Mules stomp Livin' the Dream 101-72; season begins Tuesday
Nov 13, 2009, 7:31 AM
WARRENSBURG, Mo.-– The University of Central Missouri Mules basketball squad coasted past Livin’ the Dream in its final exhibition game, 101-72 Wednesday night at the Multipurpose Building.
The Mules (2-0 exhibition) had to deal with two former players in the game, as Theo Jones (2004-07) and Josiah Miller (2007-09) laced it up for LTD.
The two squads battled back and forth in the early going, with UCM finally taking control with a run after an 11-11 tie with 15:59 left. UCM pushed it to 21-13 and capped it with a three from junior guard Nate Fuqua.
Jones kept LTD in it, though, and the score was cut to only two with 10:49 left. Senior guard Alex Moosman finished an 8-0 run after that with a three-pointer, and the Mules never looked back. They pushed that advantage to as many as 18 before going into halftime with a 57-42 lead.
Jones had 20 of LTD’s points in the half, while senior forward Sanijay Watts paced UCM with 16. Central shot a blistering 67.7 percent in the period, while Livin’ the Dream hit 46.7 percent. The Mules also had a 19-11 rebound advantage.
UCM got all its players in the game, and each scored in the contest. UCM got up by as many as 32 in the final half. Junior forward Manny Richardson led the way in the second with nine points.
The Mules finished hitting 62.3 percent, had 30 assists, and a +20 rebound advantage. Watts had a team-high 22 points and eight boards, while Tremaine Luellen put up 12. Richardson finished with 11, while juniors Rico Combs and Ryan Harris each had 10.
The Mules will start the regular season Tuesday when they host Westminster at 7 p.m. at the Multi.
