17th-ranked Mules host Emporia State on Saturday afternoon

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TIP-OFF
• The 17th-ranked Central Missouri Mules wrap up their quick two-game home stand hosting Emporia State on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• Saturday's game will wrap up a stretch of four games in eight days for Central Missouri.
• The Mules are 13-2 on the season and 4-2 in MIAA play after a 66-54 win over Pittsburg State on Thursday night.
• The Hornets enter the contest at 8-7 overall and 1-5 in league play after a 54-50 loss at Missouri Western on Thursday night. ESU has lost back-to-back games after winning two straight.
• The Mules were 30-5 a season ago when they captured the NCAA-II National Championship. It was the third 30-win season in program history, the seventh 20-win season in the last 12 years and the 23rd in school history.
• The 2013-14 season was the 11th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM, the longest active streak in the MIAA and tied for the longest streak in conference history with Northwest Missouri, who accomplished the feat from 1997-2008.
• Central Missouri finished 16-3 in MIAA play last year and captured a share of the MIAA regular season championship for the third straight season. It was the sixth conference crown in the last 12 years and 24th in school history.

QUICK HITS
• This is the 110th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,628 wins.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).
• The Mules are averaging 78.2 points per game and shooting 51 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 68.1 points per game and shooting 41 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.

MULE TIDBITS
• TJ White has recorded his first three career double-doubles this season to lead all Mules.
• Dillon Deck has one double-double this season and seven during his two-year UCM career.
• Kyle Wolf recorded the second double-double of his career with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney.
• Four Mules have recorded double-doubles this season (Deck, Dickerson, White, Wolf).
• Preston Brunz leads the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage at 57.1 percent ... he is also second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.6 (39 assists/11 turnovers).
• Ten different Mules have scored in double figures this season ... eight different Mules have led the team in scoring.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 109th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Emporia State with the Mules holding a 68-40 advantage in the series.
• The Hornets beat UCM 95-77 in Emporia last year to snap a two-game skid in the series. The Mules have won nine of the last 11 meetings between the two schools.
• The Mules lead the series 45-14 in games played in Warrensburg and have won five straight games at the Multi. The last loss at home to ESU was an 84-75 overtime defeat during the 2007-08 season.
• This will be the first meeting with the Hornets for Mules head coach Doug Karleskint, the Hornets are 2-2 against UCM under head coach Shaun Vandiver.

LAST MEETING WITH EMPORIA STATE
• The Mules allowed ESU to shoot a season-high 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range as they fell 95-77 at White Auditorium on January 11, 2014.
• Central Missouri was led in scoring by Dillon Deck with 19 points. Daylen Robinson had 17 points and Charles Hammork finished with 16.
• The Mules shot 47 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range.
• Kaleb Wright led Emporia State with 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting. He also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.
• Terrence Moore finished with 19 points off the bench and Gavin Brown chipped in 12 for the Hornets.
• UCM was out-rebounded by the Hornets 36-28.
• Emporia State out-scored UCM 14-2 on the fast break and 35-13 in bench scoring.
• ESU had 17 assists on 32 made baskets, compared to 11 assists for UCM.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
• Emporia State enters the game at 8-7 overall and 1-5 in league play after dropping their second straight game on Thursday night, a 54-50 loss at Missouri Western.
• The Hornets have lost three of their last five games and are 2-4 on the road this season.
• Emporia State is averaging 69.4 points per game offensively and shooting 45 percent from the field. They shoot 40 percent from beyond the arc and 69 percent at the free throw line.
• Opponents are averaging 66.2 points per outing, shooting 44 percent from the floor and 34 percent from beyond the arc. The opposition has attempted 23 more free throws than ESU.
• Terrence Moore leads the way for the Hornets averaging 17.0 points per game to go along with 4.2 boards per contest. He is averaging 19.0 points per game during conference play.
• He is joined in double figures by Jevon Taylor at 10.4 per outing.
• The Hornets average nearly eight made three-point field goals per game and give up only five per contest.
• Emporia State averages 30 rebounds per game and gets out-rebounded by three boards per outing.
• The Hornets average nearly seven steals per game and force 14 turnovers as well.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 66, PITTSBURG STATE 54 • 1/8/15
WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The 17th-ranked Central Missouri Mules withstood a tough challenge from upset-minded Pittsburg State and beat the Gorillas 66-54 on Thursday night at the UCM Multipurpose Building. The win improves UCM's record to 13-2 overall and 4-2 in MIAA play.
    It took nearly two minutes, but Pittsburg State (7-6, 3-2 MIAA) got on the board first with a Lamine Dieng tip-in to grab a 2-0 lead. The Mules responded with a 16-2 run that put UCM in front 16-4 midway through the first half. The Gorillas got it going offensively though and used a 15-4 run of their own to pull within a point at 20-19 with 5:44 to play in the first half.
    The UCM lead was three at 24-21 with 3:45 to play in the opening period when Preston Brunz knocked down a three to give the Mules a six-point advantage. After a pair of Denton Hays free throws cut the UCM lead to four, the Mules closed the half on a 4-0 spurt to lead 31-23 at the intermission.
    A Brennen Hughes layup out of halftime gave the Mules a 10-point cushion, but the Gorillas responded with a 7-1 run that cut the lead to four. The Mules once again pushed the lead to double digits at 45-35 with 14:15 to play in the game. Three straight threes by the Gorillas cut the UCM lead to one at 45-44 with 10:48 to play in the game. Jordan Epps halted the run with a triple to push the lead back to four, but Dakota Jones responded with another three of his own and UCM led 48-47 with nine and a half to play.
    Hughes knocked down a jumper and Dillon Deck followed with a pair of layups to push UCM back in front by seven at 54-47. TJ White beat the shot clock with a layup of his own and the Mules led by nine with 4:10 to play in the game.
    PSU cut the lead to six on Josiah Gustafson's three-point play, but White made a pair of foul shots and Kyle Wolf knocked down a pair to push the lead back to 10. The Gorillas would get no closer than eigh the rest of the way as the Mules extended the lead and iced the game at the free throw line.
    Brunz led all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He also dished out a team-high three assists. Deck finished with 13 points off the bench and Epps chipped in 12. The Mules shot 47 percent from the floor, going 22-of-47. They were 5-of-14 from deep for 36 percent. UCM was 17-of-19 at the foul line for 90 percent.
    Jones led three Gorillas in double figures with 13. Kjer had 11 and Gustafson chipped in 10. PSU shot 39 percent from the floor, 20-of-51, and 36 percent from beyond the arc, 8-of-22. They werew 6-of-7 at the charity stripe for 86 percent.
    The Mules forced 16 Gorilla turnovers and turned those in to 18 points. UCM held a 30-26 edge in rebounding, 30-24 in points in the paint and 31-24 in bench scoring.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri is 162-22 at the Multipurpose Building over the last 13 years and 8-1 under Doug Karleskint after the 66-54 win over Pittsburg State on Thursday night.
• The Mules were 13-0 at home each of the last two seasons.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 145-12 at home, including 59-1 against non-conference opponents and 86-11 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 473-89 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multi.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 2-1 on the road this season after the 63-60 win at Washburn on Monday night.
• UCM was 8-4 on the road last season, including 7-3 in MIAA play.

MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
• UCM is 3-0 this year and 53-20 in neutral site games over the last 13 years after the 90-84 overtime win over Quincy on Nov. 25 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
• The Mules were 9-1 in neutral site games last season.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules are 4-2 in conference action under Doug Karleskint after the win over Pittsburg State.
• Central Missouri is 163-68 in MIAA play over the last 13 seasons.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA Tournament titles.

MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules are 9-0 in non-conference games this season and 124-29 over the last 13 seasons after the win over Culver-Stockton on December 15.
• The Mules went 14-2 in non-MIAA games last year.
• Central Missouri is 58-1 in the last 59 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules an 14-2 record overall and 5-2 in MIAA play.
• Give the Mules six straight wins over Emporia State at home and a 69-40 lead in the all-time series.
• Give UCM 10 straight wins over the Gorillas at the Multipurpose Building.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• Drop the Mules to 13-3 overall and give UCM a 4-3 record in MIAA play.
• Snap the Mules' five-game winning streak against Emporia State at the Multi.
• Give UCM two home losses in the same season for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

BLOCK PARTY
• With his two blocks against Pittsburg State, senior Dillon Deck now has 52 blocked shots in his UCM career, moving him past Doug Flowers and into sole possession of fifth place on the career list. He is four blocks shy of tying Mike Moultrie for fourth place.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, the eighth most in a single season in Central Missouri history.

KARLESKINT ERA OFF TO A GOOD START
• Doug Karleskint is 13-2 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 103-36 (.741) overall in his fifth season as a head coach.
• He became the first Mules' head coach to start his first season at UCM 7-0.
• He spent the previous five seasons at Arkansas Tech, including the last four as head coach. He compiled a 90-34 (.726) 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 IN THE POLLS
• The Mules dropped nine spots to No. 17 in the latest NABC/Division II Rankings released on Tuesday. UCM was ranked No. 8 last week before falling to UNK last Saturday.
• The Mules have been ranked in 145 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules dropped from eighth to 21st in the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA, released on Tuesday. The poll is in its first year of existence and is voted on by Division II Sports Information Directors.

MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 110th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,628-926 (.637) record in 2,554 total games.
• The Mules are the third winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• Central Missouri is one of just three NCAA-II programs with 1,600 all-time wins.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 23 times in the history of the program.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season three times, including last year.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.

THE NEXT LEVEL
• In the past 12 years, 21 former UCM players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster; Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), Sanijay Watts (Germany, Dorsten) and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Following the fall sports seasons, Central Missouri has won a combined 202 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured seven MIAA regular season titles, the most of any school in league history and the second time Central Missouri accomplished the feat.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 146 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won six national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003 and men's basketball in 2014) and eight national championships overall.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• Central Missouri had 220 student-athletes named to the 2013-14 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 41 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.
• 17 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had 12 student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with seven of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR
• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on the 44,000-watt 98.5 "The Bar, 1450 KOKO and online at warrensburgradio.com. All 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, Live from Traditions Restaurant presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. will air on Monday nights at 6 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as warrensburgradio.com.

LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
• Live video coverage for all Central Missouri home and away MIAA games will be available through Stretch Internet on a pay-per-view basis. The cost is $9.95 for a day pass or $89.95 for an all-season pass for UCM basketball. With a day pass, fans can access any MIAA game being broadcast that day. Fans can access webcasts through the GameCentral by Stretch Internet link on the UCM Athletics homepage or through the "Video" links on the Mules Basketball schedule page. Fans can also go directly to
portal.stretchinternet.com/ucmo/

UPCOMING
• The Mules head back out on the road on Wednesday night, January 14 to take on Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m. in St. Joseph.
• UCM returns home for two straight games beginning on Saturday, January 17 against Northwest Missouri at 3:30 p.m. at the Multi.