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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team will face off against the University of Central Missouri in the quarterfinals of the 2013 MIAA Postseason Tournament at historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday (Mar. 7).
The Gorillas, the No. 7 seed in the 12-team tournament field, opened tournament play with a 70-62 home win over No. 10 seed Truman Monday (Mar. 4) to advance to the quarterfinals.
Tipoff for Thursday’s match-up between the Gorillas and the Mules, who shared the MIAA regular season crown with Fort Hays State University, is set for 6 p.m. (CST).
Thursday’s winner will advance to the tournament semifinals Saturday (Mar. 9) to face the winner of Thursday’s match-up between No. 3 seed Washburn University and No. 6 seed University of Central Oklahoma.
The finals of the MIAA Championships are set for 1 p.m. Sunday (Mar. 10).
The Records
Pitt State enters Thursday’s action with an 18-9 overall record. The Gorillas finished the regular season 17-9 overall and 10-8 in MIAA play.
Pitt State is currently riding a three-game winning streak after finishing the regular season with two wins and earning the first-round tournament victory against Truman. The Gorillas posted a 94-91 win over Missouri Southern on Feb. 27, before rolling to an 82-55 victory over Emporia State Saturday (Mar. 2).
Central Missouri had won four straight contests before falling to Washburn in the regular season finale, 95-78, at Topeka.
With the loss, UCM was forced share the MIAA regular season title with Fort Hays State and the Mules slipped to the No. 2 seed in the tournament. UCM finished the regular season 19-7 overall, including a 13-5 mark in conference play.
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 48-36 (.571) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. He is 2-4 against Central Missouri.
Kim Anderson (Missouri, ‘79) is in his 11th year leading the Central Missouri program. Anderson holds an 241-89 (.730) record with the Mules. He is 18-6 all-time against the Gorillas.
Series History
The match-up with Central Missouri Thursday will mark the 110th time the schools meet. UCM holds a 63-44 lead in the series that dates back to the 1917 season. The Mules defeated the Gorillas in the only regular season meeting, 80-73 at Warrensburg, Mo., on Jan. 12.
Last year, No. 7 seed Pitt State defeated No.2 seed Central Missouri, 78-64, in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium on Mar. 2, 2012.
In The MIAA Tournament
Pitt State is making its 19th appearance in the MIAA Postseason Tournament. The Gorillas have compiled a 14-16 (.467) record in 30 games.
Pitt State has reached the finals of the MIAA Tournament three times, including a year ago when the Gorillas fell to Washburn in the MIAA Tournament Championship Game at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
Central Missouri is making its 32nd appearance in the MIAA Postseason Tournament, posting a 29-27 (.518) record in 56 games. The Mules have claimed five MIAA Tournament Championships, with their last one coming in the 2008-09 season.
The rivals have met four times previously in the MIAA Tournament with Pitt State holding a 3-1 edge in those post-season match-ups.
Date Match-up Round Location Result
2-24-98 No. 3 PSU vs No. 6 UCM Qtrfnls Pittsburg W, 85-67
3-5-04 No. 4 UCM vs No. 5 PSU Qtrfnls Kansas City, Mo. W, 84-76
3-4-07 No. 2 UCM vs No. 5 PSU Finals Kansas City, Mo. L, 56-59
3-2-12 No. 2 UCM vs No. 7 PSU Qtrfnls Kansas City, Mo. W, 78-64
3-7-12 No. 2 UCM vs No. 7 PSU Qtrfnls Kansas City, Mo. ?????
Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has three players averaging double figures on the season and three more players contributing more than nine points a game: freshman guard Kaleb Porter, senior forward JaVon McGee, senior guard Marky Nolen, junior forward A.J. Adams, senior guard Courtney Ingram and senior center Rico Pierrevilus.
Porter is averaging a team-leading 14.7 points per game, while McGee (11.8 ppg) and Nolen (10.4 ppg) also are scoring in double figures. Adams and Ingram are contributing just under 10 points per game at 9.8 and 9.6 ppg, respectively. Pierrevilus adds 9.2 points as well.
Porter, a 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.
Porter, who earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors Monday, ranks 14th in the MIAA in scoring, eighth in the conference in free throw percentage (.829, 97-for-117) and fifth in the league in 3-point field goals (2.4 pg). He posted 19 points and four rebounds in the Gorillas opening round win over Truman.
McGee contributes 11.8 points and a team-leading 6.6 rebounds per game. The Kansas City, Mo., native averaged 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in Pitt State’s previous nine outings before an injury that kept him out of four games. He returned to action on Feb. 16 against Northeastern State, recording 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
McGee, who ranks 10th in the MIAA in rebounding, became the 22nd player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points on Jan. 19 in the Pitt State win over Fort Hays State. He garnered third-team All-MIAA honors Monday.
McGee scored 22 points in that contest and now has 1,091 points in 107 career games, ranking 14th on the school’s all-time scoring chart. He also has 705 career rebounds, ranking third on that PSU career list.
Nolen averages 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and a team-leading 2.2 steals per game. The Wichita, Kan., native ranks second in the MIAA in steals. He has recorded double figures in nine of the last 13 games. Nolen was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Monday.
Adams has averaged 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game to date. The Jeffersonville, Ind., native is shooting a team-leading .526 (92-for-175) 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.
Ingram recorded a double-double against Lincoln on Jan. 10, totaling 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He missed three games (ankle) before returning to the lineup Feb. 16. For the season, Ingram is shooting .452 (76-for-168) from the field and .670 (65-for-97) from the free throw line.
Pierrevilus is averaging 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on the season. He just missed a double-double contributing 18 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals against Northeastern State on Feb. 16.
For the season, Pierrevilus is shooting .500 (85-for-170) from the field and .764 (68-for-89) from the free throw line. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native ranks seventh in blocked shots (1.1 bpg). He received honorable mention All-MIAA honors Monday.
Freshman guard Jake Bullard returned to the lineup against Washburn on Feb. 2, after missing five games with an injury. Bullard is averaging 6.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. He has scored at least six points in the team’s last eight games, including a season-best 19-point showing against UCO on Feb. 23. Bullard recorded a double-double in PSU’s opening-round tournment win over Truman, posting 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
As a team, Pitt State is averaging 76.1 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 71.8 points. The Gorillas are shooting .447 from the field (682-1527), but they are limiting their opposition to .417 shooting (648-1553).
Pitt State has generated 27 percent of its offense from the free throw line this season. The Gorillas have converted 551 of 782 free throws (.705), averaging 20.4 points per game from the charity stripe.
The Gorillas are fifth in the MIAA in scoring (76.1 ppg) and rank ninth in free throw percentage (.705). Pitt State also leads the conference in offensive rebounds (13.4 pg) and ranks second in rebounding margin (+5.5 rpg).
Scouting the Mules
Central Missouri has three players scoring in double figures, led by senior forward Dominique Long. Long averages a team-leading 15.5 points as well as 4.7 rebounds per game. He ranks 15th in the MIAA in scoring.
Widgett Washington adds 12.0 points per game. He leads the team and ranks fourth in the MIAA in assists (5.0 apg). Junior forward Charles Hammork is scoring 11.8 points per game while pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game. The Coffeyville Community College transfer is shooting .502 (102-for-203) from the field and leads the team with 32 steals on the year.
Senior guard Reggie Stallings is averaging just under double figures at 9.9 points per game. Senior forward Matt Webb is averaging 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. He is currently shooting .533 (90-for-169) from the field.
Long garnered first-team All-MIAA honors Monday, while Washington was named to the third-team squad. Hammork received honorable mention consideration.
As a team, UCM is averaging 78.0 points per game and shooting 46.6 percent from the field (717-of-1540). The Mules are shooting 35.9 percent from 3-point range (174-for-485) and 69.3 percent from the free throw line (419-for-605).
UCM ranks second in the MIAA in scoring and fourth in the league in field goal percentage.
Probable Starters
Pitt State (18-9, 10-8 MIAA)
F 4 Denton Hays, 6-7, 208, Fr., Tulsa, Okla.
F 20 A.J. Adams, 6-6, 210, Jr., Jeffersonville, Ind.
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 Missouri (19-7, 13-5 MIAA)
F 24 Alex Dean, 6-6, 245, Sr., Milwaukee, Wis.
C 0 Matt Webb, 6-8, 250, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
G 5 Lance Beckwith, 6-0, 185, Sr., Raleigh, N.C.
G 12 Widgett Washington, 6-0, 160, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
G 32 Charles Hammork, 6-6, 190, Jr., New Orleans, La.
