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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team will wrap up regular season play this week by hosting a pair of traditional foes at John Lance Arena.

On Wednesday (Feb. 27), the Gorillas will take on Missouri Southern in a Sonic Trophy Series match-up at 7:30 p.m. (CST). Then, Pitt State will host Emporia State on Senior Day Saturday (Mar. 2) at 3:30 p.m. in another pivotal Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association contest.

The Records
Pitt State enters Wednesday’s action with a 15-9 overall record and an 8-8 mark in MIAA action.  The Gorillas have dropped four of their last six contests and currently sit eighth in the MIAA standings.

Pitt State will look to halt a two-game slide after dropping an 88-82 road decision to Emporia State on Feb. 20 and a 92-76 road decision to Central Oklahoma last Saturday (Feb. 23).

MSSU is 12-12 overall and 7-9 in the MIAA heading into Wednesday’s matchup with Pitt State.  The Lions, who are tied with ESU for ninth place in the MIAA standings, posted an 85-77 home win over Central Oklahoma Monday (Feb 25). That game was originally scheduled for last Thursday (Feb. 21), but it was postponed due to inclement weather.

Emporia State is 12-12 overall and 7-9 in the MIAA heading into a Thursday (Feb. 28) home match-up against Washburn.  The Hornets dropped a 67-62 decision to Northeastern State in Emporia last Saturday (Feb. 23).

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 45-36 (.556) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. He is 2-3 against the Lions and 3-2 against Emporia State. 

Robert Corn (Missouri Southern, ‘78) is in his 24th season coaching his alma mater. Corn has guided MSSU to a 387-296  (.570) record. He is 27-21 vs. Pitt State.

Shaun Vandiver (Colorado, ‘91)is in his second season leading Emporia State, compiling a 21-30 record in his short tenure. The former NBA first round draft pick joined the Hornets after spending the previous 10 seasons as a Division I assistant. He is 1-2 against the Gorillas.

Series History
Wednesday’s action will mark the 92nd all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Lions in a series that dates back to the 1968 season.

Missouri Southern holds a slim 48-43 advantage in the series. However, the Gorillas lead the series 28-14 in games played in Pittsburg. The two schools have split their two-game season series in each of the past five seasons (2008-12). The Lions won the first match-up this year, 87-80, on Jan. 16.

Saturday’s action will mark the 184th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Hornets in a series that dates back to the 1917 season.

Emporia State holds a slight 93-90 advantage in the series, but Pittsburg State leads 51-34 in games played in Pittsburg. The Hornets claimed a hard-fought 88-82 win on their home floor last week (Feb. 20).
 
Gorillas at Home
Pitt State has posted a 370-178 (.675) all-time record at John Lance Arena since the facility opened in 1972.  The Gorillas have compiled a 183-61 (.750) record at home during the last 18 seasons.

Pitt State’s all-time home record stands at 814-339 (.706).

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has four players averaging double figures on the season and two more players contributing more than nine points a game:  freshman guard Kaleb Porter, senior forward JaVon McGee, senior guard Marky Nolen, senior guard Courtney Ingram, junior forward A.J. Adams and senior center Rico Pierrevilus.

Porter is averaging a team-leading 14.1 points per game, while McGee (12.6 ppg), Nolen (10.2 ppg) and Ingram (10.1 ppg) also are scoring in double figures. Adams is contributing just under 10 points per game at 9.6 points per contest. Pierrevilus adds 9.1 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 ranks 16th in the MIAA in scoring, eighth in the conference in free throw percentage (.840, 84-for-100) and seventh in the league in 3-point field goals (2.3 pg). He posted 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds against ESU on Feb. 20.

McGee contributes 12.6 points and a team-leading 7.3 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 last Saturday (Feb. 16) against Northeastern State, recording 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

McGee, who ranks seventh in the MIAA in rebounding and 28th in the league in scoring, 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.

McGee scored 22 points in that contest and now has 1,054 points in 101 career games, ranking 16th on the school’s all-time scoring chart.  He also has 689 career rebounds, ranking third on that PSU career list.
Nolen averages 10.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and a team-leading 2.0 steals per game.  The Wichita, Kan., native ranks fourth in the MIAA in steals. He has recorded double figures in seven of the last 10 games.

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 .458 (70-for-153) from the field and .670 (59-for-88) from the free throw line.

Adams has averaged 9.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game to date.  The Jeffersonville, Ind., native is shooting a team-leading .526 (80-for-152) 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.

Pierrevilus is averaging 9.1 points and 6.0 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 .487 (74-for-152) from the field and .785 (62-for-79) from the free throw line.  The West Palm Beach, Fla., native ranks seventh in blocked shots (1.2 bpg).

Freshman guard Jake Bullard returned to the lineup against Washburn on Feb. 2, after missing five games with an injury. Bullard is averaging 6.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest. He has scored at least six points in the team’s last six games, including a season-best 19-point showing against UCO Saturday (Feb. 23). 

As a team, Pitt State is averaging 75.4 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 72.1 points.  The Gorillas are shooting .444 from the field (602-1356), but they are limiting their opposition to .418 shooting (586-1401).

Pitt State has generated 27 percent of its offense from the free throw line this season. The Gorillas have converted 487 of 690 free throws (.706), averaging 20.3 points per game from the charity stripe. 

The Gorillas are fifth in the MIAA in scoring (75.4 ppg) and rank ninth in free throw percentage (.706). Pitt State also leads the conference in offensive rebounds (13.3 pg) and ranks second in rebounding margin (+5.4 rpg).

Scouting the Lions
Missouri Southern currently has two players averaging more than 12 points per game. Junior guard Marquis Addison leads the team, averaging 17.8 points per game while also pulling down 5.1 rebounds per contest. His scoring average ranks fifth in the MIAA. Addison is shooting .439 (132-of-301) from the field. He also leads MSSU and ranks second in the conference with 54 steals. Addison scored 34 points in the first meeting vs. Pitt State and he’s averaged 33.5 points in the last two games against the Gorillas.

Junior forward John Talbert adds 12.8 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game. He also leads the team and ranks third in the MIAA with 48 blocks on the year.

Sophomore forward Stephen Atkinson adds 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. R.J. Leverette contributes 6.3 points per game and leads the team with 79 assists on the year.

MSSU averaged 73.0 points per game while surrendering 71.9 points. As a team the Lions are shooting .443 (596-1346) from the field including .351 (135-385) from 3-point range. Southern shoots .722 (425-589) from the free throw line.

Scouting the Hornets
Emporia State has three players averaging in double figures on the season:  junior guard Kaleb Wright, junior center Paul Bunch and senior guard Chris Sights.

Wright averages a team-leading 14.4 points per game, ranking 14th in the MIAA in scoring. He also has recorded a team-best 73 assists and is second on the team with 30 steals.

Bunch adds 12.7 points per game while leading the team with a .606 (100-of-165) shooting percentage from the field. His 8.3 rebounds per contest and 56 blocked shots on the season also pace the Hornets. Sights adds 11.8 points per game and he poured in a game-high 29 points the last time out against the Gorillas.

As a team, ESU averages 68.4 points per game while surrendering 66.3 points per game. The Hornets are shooting .456 (612-1314) from the field, including .359 (176-490) from beyond the arc. They are currently shooting .621 (242-390) from the charity stripe.

Probable Starters

Pitt State (15-9, 8-8 MIAA)
    F    20    A.J. Adams, 6-6, 210, Jr., Jeffersonville, Ind.
    F    44    JaVon McGee, 6-6, 235, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
    G    1    Jake Bullard, 6-5, 190, Fr., Cleora, Okla.
    G    3    Kaleb Porter, 5-11, 170, Fr., Tulsa, Okla.
    G    15    Marky Nolen, 6-4, 200, Sr., Wichita, Kan.

Missouri Southern (12-12, 7-9 MIAA)
    F    21    Jordan Talbert, 6-5, 200, Jr., Little Rock, Ark.
    F    22    Stephen Atkinson, 6-6, 190, So., Benton, Ky.
    G    5    R.J. Leverette, 6-0, 165, Fr., Kansas City, Mo.   
    G    31    Morgan Smith, 5-11, 175, So., Overland Park, Kan.
    G    34    Marquis Addison, 6-4, 180, Jr., Olathe, Kan.

Emporia State (12-12, 7-9 MIAA)
    C    32    Paul Bunch, 6-11, 280, Jr., Conway Springs, Kan.
    F    1    Gavin Brown, 6-5, 240, Jr., Junction City, Kan.
    G    0    Kaleb Wright, 6-4, 215, Jr., Chicago, Ill.
    G    3    Chris Sights, 6-0, 170, Sr., Fort Worth, Texas
    G    11    Taylor Euler, 5-11, 170, Sr., Emporia, Kan.