(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The Mules basketball squad beat the Missouri Valley College Vikings 87-61 at home on Saturday afternoon for their final non-conference game of the regular season.

DJ Richardson and Matt Wilkinson scored career-highs of 22 and 16 points, respectively, to lead the Mules.

Game Summary 

• The Mules (10-2) shot 28-64 from the floor for 43.8 percent and nailed a season-high 17 triples on 39 attempts. The Vikings (8-5) did outshoot the Mules, going 47.1 percent (24-51), but had just one made three on 13 attempts for 7.7 percent.

• Richardson and Wilkinson each had solid first half performances scoring 12 and 11, respectively, to lead the Mules. The Mules shot 15-31 in the first half with eight made threes.

• UCM got the game started with a 13-2 run and held the Vikinsg to under 10 points for nearly 10 minutes to start the game. Wilkinson found his rhythm early scoring eight of his 11 in the first 10 minutes of action.

• The Mules also found a groove from beyond the arc nailing eight triples on 17 attempts (47.1 percent). They allowed just five three-point attempts by the Vikings, but none found the bottom of the net.

• MVC managed to stay within 10 of UCM for most of the first half. Remy Price nailed a pair of free throws to make it 30-21, UCM, with 5:34 to play in the half, but an 8-0 UCM run stopped any means of keeping it close for MVC.

• The Mules went into the halftime break leading by 17, 44-27, and never allowed the Vikings to get within 15 of them the rest of the game. They started the second half making four of their first five shots, three of which were triples to lead the Vikings 56-31.

• Richardson added 10 points in the second frame, while Jakob Lowrance scored 10. Lowrance was 0-1 in the first half from beyond the arc, but bounced back going 3-3 in the second.

• UCM had two second-half scoring runs, both 11-0, to keep the Vikings from ever getting back in the game. Their second 11-0 run help them establish their largest lead of the game at 34 points with 5:25 to play.

• Lowrance accounted for eight of the 11 points in the second scoring run with two triples and a pair of made free throws. Spencer Reaves added the other three with a made triple of his own.

• The second half continued to be kind to the Mules from three-point range as they hit nine more on 22 attempts. The Mules forced 19 Viking turnovers and converted that to 27 points while limiting themselves to just 10 for the game.

• The Mules never allowed the Vikings to lead the game, and two 11-0 runs with 17:00 and 7:04 to play in the game, respectively, kept the Vikings from staying in the game.

Mules Stat Leaders

• Richardson put up double-figures in both halves to finish with 22 points. He shot 7-12 from the floor and had four made three’s on the afternoon. He also pulled down a team-high six rebounds and went 4-4 at the free throw line.

• Wilkinson added five points in the second half to finish with 16. He was 6-11 shooting and was 50 percent from three-point range (4-8). He also handed out four assists.

• Lowrance scored 13, with 11 coming in the second half. He tied Richardson for the team lead in rebounds with six and had two blocked shots.

• Reaves and Brandon Emmert were the final two players to score in double-digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Reaves had four assists, while Emmert pulled in four rebounds.

• Blake Spellman dished out eight assists on the afternoon and added six points on two made triples.

For the Vikings

• Remy Price was the top MVC scorer with 14 points on 6-9 shooting. He grabbed two rebounds and had two steals as well.

• Romeo Smith had 12 points for MVC and was 5-9 from the floor, falling one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. His nine rebounds were a game-high.

• Beckely Obineke chipped in eight points on 4-5 shooting.

• Taviosu Brazil and and De’Vontai Halfacre each had six points.

News and Notes

• Richardson’s 22 points surpasses his previous career mark of 20 points which he scored on Nov. 24 against Rockhurst. He set a career-highs in made field goals and three’s with four and seven, respectively.

• Wilkinson’s career-high is also to points higher than his previous career mark of 14 which he set against Mid-America Nazarene last season. His six made field goals and four made three’s are also career-highs.

• Reaves bumped his career-point total to 1,067. He sits 19th all-time in UCM history and needs 44 more points to move up to 18th on the career scoring list.

• The Mules 17 made threes are a season-high, passing their previous mark of 11. Their one three-point field allowed is also the least allowed in a game this season.

• UCM finishes the regular season 8-1 in non-conference action.

Up Next

• The Mules are home for their next two games, both of which are against conference opponents. They host Fort Hays State Jan. 4 and Nebraska-Kearney Jan. 6. Tip-off against the Tigers is set for 7:30 p.m., while the game against the Lopers is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.