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KIRKSVILLE - - With finals behind them, the Truman men's basketball team can put its focus on a two-game winning streak to close the calendar year on Saturday night against Emporia (Kan.) State. The Bulldogs and Hornets will tipoff at 7:30 pm inside Pershing Arena.
Truman (3-5, 1-3 MIAA) notched its first conference win of the season last Saturday (Dec. 11) when it dispatched of Washburn, 83-78, in Kirksville. Four players scored in double-figures for the 'Dogs, led by senior Alex Henderson's 23 and a double-double for junior center Vesko Filchev.
Emporia State (6-4, 3-1 MIAA), meanwhile, comes into Saturday off its first MIAA loss – a 68-66 setback at Central Missouri, also last Saturday. The Hornets had a chance to take down the Mules on the road, but a foul with seven seconds to play led to a pair of UCM free throws and the two-point win. All three ESU MIAA wins have been at home, coming against Nebraska-Omaha, Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.
Saturday evening will mark the 38th all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Hornets, with ESU holding a 24-13 edge. Emporia swept last year's season series and has posted six straight wins dating back to the first-round of the 2007 MIAA tournament, when Truman downed the Hornets, 88-75.
Under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995), the Bulldogs are 8-21 against Emporia and are 3-10 in Kirksville. The last home win against ESU came on Feb. 4, 2005, when Andy Calmes tipped in a Banks Estridge miss with 1.1 seconds to play to give the Bulldogs a 68-67 victory.
Truman continues to be led offensively by the 6-foot-0 Henderson, who comes in at 16.9 ppg and is the MIAA leader in three-point percentage at 55% (21-for-38). He has scored in double-figures in all eight games this season, and is joined at the top of the Bulldog scoring chart by fellow backcourt-mate, sophomore Tom Norton. Norton is averaging 11.5 ppg and is the team-leader with 23 made three-pointers.
Senior forward Ethan Freeman is the squad's top post presence, as he is nearly averaging a double-double at 11 points and nine rebounds per game. Freeman is second in the MIAA in rebounding.
Media Information:
104.7 FM KRES is the official radio home of Truman football, men's basketball and women's basketball. Brad Boyer and Hank Janssen will provide coverage throughout the season of Truman basketball on the Moberly-based station.
KRES broadcasts its sports coverage online at centralmoinfo.com. Fans can also watch MIAA games on their computer this season through AmericaOne/B2 Networks for a fee.
Live stats for all Bulldog games throughout the season will be made available via links on the men's basketball schedule page at TrumanBulldogs.com.
About the 'Dogs:
· The Bulldogs are scoring 75.2 points per game through eight games, while allowing opponents 77.6 points per game for a -2.4 margin. That margin has taken its biggest hit since the start of conference play, with Truman at -17.0 through four MIAA games.
· Senior Alex Henderson set a new career-high with 24 points against Culver-Stockton on Nov. 15, and is ninth in the MIAA in scoring at 16.9 ppg. He is also fourth in three-pointers made (2.6/gm) in addition to leading the conference in 3-pt efficiency (55%).
· Senior Ethan Freeman tied a career-high with 17 rebounds at QU on Nov. 27 and set a new career-best with 23 points against MSSU on Dec. 1. He also handed out a career-best seven assists against Washburn on Dec. 11.
· Freeman is second in the MIAA in rebounding (9.0/gm), 10th in assists (3.5/gm), and is the conference's top defensive rebounder at 6.6/game.
· Sophomore guard Tom Norton continues to find his success from long-range, 23 of his 26 made field goals have been three-pointers. He is a career 91.0% foul shooter and hit 31 straight at one point during his freshman year. This season, he is 17-for-20 from the charity stripe.
· Junior Vesko Filchev picked up his second double-double of the season against Washburn on Dec. 11, finishing with 13 points and ten rebounds. Filchev has dominated the paint defensively this year, swatting eight shots to lead the 'Dogs (9th in the MIAA) and pulling down 6.0 rebounds/game.
· Freshman Isaac Gardner has been a sniper off the bench, hitting 46% of his three-pointers – good for fourth in the MIAA.
· In seven of eight games this season, it's been the same starting lineup for the 'Dogs, as head coach Jack Schrader has gone with Freeman-Norton-Henderson-Filchev to go with Stefan Garrison.
· The Bulldogs were once again the MIAA's top three-point shooting team, firing at a 41.3% clip through its first eight games of the season. Truman also ranks third (9.5/gm) in the MIAA in three-pointers made.
· The Bulldogs have struggled maintaining possession this year, committing nearly 18 turnovers per game. On the flip side, Truman is forcing just 12 miscues per game from its opponents, leading to seven additional points per game (20-13) for the opposition.
A Look at the Hornets:
Picked to finish eighth in both the MIAA preseason coaches' and media polls, the Emporia State Hornets are one game back through the first four conference games at 3-1 in MIAA play. The Hornets are 6-4 overall, though only their three MIAA wins have come against Div. II opponents. ESU does have one loss against Div. I-Kansas State.
Xavier Burnette, despite sitting out the last two games, is the team's scoring leader at 14.5 ppg, while Adam Holthaus (13.1 ppg), Michael Tyler (10.4 ppg) and Matt Boswell (10.4 ppg) also average double-figures. The Hornets shoot at a 46% clip as a unit and average seven three-pointers per game on the way to a +2.7 (72.1-69.4) scoring margin through ten games.
Opponents are connecting at a 47% rate against ESU and are out-rebounding the Hornets by a slim 1.8 margin.
David Moe is 152-116 in his tenth season at Emporia State.
Up Next:
Truman is off for an extended period of time, as MIAA play does not resume for the 'Dogs until January 3. That will kick-start the longest road trip by mileage for the team, as the Bulldogs will head to Fort Hays State for a Monday night showdown before swinging through Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday, Jan. 5, to take on the Mavericks.
