Sports : UCM
Mules battle Blue Jays, but fall 78-65
Nov 10, 2008, 1:05 PM
OMAHA, Neb. -– The Central Missouri Mules played in front of a record exhibition crowd of 15,048 at the Qwest Center on Sunday afternoon against Division I Missouri Valley Conference favorites Creighton University, and gave them a game, but eventually fell 78-65.
The Mules trailed the entire first half, thanks mostly to a 0-for-13 performance from three-point land and 32.3 percent shooting from the floor. The Blue Jays shot 56.5 percent, but the Mules got back into it by forcing 10 turnovers and grabbing a 6-to-1 advantage on the offensive glass. With 4:52 left, Creighton built its biggest lead of the half at 16 points, but the Mules closed in down the stretch to make it 36-26 at the break.
Senior De’Andre Byrd came off the bench to lead the Mules with 10 points, as no one else had more than four points. Junior Sanijay Watts was the big threat on the boards with a game-high six in the half.
6'9'' sophomore center Kenny Lawson had nine for the Blue Jays, while classmate P’Allen Stinnett had eight points.
Central Missouri cut the margin to eight early in the second stanza off a jumper by Watts just a minute in. That was as close as it would get though. Creighton answered with seven consecutive points to go up by 15 with 16:33 left.
The squads went back and forth the rest of the half with the Mules getting no closer than 11 and the Blue jays taking no more than a 17-point advantage. Central Missouri improved its shooting in the final half, going inside more to turn in a 42 percent performance.
The Blue Jays finished the game hitting 46 percent from the floor, compared to the Mules’ 37 percent.
Joe Young heated up in the final period to finish with 12 points, but went 0-of-7 from three. As a team the Mules hit only 2-of-22 from the game from that range. Byrd finished with a team-high 15 points, three assists, and five steals, to go with his five boards. Watts had eight points and nine boards, while freshman Zach Redel put up eight points and pulled down five rebounds.
The Mules will open the regular season on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Westminster (Mo.) College in the newly refurbished Multipurpose Building.
The Mules trailed the entire first half, thanks mostly to a 0-for-13 performance from three-point land and 32.3 percent shooting from the floor. The Blue Jays shot 56.5 percent, but the Mules got back into it by forcing 10 turnovers and grabbing a 6-to-1 advantage on the offensive glass. With 4:52 left, Creighton built its biggest lead of the half at 16 points, but the Mules closed in down the stretch to make it 36-26 at the break.
Senior De’Andre Byrd came off the bench to lead the Mules with 10 points, as no one else had more than four points. Junior Sanijay Watts was the big threat on the boards with a game-high six in the half.
6'9'' sophomore center Kenny Lawson had nine for the Blue Jays, while classmate P’Allen Stinnett had eight points.
Central Missouri cut the margin to eight early in the second stanza off a jumper by Watts just a minute in. That was as close as it would get though. Creighton answered with seven consecutive points to go up by 15 with 16:33 left.
The squads went back and forth the rest of the half with the Mules getting no closer than 11 and the Blue jays taking no more than a 17-point advantage. Central Missouri improved its shooting in the final half, going inside more to turn in a 42 percent performance.
The Blue Jays finished the game hitting 46 percent from the floor, compared to the Mules’ 37 percent.
Joe Young heated up in the final period to finish with 12 points, but went 0-of-7 from three. As a team the Mules hit only 2-of-22 from the game from that range. Byrd finished with a team-high 15 points, three assists, and five steals, to go with his five boards. Watts had eight points and nine boards, while freshman Zach Redel put up eight points and pulled down five rebounds.
The Mules will open the regular season on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Westminster (Mo.) College in the newly refurbished Multipurpose Building.
