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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team will return to the friendly confines of John Lance Arena Wednesday (Nov. 28) to host William Jewell College in a non-conference tilt.  Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (CST).

The Records
Pitt State is off to a 4-1 start to the season.  The Gorillas split a pair of non-conference home games last week.  Pitt State dropped an 89-79 decision to Newman Tuesday (Nov. 20) before rebounding with a 73-60 victory over Southwestern College Saturday (Nov. 24).

William Jewell will bring a 2-2 record into Tuesday’s action.  The Cardinals posted an 80-60 victory over Tabor College in their last action on Nov. 20.  Jewell split a pair of games against MIAA foes on Nov. 16-17, defeating Missouri Western, 76-60, and falling to NW Missouri State, 75-56.

The Coaches
Pittsburg State’s Kevin Muff is in his third season leading the Gorillas. Muff (Kansas State, ’86) became the Gorillas’ 14th all-time head coach on Apr. 5, 2010, after spending 12 seasons at Cloud County Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds to an average of 21 wins in each of the last five seasons.

He has a 34-28 (.548) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. This will be Muff’s first meeting with the Cardinals.

Larry Holley (Jewell, ‘67) is in his 34th season coaching his alma mater. Holley has guided the Cardinals to a 737-338 (.686) record. He is 3-7 vs. Pitt State.

Gorillas at Home
Pitt State has posted a 364-176 (.674) all-time record at John Lance Arena since the facility opened in 1972.  The Gorillas have compiled a 177-59 (.750) record at home during the last 18 seasons.

Pitt State’s all-time home record stands at 808-337 (.706).

Series History
Wednesday’s action will mark the 16th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Cardinals in a series that dates back to the 1949 season. Pitt State holds an 11-4 advantage in the series. The Gorillas rolled to a 87-56 victory over William Jewell the last time the two teams met on Nov. 20, 1998.

Scouting the Gorillas
Early in the season, Pitt State has three players scoring in double figures and five players contributing nine or more points:  freshman guard Kaleb Porter, senior guard Courtney Ingram, senior forward JaVon McGee, junior forward A.J. Adams and senior center Rico Pierrevilus.

Porter is averaging a team-leading 21.4 points per game, while Ingram (10.6 ppg) and McGee (10.2 ppg) also are scoring in double figures. Adams is scoring 9.6 points per game, while Pierrevilus is contributing 9.0 points per game to date.

Porter, a true freshman, is off to a fast start to his collegiate career after being named the MIAA Player of the Week on Nov. 19.

The Tulsa, Okla., native set a new PSU freshman scoring record with 34 points in Pitt State’s win over MIAA rival Lincoln at the Chris Tucker Memorial Classic.  He had 16 points in the season opener vs. Baker on Nov. 13 and he finished the week with a 14-point effort in a win over Avila on Nov. 17.

Through five games, Porter is shooting .492 (31 of 63) from the field, .542 (13-24) from 3-point range and .865 (32-37) from the foul line as well as averaging 2.6 assists per game.

Ingram is coming off back to back double-digit scoring performances last week. The Tulsa, Okla., native tallied 18 points against Newman while shooting .750 (6-of-8) from the field. Against Southwesten College, Ingram racked up 13 points and six rebounds.

For the season, Ingram is shooting .438 (14-32) from the field and .800 (24-30) from the charity stripe. He is also second on the team averaging 5.6 rebounds per contest.

McGee has contributed 10.2 points and a team-leading 9.0 rebounds per game in mostly a reserve role for the Gorillas. The Grandview, Mo., native was slowed in the preseason by an off-season injury, but he has seen 22.2 minutes of court action in Pitt State’s first five games, starting for the first time against Southwestern College the last time out. He registered his second double-double of the 2013 season against the Moundbuilders. McGee recorded a season-high 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points against Southwestern College.

Adams, who came to Pitt State from Eastern Arizona College, has made an immediate impact for the gorillas, averaging 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The Jeffersonville, Ind., is shooting .514 (18-35) from the field thus far.

Pierrevilus, who is averaging 9.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game on the young season, had an impressive season debut against Baker on Nov. 13.  The West Palm Beach, Fla., native scored a game-high 20 points against the Wildcats. He made his first seven shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers.

For the season, Pierrevilus is shooting .560 (14-25) from the field and .824 (14-17) from the free throw line.

Senior guard Marky Nolen and freshman guard Jake Bullard are also key contributors for the Gorillas. Nolen is averaging 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in four games played. He has also recorded a team-high eight steals. Bullard has chipped in with 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game off the bench in his intial season with Pitt State.

As a team, Pitt State is averaging 82.2 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 73.8 points.  The Gorillas are shooting .433 from the field (127-293), but they are limiting their opposition to .414 shooting (123-297).

Pitt State has generated 32 percent of its offense from the free throw line thus far. The Gorillas have converted 133 of 185 free throws (.719), averaging 26.6 points per game from the charity stripe.  Pitt State has outscored its opponents by an average of 9.2 points from the foul line thus far.

Pitt State has committed 90 turnovers thus far (18.0 pg), but the Gorillas also have forced their opponents into 82 turnovers (16.4 pg).

Scouting the Cardinals
William Jewell enters Wednesday’s contest with a 2-2 record, after posting a 9-17 overall mark a year ago.

Sophomore forward Dillon Deck has led WJC in scoring in three of the team’s first four games. The Smithville, Mo., native has led the team in scoring and rebounding through four games, averaging 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Deck is shooting .571 (24-42) from the field.

The only only other Cardinal averaging over double digits for the Cardinals is junior forward John Taylor. Taylor is second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg). The Hendersonville, Tenn., native leads the team shooting .636 (21-33) from the field.

Freshman guard Dwight Sistrunk adds 9.8 points per game to the WJC offnse. He leads the team with 21 assists (5.3 apg). Senior forward Craig Mattson and and sophomore guard Jordan Lewis each chip in at 6.8 points per game.

Collectively, the Cardinals have shot .460 (99-215) from the field, .284 (19-67) from behind the arc and .688 (55-80) from the charity stripe. The team is currently averaging 68.0 points per game while holding its opponents to 65.8 points per game. William Jewell also averages a +4.5 rebounding margin over its opponents.

Probable Starters

PITTSBURG STATE
    F    20    A.J. Adams, 6-6, 210, Jr., Jeffersonville, Ind.
    F    44    JaVon McGee, 6-6, 235, Sr., Grandview, Mo.
    G    1    Jake Bullard, 6-5, 190, Fr., Cleora, Okla.
    G    3    Kaleb Porter, 5-11, 170, Fr., Tulsa, Okla.
    G    23    Courtney Ingram, 6-3, 205, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.

WILLIAM JEWELL
    G    11    Dwight Sistrunk, 5-11, 160, Fr., Des Moines, Iowa
    G    15    Ricky Tisdale, 5-8, 150, Jr., Bolivar, Tenn.
    F    3    Craig Mattson, 6-6, 215, Sr., Conception Junction, Mo.
    F    4    Dillon Deck, 6-9, 225, So., Smithville, Mo.
    F    35    John Taylor, 6-5, 220, Jr., Hendersonville, Tenn.