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KIRKSVILLE - - The Truman men's basketball team will try to pick up its first road win of the season while also notching its first conference win of the 2010-11 campaign on Saturday afternoon, as the Bulldogs prepare to face the Pittsburg (Kan.) State Gorillas at 3:30 p.m.
Both Truman (2-3, 0-1 MIAA) and Pittsburg State (4-1, 0-1 MIAA) are coming off losses at the start of MIAA play on Wednesday night, with the Bulldogs falling at home to Missouri Southern (91-74) and PSU dropping a 94-79 road decision at Missouri Western.
Saturday will mark the 41st meeting in the all-time series between the Bulldogs and Gorillas, with PSU holding a 30-10 edge. Truman won both meetings between the squads last season, including a 62-58 decision in John Lance Arena, on Jan. 27, 2010.
Under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995), the Bulldogs are 6-23 against Pitt State and have gone 2-13 at John Lance. Last year's win was the first at PSU since the 1998 MIAA Tournament, when the Bulldogs won a 76-74 decision in the tournament's semifinals on the way to the NCAA Final Four.
The Bulldogs are led offensively by senior guard Alex Henderson (17.2 ppg), who has reached double-figures in each of Truman's first five games. Joining him are senior forward Ethan Freeman (11.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg) and sophomore guard Tom Norton (11.2 ppg), with Freeman kick-starting MIAA play on Wednesday with a career-best 23 point performance while also pulling down ten rebounds.
Pitt State started five transfers in its 17-point loss at MWSU on Wednesday night and have been led offensively this season by 6-foot-8 forward Chris Ware's 12.4 ppg. Ware and Andra Bailey (8.0 rpg) have carried the load on the glass for the MIAA's leading team in rebound margin (+13.4/game). All five projected starters for the Gorillas hover near-to or are above ten points per game.
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 their first four games, while allowing opponents 68.8 points per game for a +6.4 margin.
· Senior Alex Henderson is having a hot start to the season, leading the team at 17.2 points/game and 3.0 assists/game, while also ranking third in rebounds at 4.6/game. He is shooting 53% from the field and a blistering 63% (15-for-24) from long-distance. Henderson has scored 10+ points in all five games this season.
· Senior Ethan Freeman is averaging just shy of a double-double with 11.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He 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.
· Having never shot better than 61% in a season from the foul line, Freeman has improved markedly this year by going 18-for-22 (82%) from the stripe through five games.
· Sophomore guard Tom Norton is also scoring in double-figures through four games, coming in at 11.2 points/game. He has dropped 13 three-pointers in 35 attempts and is 11-for-12 from the foul line. He is a career 93.2% foul shooter.
· Junior Vesko Filchev has dominated the paint defensively this year, swatting seven shots to lead the 'Dogs and pulling down 5.4 rebounds/game.
· The Truman bench has contributed significantly to the usual starting five, averaging 23.4 points per game. The bench has been led by freshman Pat Sodemann's 5.3 ppg average and 56% shooting, along with ten three-pointers by freshman Isaac Gardner.
· Head coach Jack Schrader has used the same starting lineup for all five games, going with three seniors (Henderson, Freeman, Stefan Garrison), Filchev and Norton.
· Truman faced a variety of non-conference opponents this year, including Div. I Missouri-Kansas City, Div. II Quincy and NAIA's Culver-Stockton and Hannibal-LaGrange.
· The 'Dogs are shooting 79% from the free throw line this year (67-for-85), tops in the MIAA.
A Look at the Gorillas:
Pittsburg State enters Saturday afternoon's game at 4-1, 0-1 in the MIAA, with non-conference Div. II wins against Newman (Kan.) and Missouri S&T. The Gorillas have played just once at home (its season-opener) and picked up a 95-68 win against Newman.
The Gorillas are shooting 49.2% from the field as a unit and play very balanced with nine different players averaging more than 17 minutes per contest. PSU has hit 24 three-pointers (32.9%) on the year and are a 68%-shooting squad from the charity stripe.
One big strength of the Gorillas is on the glass, as PSU boasts the MIAA's top rebounding margin (+13.4/game) and have yanked down 73 offensive boards in five games.
Chris Ware leads the team at 12.4 ppg, while nine other players each chip in at least six points per outing.
Kevin Muff is in his first season at Pittsburg State after serving the past 12 seasons as the head coach at Cloud County Community College. He won more than 100 games over the course of his final five seasons at CCCC.
They're on Fire:
The Bulldogs have been deadly from long-range this season, dropping three-pointers at a 40.9% clip (47-for-115) while holding their opponents to just a 28.0% (21-for-75) mark.
Leading the way has been Alex Henderson with 15 (on 24 attempts) and Tom Norton with 13. Seven different Bulldogs have hit three's this year, including freshman Isaac Gardner's 10 on 23 attempts.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs have a short turnaround before their next conference game, as the purple and white will head to Bolivar, Mo., for a Tuesday night battle with Southwest Baptist (Mo.). Tipoff at SBU will be at 7:30 p.m.
