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KIRKSVILLE - - The Truman men's basketball team faces a tough test on Saturday afternoon in opening the second half of MIAA play, as the Bulldogs head to No. 14 Missouri Southern for a 3:00 pm tipoff at the Leggett and Platt Center in Joplin, Missouri.
The Bulldogs (5-10, 3-8 MIAA) struggled at Central Missouri on Wednesday night, falling 73-45, to mark alternating wins and losses for the last four games. Despite scoring the fewest points in a game so far this season, Truman didn't lose ground in the race for the eighth spot in the conference tournament, remaining two games behind Pittsburg State and UCM.
Missouri Southern (14-1, 10-1 MIAA) completed its first run-through of the MIAA nearly flawless and has won five straight dating back to a two-point loss on Jan. 2 at home to PSU. The most recent stretch includes road wins at Emporia State, Nebraska-Omaha and Northwest Missouri, along with home wins against Washburn and No. 6 Fort Hays State.
Saturday marks the 42nd all-time meeting between the programs, with MSSU holding a 24-17 edge in the series. The Lions have won the last seven meetings between the teams, with Truman's 76-68 win in Kirksville on Jan. 27, 2007 marking the last Bulldog win. The Bulldogs' last win in Joplin came on Dec. 9, 2006 in a 70-53 win behind a 12-point, 13-rebound, 8-assist game by Andy Calmes.
Under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995), the Bulldogs are 11-20 against the Lions and 4-10 at the Leggett and Platt Center. Truman is 3-4 in its last seven trips to Joplin.
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.
Earlier This Year:
Dec. 1 (KIRKSVILLE) – The Missouri Southern Lions used a 22-4 run in the first four minutes of the second half to pull away and hand the Truman men's basketball team a 91-74 loss in Pershing Arena. Senior Ethan Freeman recorded his 10th career double-double by leading the Bulldogs with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Truman led 36-35 with 59 seconds to go in the first half after a Tom Norton free throw, but five points in the final minute by MSSU's Skyler Bowlin sent the Bulldogs into the intermission down by four, 40-36.
From there, it was an all-out blitz to start the second half, as the Bulldogs turned the ball over seven times in the first five minutes, leading to 22 quick points and a 22-point lead for the Lions at 62-40. Truman would pull to within 15 at 74-59 following a Freeman tip-in with 7:48 to play, but the Lions bounced back with a three-point play by Kevin Hinsey to push the margin back to 18, 77-59.
Freeman went 11-for-12 from the charity stripe, and the Bulldogs as a team recorded a 22-for-25 mark from the free throw line. Isaac Gardner added 11 points, and Alex Henderson reached double-figures with 10.
Bowlin led all players with 34 points and added six assists – also a game-high.
'Dog Bites:
· Seniors Alex Henderson (14.8 ppg) and Ethan Freeman (11.9 ppg) lead the Bulldogs offensively. As a team, Truman is shooting 43% from the floor, 38% from three-point range and 68% from the free throw line.
· Freeman is the MIAA's top rebounder at 8.8 per game. More than seven of them come on the defensive glass.
· The Bulldogs are scoring 70.9 points per game, while giving up 76.7 ppg. In wins, though, the Bulldogs are topping 80 (82.2) points while holding opponents to just 64.2 ppg.
· Six players have topped 20 points in a game for Truman this year, led by Alex Henderson's career-high 24 against Culver-Stockton on Nov. 15, and most recently Isaac Gardner's career-high 21 against Missouri Western on Jan. 12.
· Ethan Freeman has set a trio of career-highs this year, scoring 23 points twice, pulling down 17 rebounds against QU on Nov. 27, and handing out ten assists against Northwest Missouri on Jan. 8. Against NWMSU, he came up three points shy of Truman's first triple-double in 16 years (7p, 15r, 10a) and became the first Bulldog since Banks Estridge in March of 2007 to hand out ten assists.
· Sophomore guard Tom Norton and freshman Isaac Gardner have been snipers from long-range, as the duo has combined for 67 three-pointers (56% of team total).
· Norton also continues his ascent into Truman history from the foul line, having hit 71-of-78 (91.0%) total chances in his time at Truman. He hit 31 in a row during his freshman season and is 25-of-28 this year.
· Junior Vesko Filchev picked up his second double-double of the season against WU on Dec. 11, finishing with 13 points and ten rebounds. Filchev has dominated the paint defensively this year, swatting 12 shots to lead the 'Dogs.
Career Numbers to Watch:
· Ethan Freeman (889 points) needs to average 10.1 ppg over the final 11 games to become the 23rd player in the 1,000-point club.
· Freeman (666 rebounds) is 13th all-time at Truman … he needs one to move into 12th and ten to catch Matt Beran (2001-2004) for 11th all-time.
· Alex Henderson (872 points) needs to average 11.6 ppg over the final 11 games to become the 23rd player in the 1,000-point club.
· Henderson (128 3-ptrs) is 10th all-time at Truman … he needs seven more to catch Chip Sodemann (2003-2006) for ninth all time.
Free Throw Extravaganza:
Truman has taken 336 free throws (22.4 per game) this season, up from last season's 16.4 per game, and most since the 1999-2000 team's 24.2 attempts per game average.
What a Nwelu-week:
Senior Brian Nwelue has averaged 6.5 rebounds per game in the past week, including seven total offensive rebounds in just 42 total minutes. He earned the start against UCM and has averaged 4.7 ppg in his last three games, averaging 18 minutes per outing.
Avoiding Nail-biting:
Of Truman's 15 games this season, only four have been decided by ten points or less, with the Bulldogs going 2-2 in those contests.
Dialing Long Distance:
The Bulldogs are 3-0 this season when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game. Ten has proven to be the magic number, as Truman is 0-3 when hitting nine but failing to reach the double-figure mark.
A Look at the Lions:
Winners of five straight and keepers of a one-game lead in the MIAA, Missouri Southern returns home for the first time since Jan. 10 when they defeated nationally-ranked Fort Hays State, 82-64.
Two players top 19 points per game in junior Jason Adams (19.7 ppg) and senior Skyler Bowlin (19.1 ppg), and each are above 20 ppg in MIAA-only contests. The Lions shoot 50% from the field and are out-rebounding opponents by nearly six per game.
The Lions are coached by Robert Corn, who is in his 22nd year with the program. He has a career mark of 324-262.
Notables vs. the Lions:
· Alex Henderson is averaging nearly 14 ppg and is 47% from long-range in seven career games.
· Ethan Freeman and Vesko Filchev have posted similar career numbers, combining for 18.9 ppg and 13.6 rpg in 11 total career games.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs return home for a midweek battle with Pittsburg State on Wednesday (Jan. 26) night in Pershing Arena. Tipoff for the game is set for 7:30 pm.
