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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team will return from the holiday break and resume Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play by hosting the University of Nebraska-Kearney Thursday (Jan. 3).
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (CST) at John Lance Arena.
The Records
Pitt State is 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA. The Gorillas enter Thursday’s action riding a six-game winning streak – the longest current win streak among the conference competition (currently tied with FHSU).
The Gorillas claimed a pair of non-conference victories over Arkansas-Fort Smith (84-76) and Dixie State (67-63) in their most recent competition at the Las Vegas Challenge on Dec. 18-19.
Nebraska-Kearney is 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA. The Lopers, in their first season as an MIAA member, snapped a four-game losing streak with an 86-74 non-conference win of South Dakota Mines Sunday (Dec. 30).
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. [for complete biography, see page 3]
Muff has a 39-28 (.582) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. This will be his first meeting vs. Nebraska-Kearney.
UNK is led by co-head coaches Tom Kropp and Kevin Lofton. Kropp has a 445-210 (.679) record in 24 years leading the Lopers, while Lofton is 119-80 (.598) in nine seasons with UNK.
Series History
This will be the 31st meeting between the Gorillas and the Lopers, but the first encounter between Pitt State and UNK since the 1999 season.
The Lopers hold a decided 24-6 (.800) advantage in the series, but the Gorillas have won the last two meetings, most recently an 83-75 win on Dec. 1, 1998, in Pittsburg. Pitt State is 5-10 against UNK in games played in John Lance Arena.
Gorillas at Home
Pitt State has posted a 366-176 (.675) all-time record at John Lance Arena since the facility opened in 1972. The Gorillas have compiled a 179-59 (.752) record at home during the last 18 seasons.
Pitt State’s all-time home record stands at 810-337 (.706).
Scouting The Gorillas
Pitt State has four players averaging double figures on the season and two more players contributing more than seven points a game: freshman guard Kaleb Porter, senior guard Courtney Ingram, junior forward A.J. Adams, senior forward JaVon McGee, senior guard Marky Nolen and senior center Rico Pierrevilus.
Porter is averaging a team-leading 17.8 points per game, while Ingram (11.7 ppg), Adams (10.9 ppg) and McGee also are scoring in double figures. Nolen is contributing 8.6 points per game while Pierrevilus adds 7.7 points per game.
Porter, a true freshman, is off to a fast start to his collegiate career.
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 on Nov. 16. He had 16 points in the season opener vs. Baker on Nov. 13 and he finished his first week of collegiate competition with a 14-point effort in a win over Avila on Nov. 17 and earned MIAA Player of the Week honors for his effort on Nov. 19.
Through 10 games, Porter is shooting .458 (49-107) from the field, .490 (24-49) from 3-point range and .889 (56-63) from the foul line as well as averaging 2.4 assists per game. He ranks second in the MIAA in scoring and ranks fourth in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. He also ranks third in the league in 3-point field goals (2.4 pg).
Ingram has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games for the Gorillas. The Tulsa, Okla., native scored 10 points in Pitt State’s last outing, a 67-63 win over Dixie State in the Las Vegas Challenge on Dec. 19.
For the season, Ingram is shooting .472 (34-72) from the field and .769 (40-52) from the free throw line.
Adams, who came to Pitt State from Eastern Arizona College, has averaged 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to date. The Jeffersonville, Ind., native is shooting a team-leading .558 (43-72) from the field.
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. He has recorded a pair of double-doubles on the season, most recently with 17 points and 11 rebounds vs. Central Oklahoma.
McGee contributes 10.3 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game. The Kansas City, Mo., native averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in a pair of wins in the Las Vegas Challenge Dec. 18-19.
McGee, who has three double-doubles on the season, scored a season-high 25 points in an 84-76 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith on Dec. 18.
For the season, McGee is shooting .409 from the field (38-93). He also is averaging a team-leading 3.1 offensive rebounds per game. McGee ranks third in the MIAA in rebounding.
Nolen averages 8.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-leading 2.6 steals per game. The Wichita, Kan., native ranks third in the MIAA in steals.
Pierrevilus, who is averaging 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the 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 .448 (26-58) from the field and .800 (20-25) from the free throw line.
As a team, Pitt State is averaging 80.2 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 72.6 points. The Gorillas are shooting .435 from the field (256-589), but they are limiting their opposition to .411 shooting (250-608).
Pitt State has generated 30 percent of its offense from the free throw line thus far. The Gorillas have converted 240 of 219 free throws (.729), averaging 24.0 points per game from the charity stripe. Pitt State has outscored its opponents by an average of 7.9 points from the foul line thus far.
The Gorillas rank third in the MIAA in scoring (80.2 ppg) and free throw percentage (.729). Pitt State also leads the conference in rebounding margin (+9.6 rpg) and offensive rebounds (15.0 pg)
Scouting the Lopers
Nebraska-Kearney has four players scoring in double figures to date: senior guard Jon Henderson, junior forward Mike Dentlinger, sophomore guard/forward Pierre Newton and freshman guard Sami Bzai.
Henderson is scoring a team-leading 16.5 points per game while dishing out a team-high 2.7 assists per outing.
Dentlinger contributes 14.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, shooting a team-leading .554 from the field (51-92).
Newton chips in with 13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while Bzai adds 10.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Bzai also has converted a team-leading 19 3-point field goals to date.
Sophomore forward Tyler Shields also contributes 8.2 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game. He is shooting .452 (28-62) from the field on the year.
As a team, the Lopers are averaging 76.3 points per game while their opposition is scoring at a league-high 82.5-point clip each time out. UNK is shooting .479 from the field (274-572), but the Lopers are allowing their opponents to shoot a league high .507 (317-625).
UNK also commits 15.7 turnovers per game – five more turnovers a game than their opposition (10.5 pg).
Probable Starters
Pitt State (9-1, 2-0 MIAA)
F 20 A.J. Adams, 6-6, 210, Jr., Jeffersonville, Ind.
F 44 JaVon McGee, 6-6, 235, Sr., Grandview, Mo.
G 3 Kaleb Porter, 5-11, 170, Fr., Tulsa, Okla.
G 22 Sam Pugh, 6-0, 180, So., Branson, Mo.
G 23 Courtney Ingram, 6-3, 205, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.
Nebraska-Kearney (3-7, 0-2 MIAA)
G/F 22 Pierre Newton, 6-5, 200, So., Laveen, Ariz.
F 42 Tyler Shields, 6-4, 200, So., Kearney, Neb.
F 54 Mike Dentlinger, 6-7, 230, Jr., Benkelman, Neb.
G 10 Sami Bzai, 6-0, 200, Fr., Gilbert, Ariz.
G 30 Jon Henderson, 6-4, 200, Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah
