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Mules take MIAA opener on the road at Pittsburg State

Joe Young sparked the Mules to the MIAA opening road win

The University of Central Missouri Mules used a second half run to pull away for a 74-63 MIAA opening win, and they did it against the undefeated and 16th ranked Pittsburg State Gorillas on Wednesday night at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kan.

The Mules (8-2, 1-0 MIAA) almost went into the break down by a 32-30 margin when PSU’s Michael Hutchingson hit a jumper from the baseline in the waning seconds, but Central Missouri junior guard Joe Young drilled a 60-foot bomb at the buzzer to give the Mules a halftime lead.

The Mules hit 50 percent in the period and out-rebounded the Gorillas (9-1, 0-1 MIAA) by a couple in the half. Skip Thomas hit for 10 points in the stanza while Young went in with seven. Hutchingson and PSU leading scorer Cory Abercrombie each had seven for the Gorillas.

The Mules, who defeated Pitt State for the sixth time in a row, started the second period on an 11-4 run and never looked back. Young and De’Andre Byrd sparked the spurt, scoring all 11 points. The Gorillas cut it to five with 10:59 left but Central Missouri was up to the test, going on an 11-2 rally to put the score at 57-43 with 7:14 remaining. PSU could only get as close as eight the rest of the way as the Mules hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Central Missouri hit 43 percent for the game and held Pitt State to 37 percent from the floor, 13 percent below their season average. UCM also hit 80 percent from the foul line on the night. The Mules also drilled 4-of-8 from three in the second half, while PSU was 1-of-9.

Young led the Mules with a career-high 19 points, while Byrd set his career-high in points for the fourth consecutive game with 15. Thomas finished with 14 while Tremaine Luellen had nine.