Mules fall to top ranked Warriors

                The University of Central Missouri Mules almost ended the Winona State Warriors Division II record winning streak in the NCAA national semifinals on Thursday night in Springfield, but they fell in overtime, 90-85.
            The Mules ended their season with a school record 31-4 mark and three championships; the MIAA Regular Season title, the MIAA Tournament crown, and the South Central Region Championship.
            With the Mules down by two with 1:30 to play in regulation, they attempted four shots under the bucket with a flurry of offensive rebounds until the ball popped out and Theo Jones grabbed it and proceeded to nail a three-pointer to put Central Missouri up with 1:11 on the clock. The UCM defense forced a turnover on the other end and then got the ball to Zack Wright. He nailed a jumper with 40 seconds left and got fouled to convert a three-point play and put the Mules up four.
            The Warriors battled back though as Jonte Flowers drilled a jumper with 29 seconds remaining to cut the gap. The ensuing inbounds pass was not controlled though, and Winona’s John Smith converted for the tying lay-up with 18 seconds remaining. Jones had a three-point attempt with two seconds left for the win, but it was off the mark and they went to overtime tied at 78.
            In overtime, the squads went back and forth with a couple ties before a jumper by Flowers at the 1:46 mark would end up putting the Warriors ahead for good. They hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
            It was a game of runs, with Winona State going up by as much as 10 in the first half. The Mules fought back and got the margin down to one by halftime at 37-36. Wright was the catalyst for UCM in the period, and for that matter, the entire game. He scored 17 points in the period while Smith and Flowers had 10 and 13, respectively for Winona.
            The Warriors shot an outstanding 65 percent in the period compared to the Mules at 51. The Warriors didn’t cool off all night either, hitting 68 percent in the second half, and 100 percent in overtime. The Mules stayed in it by forcing them into 21 turnovers and scoring 36 points off those miscues.
            In the second half, Central Missouri trailed 43-40 before going on a 14-0 run to take an 11 point lead. Winona came back again though, grabbing a lead at the 4:42 mark on a three-pointer and got its lead to three before the final stretch.
            Wright finished the night tying a career-high with 33 points and made the NCAA Elite Eight All-Tournament team while Darryl Sommerset came in to score 14 of his 16 in the second half. Jones also tallied 15 in the outing. Charles Stoker grabbed a team high eight rebounds for UCM as well.
            Flowers put up 32 and Smith had 25 and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, while Zach Malvik had 19.