Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
Game Preview:
The 2010-2011 Truman Women's Basketball team will being their season on Friday afternoon in the Sunshine State as they will take on Barry University (Fla.) at 4:30 p.m. (cst) in the Nova Southeastern University/Marriott Tip-Off Classic. The Bulldogs will then face the host Sharks on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. (cst).
The Bulldogs were 11-16 last season in head coach Michael Smith's second year and will bring back the team's top scorer in junior Breanna Daniels and senior point guard Amy Galey . Daniels was named second team all-MIA A after posting a 13.1 points per game average while Galey dished out a team-high 119 assists in her first season after transferring from Highland Community College.
Truman has seven players returning that started at least four games last year. Galey and Daniels were the only two to start over 25 (27 and 26 respectively).
The Bulldogs won both of their exhibition games this fall. They defeated Central Methodist University 56-42 on Oct. 28 and then beat Division I Western Illinois 61-54 on Nov. 7.
In the Central Methodist game, Daniels led all scorers with 17 points while Galey nearly had a triple double with nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Jennifer Conway, Becka McHenry and freshman Nicole Gloor were the other three starters against the Lady Eagles.
Against the Westerwinds, Conway had 16 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes of action while Daniels added 14 on five of nine shooting. Freshman Bianca Szafarowicz had six points in making her first start in replace of Gloor.
Bulldog Coaching Staff:
Head Coach Michael Smith enters his third year at the helm of the Truman Women's Basketball program. Smith was 8-19 in his first season and improved by three game last year to 11-16. The Bulldogs won six of their first 10 games and four of their last five games last season.
Smith took over the program in April of 2008 and was previously the assistant coach at Division I University of Arkansas-Little Rock.
Joining Smith in her first year on the Truman bench is Lora Westling as the new assistant coach. Westling was a two-time all-MIAA performer and helped Washburn University to the 2005 Division II National Title. She served the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Bulldogs In the Non-Conference:
Truman was 5-2 last season in non-conference games and 7-6 overall under Coach Michael Smith. In road games, the Bulldogs were 2-1 in non-conference road games last season and 0-1 in neutral site contests.
Key Stats for 09-10:
· Truman averaged 61.6 points per game last season with their highest point total being 99 against Northwest Missouri State in overtime on Feb. 17th.
· Breanna Daniels had three of the top four individual scoring performances for the Bulldogs last year. Daniels scored 27 in a victory over Northwest Missouri and 23 in a win over Pittsburg State. Both games went into overtime. Daniels also led the team with four three-pointers made in four different games.
· Daniels led the team in scoring at a 13.1 ppg mark while she is also the team's top returning rebounder at 4.3 rpg.
· The Bulldogs shot 40.3% from beyond the arc and averaged 4.2 three-point makes.
· Truman shot 77.9% from the free throw line with Becka McHenry being the top returning free throw shooter at 81%.
· Truman averaged 15.1 turnovers per game and were a -1.6 in turnover margin last season.
Scouting The Opponents:
The Barry University Buccaneers enter the game with the Bulldogs with an 0-2 record after losses to West Alabama (56-48) and Columbus State (52-49). Adrienne Hicks leads the team in scoring with 11 points per game followed closely by Shanna Suttington and Yvonne Houston at 10.0 points per game.
Barry finished the 2009-2010 season with a 26-4 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament before falling 55-51 to Tampa.
Nova Southeastern won their season opener over Northern Kentucky by a 77-70 final with Stephanie Sarosi leading the way with 14 points. The Sharks took 29 of their 62 shots from beyond the arc and connected on nine of them.
NSU will play Northwood (Mich.) in their opening game in the Tip-Off Classic on Friday before meeting up with the Bulldogs. The Sharks were 11-17 a year ago and lost four games in overtime.
Up Next:
Truman will play their only non-conference home game a week from Saturday against Maryville University (Mo.) of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Tip off is slated for 2:00 p.m. and will be followed with the conference opener on Dec. 1st against Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m. in Pershing Arena.
Due to the current construction project going on in the Pershing Building, no admission will be charged for either game.
