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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team will open Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play by facing a pair of conference newcomers this week – the University of Central Oklahoma and Lindenwood University.
The Gorillas will entertain the Bronchos Thursday (Dec. 6) at 7:30 p.m. (CST) at John Lance Arena, before traveling to St. Charles, Mo., Saturday (Dec. 8) at 3 p.m.
The Records
Pitt State enters Thursday’s action with a 5-1 record. The Gorillas have won their last two games, including a 74-69 overtime victory over William Jewell the last time out on Nov. 28.
Central Oklahoma is 1-5 on the young season. The Bronchos have dropped five straight decisions after opening the season with an 88-70 victory over Southwestern Christian College on Nov. 15. UCO dropped an 80-78 decision to Oklahoma Christian University in its last game on Nov. 27.
Lindenwood will take a 4-1 record on the road to Maryville, Mo., Wednesday (Dec. 5) when the Lions face Northwest Missouri State University. LWU won its first four games of the season, before dropping an 81-74 decision to Quincy on Dec. 1.
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.
Muff has a 35-28 (.556) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. He is 0-1 against UCO, while Saturday’s action will be his first vs. LWU.
Terry Evans (Oklahoma, ‘93) is in his 11th season coaching the Bronchos. Evans has guided UCO to a 201-95 (.679) record. He is 1-0 vs. Pitt State.
Brad Soderberg (Wis.-Stevens Point, ‘85) is in his fourth year leading the Lion’s program. Soderberg holds an 80-19 (.808) record at Lindenwood. This will be his first meeting with Pitt State.
Gorillas at Home
Pitt State has posted a 365-176 (.675) all-time record at John Lance Arena since the facility opened in 1972. The Gorillas have compiled a 178-59 (.751) record at home during the last 18 seasons.
Pitt State’s all-time home record stands at 809-337 (.706).
Series History
Thursday’s action will mark the 24th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Bronchos in a series that dates back to the 1916 season.
Central Oklahoma holds a 13-11 advantage in the series. The Bronchos defeated the Gorillas, 79-72, in Pittsburg on Nov. 22, 2011.
The match-up with Lindenwood on Saturday will mark the second time the schools have ever met. Pitt State defeated the Lions, 105-68, on Jan. 6, 1989.
Scouting The Gorillas
Early in the season, Pitt State has three players scoring in double figures and five players contributing eight or more points: freshman guard Kaleb Porter, senior guard Courtney Ingram, junior forward A.J. Adams, senior center Rico Pierrevilus and senior forward JaVon McGee.
Porter is averaging a team-leading17.8 points per game, while Ingram (11.5 ppg) and Adams (10.0 ppg) also are scoring in double figures. Pierrevilus is scoring 9.0 points per game, while McGee is contributing 8.8 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 six games, Porter is shooting .484 (31 of 64) from the field, .520 (13-25) from 3-point range and .865 (32-37) from the foul line as well as averaging 2.2 assists per game.
Ingram is coming off three straight double-digit scoring performances. The Tulsa, Okla., native tallied 18 points against Newman on Nov. 20, while shooting .750 (6-of-8) from the field. Against Southwesten College, Ingram racked up 13 points and six rebounds. He added a team-leading 16 points against William Jewell last Wednesday (Nov. 28).
For the season, Ingram is shooting .487 (19-39) from the field and .865 (29-36) from the charity stripe.
Adams, who came to Pitt State from Eastern Arizona College, has made an immediate impact for the Gorillas, averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The Jeffersonville, Ind., is shooting .571 (24-42) from the field thus far.
Adams had a key tip-in as time expired that sent the William Jewell game to overtime on Nov. 28. He contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in that contest.
Pierrevilus, who is averaging 9.0 points and 4.2 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 .515 (17-33) from the field and .810 (17-21) from the free throw line.
McGee has contributed 8.8 points and a team-leading 8.0 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 22.7 minutes of court action in Pitt State’s first six games. He registered his second double-double of the 2013 season against the Southwestern College. McGee recorded a season-high 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points against the Moundbuilders.
Sophomore guard Sam Pugh and freshman guard Jake Bullard are also key contributors for the Gorillas. Pugh is averaging 5.8 points per game in six games. He also is second on the team with seven steals. Bullard has chipped in with 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game off the bench in his intial season with Pitt State.
As a team, Pitt State is averaging 80.8 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 73.0 points. The Gorillas are shooting .440 from the field (151-343), but they are limiting their opposition to .407 shooting (149-366).
Pitt State has generated 32 percent of its offense from the free throw line thus far. The Gorillas have converted 155 of 214 free throws (.724), averaging 25.8 points per game from the charity stripe. Pitt State has outscored its opponents by an average of 9.8 points from the foul line thus far.
Pitt State has committed 116 turnovers thus far (19.3 pg), but the Gorillas also have forced their opponents into 105 turnovers (17.5 pg).
Scouting the Bronchos
Central Oklahoma has started the season 1-5 after falling Oklahoma Christian College on Nov. 27, 80-78. Despite the slow start, all five of the UCO starters are averaging over double figures for the Bronchos.
Spencer Smith leads the team averaging 14.0 points per game, while also pulling down 5.7 rebounds per contest. The senior forward is shooting .451 (32-of-71) from the field. Junior forward Josh Gibbs contributes 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard Jamell Cormier leads the team averaging 4.0 assists per game to go along with his 11.5 point scoring average.
Senior forward Josh Davis and redshirt freshman guard Seth Heckart round out the starting five averaging 10.8 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Davis also leads the team averaging 6.2 rebounds, while Heckart leads the Bronchos with 13 steals.
UCO averages 74.8 points per game and shoots .411 (160-389) from the field including .274 (37-135) from 3-point range. The Bronchos shoot .652 (92-141) from the free throw line.
Scouting the Lions
Lindenwood has four player scoring in double figures, led by senior guard Alex Bazzell. Bazell averages a team-leading 18.4 points as well as 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He has paced the Lions in four of their six games, including a season-high 24 points in their last outing against Quincy.
Senior center Brett Thompson is scoring 11.2 points per game while pulling down 4.4 rebounds per game. The Saint Louis University transfer is shooting .727 (24-33) from the field. Senior forward Cody Sorenson and junior forward Tyler Ressel are averaging 10.2 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Sorenson also is second on the team averaging 6.6 rebounds per game.
As a team, Lindenwood is averaging 85.8 points per game and shooting 50.9 percent from the field (148-of-291). The Lions are shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range (40-for-97) and 71.5 percent from the free throw line (93-for-130).
Probable Starters
Pitt State (5-1, 0-0 MIAA)
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.
Central Oklahoma (1-5, 0-0 MIAA)
F 0 Josh Davis, 6-5, 250, Sr., Spencer, Okla.
F 2 Josh Gibbs, 6-5, 235, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
F 33 Spencer Smith, 6-6, 220, Sr., Sapulpa, Okla.
G 3 Seth Heckart, 6-0, 175, Fr-R., Woodward, Okla.
G 11 Jamell Cormier, 6-0, 180, Sr., Stillwater, Mo.
Lindenwood (4-1, 0-0 MIAA)
F 22 Cody Sorenson, 6-5, 210, Sr., St. Charles, Mo.
C 41 Brett Thompson, 6-11, 270, Sr., Vienna, Ill.
G/F 13 Richie Thompson, 6-5, 190, Sr., Harvey, Ill.
G 24 Alex Bassell, 6-2, 180, Sr., St. Charles, Mo.
G 31 Tyler Ressel, 6-1, 160, Jr., Washington, Mo.
