined 207 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last year, UCM captured two MIAA regular season titles, three MIAA Tournament crowns and three NCAA Regional Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 153 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships during Hughes' tenure (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003, men's basketball in 2014, and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015) and 10 national championships overall.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 232 student-athletes named to the 2015-16 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 28 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar-Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned all-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 19 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had seven student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with four of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is sixth in NCAA-II with 53 Academic All-Americans.
• Two UCM student-athletes were awarded prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships last year.

MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR
• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar, and online at warrensburgradio.com. Games are broadcast by 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar Sports Director, Greg Hassler and Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations, Mike Knipper.
• The Doug Karleskint Show, presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp., live from Traditions Restaurant airs on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. The Show is hosted by Greg Hassler and is broadcast live from Traditions Restaurant at Mules National Golf Club.

UPCOMING
• The Mules wrap up their short two-game home stand hosting Washburn on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Multi.
• UCM heads out on the road for three straight games. The road trip starts on Thursday, Feb. 2 at Central Oklahoma.