Warrensburg, Mo. - The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will hit the road for their final contests of the 2023 portion of this season. On Thursday, the team will play at Central Missouri, and on Saturday, the team will play at Lincoln.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (3-7, 1-3 MIAA) vs Central Missouri Mules (4-3, 0-3 MIAA)
Date: December 14
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM
Location: Warrensburg, Mo.
Site: Multipurpose Building
Series Record: MSSU trails 32-42 | Southern has won 6 of the previous 10 meetings
Coaches
MSSU:
Sam McMahon | 2nd season at MSSU | 20-20 record
UCM: Adam Bohac | 1st season at UCM | 4-3 record
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Mike McClure - Play by play - 101.7 FM The Vault
Live Audio/Video/Stats - https://www.mssulions.com/coverage
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mssumbb
Lions on Twitter: @mssumensbball; @mososports
Lions on Instagram: @mssumensbball
Scouting the Lions
Missouri Southern currently has a 3-7 (1-3 MIAA) record in the 2023-24 season. They began the year with a split in their opening tournament, falling to now-ranked #2 MSU Moorhead 99-81, but taking down Bemidji State 69-61. In their first home game, the Lions handled Central Christian 92-56. MSSU fell in both contests at the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic, Illinois Springfield taking the first game 96-77, and Drury holding off Missouri Southern 76-70 in the second game. In their final non-conference contest of the season, the Lions fell to the Rockhurst Hawks.
To begin conference play, MSSU nearly completed an upset bid over #15 Northwest Missouri on their court, but fell 78-74. Closing out that series, the Lions fell on a last second shot to then-undefeated Missouri Western, 62-61. In their home conference opener, the Lions fell 73-63 to #3 nationally ranked Central Oklahoma. Most recently, the Lions bounced back with a strong 99-77 win over Newman, shooting lights out in that contest. MSSU shot 58.3% from the field and 90.9% from the free throw line.
Martin Macenis had one of the best weeks of his career last week, scoring 32 points on 11-16 shooting, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing 10 assists, and recording 5 blocks while coming off the bench.
Vinson Sigmon Jr. took over as the team's leading scorer thanks to 19 and 17 point performances last week. While doing so, he shot 12-17 from the field and 9-9 from the FT line.
Darius Dawson leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 per contest. His 60.3% shooting from the field ranks him 4th in the MIAA.
Scouting the Mules
The Central Missouri Mules enter Thursday's competition with a 4-3 (0-3 MIAA) record on the year. All four wins came in their first four games, all against non-conference opponents. The first was a 72-66 victory over Ouachita Baptist, followed by a close 62-59 score against Harding. In their next win, the Mules dominated Missouri S&T 87-62, and beat Park by 12. Following that, UCM fell 75-62 to #3 Central Oklahoma, and lost by one to Newman on a last second three. Most recently, the Mules fell to the Blue Tigers of Lincoln, 61-52.
Caleb Nero leads the team with 12.6 points per game, and has made 88.9% of his free throws. Keith Kiner III isn't far behind with 11.7 points per game, and leads the Mules with 5.4 rebounds per contest. He also has a team-high 10 blocks. Against Lincoln, Kiner recorded a team-high 17 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.
Tim Jordan Jr. (11.6) and Jalen Knott (10.9) are also averaging double digit points per game, Jordan Jr. shooting 54.4% from the field and averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. Knott leads the team with 13 assists and 7 steals.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
