PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will hit the road for the final three games of the regular season.

The Gorillas will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., Wednesday (Feb. 17) to face the University of Central Missouri at 7:30 p.m. at the UCM Multi-Purpose Building. Pitt State will then make they trek to Bolivar, Mo., Saturday (Feb. 20) to take on Southwest Baptist University at 3:30 p.m. at SBU's Meyer Sports Center.

The Records
Pitt State is 14-11 overall, 9-10 in MIAA play and alone in eighth place in the conference standings. The Gorillas swept a pair of home games last week against Fort Hays State University and the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Pitt State claimed a 101-92 victory over the Tigers last Thursday (Feb. 11), before the Gorillas posted a 77-61 decision over the Lopers Saturday (Feb. 13) at John Lance Arena.

Central Missouri is 13-11 overall, 7-11 in MIAA play and alone in 11th place in the conference standings. The Mules have lost four straight games, including a 76-70 road decision against Southwest Baptist last Saturday (Feb. 13).

Southwest Baptist is 10-14 overall, 5-13 in the MIAA and alone in last (14th) place in the conference standings heading into a Thursday (Feb. 18) road match-up against Missouri Southern State University. The Bearcats snapped a three-game losing streak with their 76-70 win vs. UCM last Saturday (Feb. 13).

Head Coach Kevin Muff
Pittsburg State's Kevin Muff is in his sixth 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 90-78 (.536) record in his tenure with the Gorillas.

Muff was named the 2015 MIAA Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Gorillas to a 16-11 regular season record and a tie for third-place in the MIAA standings. Pitt State was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team league in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll after posting an 8-18 (4-15 MIAA) mark the previous season.

He then guided the Gorillas to a perfect 4-0 record in the MIAA Postseason Tournament, helping the Gorillas become the first No. 5 seed to claim the championship. Pitt State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and finished the 2014-15 campaign with a 20-12 overall record.

Wednesday's action will be Muff's 11th match-up against UCM. He has a 3-7 record against the Mules. Muff is 2-6 against the Bearcats.

Series History
Wednesday's action will be 115th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Mules in a series that dates back to the 1917 season.
UCM holds a 71-43 (.623) advantage in the series, including a 45-12 (.789) margin in games played at Warrensburg. The Mules have defeated the Gorillas 10 straight times on their home floor.

Pitt State posted an 80-69 victory over UCM the first time the two teams met this season on Jan. 7 in Pittsburg. Trey Starks led four Pitt State players in double figures with a game-high 19 points in that contest.

Saturday's action will be the 62nd all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Bearcats. SBU leads the series, 33-28 (.541) and the Bearcats have a 16-11 edge in games played at Bolivar, Mo.

The Bearcats defeated the Gorillas, 82-71, in the first meeting of the season on Jan. 9 at John Lance Arena.

Gorillas on the Road
Pitt State has compiled a 434-704 (.381) record in 1,138 all-time road games.

The Gorillas have posted a 21-48 (.304) road record in six seasons under Coach Muff, including a 4-7 mark this season; and Pitt State is 108-200 (.351) in 308 road games since joining the MIAA and the NCAA Division II ranks starting in the 1990 season.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas have three players averaging in double figures on the season: junior guard Josiah Gustafson (16.7 ppg), senior guard Trey Starks (15.8 ppg) and sophomore guard Dakota Jones (11.0 ppg).

Gustafson (6-6, 180) is averaging a team-leading 16.7 points per game  The Omaha, Neb., native has coverted 139 of 270 shots (.515) from the field, 52 of 106 3-point field goals (.491) and 87 of 97 free throws (.897) in 31.8 minutes of action per game. He also is averaging a team-leading 5.2 rebounds as well as 1.6 assists per game.

Gustafson ranks eighth in the MIAA in scoring. He ranks second the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage and second in the league in free throw percentage.

Gustafson made 38 consecutive free throws between Nov. 14 and Jan. 2.

He scored a career-high 34 points in the Gorillas 100-97 victory over William Jewell on Nov. 19.  He was named the MIAA Player of the Week on Nov. 30, after averaging 21.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in a pair of victories at Denver, Colo., against Regis and Metro State.

Gustafson started all 32 games as a sophomore in 2014-15 in the Pitt State program, averaging 15.5 points per game. He ranked eighth in the MIAA in scoring and fifth in the league in free throw percentage (.838, 124-148).

For his career, Gustafson has scored 1,123 points in 83 games, averaging 13.5 points per game.  He became the 22nd player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points Saturday (Jan. 23) against Lincoln.

He currently ranks 11th on Pitt State's all-time scoring chart.  Gustafson needs 11 more points to crack the school's top 10 list.

Starks (6-0, 190) is averaging 15.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on the year. The Springfield, Mo., native is shooting 48.0 percent from the field (121-of-252) and he's made 109 of 132 free throw attempts (.826) on the season.

He currently ranks 11th in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in the conference in free throw percentage.

Starks earned MIAA Player of the Week honors Monday (Feb. 15) after scoring a career-high 28 points in the Gorillas' win over Fort Hays State then matching it with 28 points in Pitt State's win over Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.

Starks averaged 12.3 points in Pitt State's final 12 games in 2014-15, after taking the court for the first time with the Gorillas on Feb. 7.

He scored a season-high 24 points in the finals of the MIAA Tournament against Missouri Southern (Mar. 8) to help the Gorillas claim the tournament title. Starks was named the MIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, averaging 15.3 points per game in Pitt State's four victories.

Jones is averaging 11.0 points and 2.0 assists per game. The Warrensburg, Mo., native is shooting 44.9 percent from the field (89-of-198), including 44.6 percent from 3-point range (37-of-83). He's also converted 61 of 70 free throws (.871) on the season.

Jones tallied a career-high 23 points vs. Northeastern State on Dec. 2. He also scored 23 points and converted five of seven 3-point field goals against Missouri Western on Dec. 10. Jones would rank sixth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage but does not meet the 2.0 per game minimum of makes to qualify for a ranking.

Additionally, three Pitt State players are averaging between 6.0 and 7.6 points on the year:  senior guard Javis Flynn (7.8 ppg), sophomore guard Jaxon Holden (7.4 ppg) and senior forward Denton Hays (6.2 ppg).

Flynn is averaging 7.8 points, 4.8 assists as well as 2.0 steals per game. The Watonga, Okla., native scored a career-high 19 points in the Gorillas' win vs. William Jewell (Nov. 19) and matched that total against Fort Hays State (Jan. 2). He dished out 10 helpers in the win vs. St. Cloud State (Nov. 14); and he currently ranks third in the MIAA in assists and second in the league in steals.

Flynn led the MIAA in assists and steals last season. He also converted 17 of 45 3-point field goal attempts (.378) on the year.

His 76 steals and his 160 assists both ranked as the second highest single season totals in school history.  Flynn set the Pitt State single game assist record with 12 helpers vs. Emporia State on Jan. 14. He twice made a season-high seven steals, including vs. Minnesota State-Moorhead in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

Holden (6-1, 185) scored 19 points in his Pitt State debut on Nov. 13 vs. Minnesota State. The Flower Mound, Texas native is averaging 7.4 points on the season. He suffered a concussion five minutes into the Newman game on Nov. 17. He missed five games, before returning to the lineup in a reserve role vs. Missouri Western on Dec. 10.

Holden came to Pitt State after one season at Stephen F. Austin University where he played in 17 games for the Lumberjacks as a freshman in 2014-15 and helped SFA to a 29-5 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Hays (6-7, 225) is averaging 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in 17.3 minutes of action. The Tulsa, Okla., native posted his first career double-double with a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in Pitt State's victory over Missouri Western on Jan. 27.

As a team, the Gorillas are averaging 77.3 points per game and shooting 48.9 percent from the field (646-of-1322). Pitt State also is shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range (171-of-430) and 77.4 percent from the free throw line (469-of-606). The Gorillas are +1.1 in the rebounding margin department.

Defensively, Pitt State is allowing 76.2 points per game while its opponents are shooting 47.9 percent from the field (666-of-1389), 40.3 percent from 3-point range (187-of-464) and 74.0 percent from the free throw line (387-of-523).

Pitt State ranks third in the MIAA in field goal percentage, but the squad is 13th in the league in field goal percentage defense. The Gorillas are fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    4    Josiah Gustafson, 6-6, 190, Jr., Omaha, Neb.
    F    22    Denton Hays, 6-7, 225, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.
    G    3    Javis Flynn, 5-10, 170, Sr., Watonga, Okla.
    G    11    Trey Starks, 6-0, 190, Sr., Springfield, Mo.
    G    32    Dakota Jones, 5-11, 175, So., Warrensburg, Mo.