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KIRKSVILLE - - For the 190th time, the Truman and Northwest Missouri men's basketball teams will meet on the hardwood, as the Bulldogs and Bearcats will renew their long-standing rivalry on Saturday evening at 7:30 pm in Pershing Arena.
Truman (3-8, 1-6 MIAA) returns to Kirksville following a three-day, two-game road trip at No. 6 Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Omaha and will look to snap a three-game losing streak dating back to Dec. 18. The friendly confines of Pershing Arena might just be the place for the purple and white, as the 'Dogs are 3-2 at home this year.
The Bulldogs' opponent will be the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri, who come into Saturday riding a two-game winning streak and in possession of a 4-7 overall record (2-5 MIAA). NWMSU just wrapped up its own three-game homestand, defeating Lincoln (85-66) and Missouri Western (75-63) to move into tenth in the MIAA standings. The Bearcats have yet to win a road game this year, going 0-5.
The 190th meeting between the two programs will be contested for the 94th time in Kirksville, as Northwest holds a 98-91 all-time lead with Truman boasting a 58-45 edge at home. The Bulldogs defeated Northwest, 68-65, in Kirksville last season but had dropped the previous three.
Under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995), the Bulldogs are 8-21 against Northwest and have a 5-9 record against the Bearcats in Pershing Arena. That mark includes a 70-68 victory in the 1999 MIAA championship game, which helped propel the Bulldogs all the way to the NCAA semifinals.
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 Bulldogs:
Truman returns to Pershing Arena looking to snap a three-game losing streak and compete against a team from the state of Missouri for the first time in more than a month. Senior guard Alex Henderson (Willard, Mo., Willard) continues to lead the offense at 15.5 ppg, while senior forward Ethan Freeman (Urbandale, Iowa, Urbandale) has climbed to 12.6 ppg. Sophomore guard Tom Norton rounds out the Bulldogs averaging double-figures, coming in at 10.3 ppg.
As a unit, the Bulldogs are shooting 43% from the field, 39% from long-range and 68% from the free throw line. Opponents, meanwhile, are at 45% overall, 34% from distance and are hitting 70% of their charity stripe chances.
Freeman is the team's leading rebounder at 8.8 per game, which is good for second in the MIAA. Along with Henderson, he also leads the team in assists, giving out 3.3 per contest.
'Dog Bites:
· The Bulldogs are scoring 72.7 points per game through 11 games, while giving up 78.4 ppg.
· Five 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.
· Ethan Freeman has been setting new career-highs all season, scoring 23 points twice, pulling down 17 rebounds against QU on Nov. 27, and handing out seven assists against WU on Dec. 11.
· Tom Norton (Bloomington, Ill., Bloomington Catholic) and freshman Isaac Gardner (Washington, Iowa, Washington) have been snipers from long-range, as the duo has combined for 52 three-pointers (54% of team total).
· Norton also continues his ascent into Truman history from the foul line, having hit 65 of 71 (91.5%) total chances in his time at Truman. He hit 31 in a row during his freshman season and is 21-of-24 this year.
· Junior Vesko Filchev (Plovdiv, Bulgaria, GPCHE) 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 ten shots to lead the 'Dogs and pulling down 5.6 rebounds/game.
Heading Toward 1,000:
Two Bulldog seniors – Ethan Freeman and Alex Henderson – have a shot to reach 1,000 career points this season. Freeman sits at 849 (9.2 ppg career), while Henderson is tracking right behind him at 820 (9.0 ppg career).
Freeman would need to average 10.1 ppg over his final 15 games, while Henderson needs to record 12.0 ppg to become the 23rd and 24th members of Truman's 1,000-point club.
A Look at the Bearcats:
Picked to finish ninth by both the coaches and media prior to the start of the MIAA season, Northwest Missouri has gotten off to a 4-7 start, 2-5 in the MIAA. The Bearcats were 2-2 in non-conference play before dropping six straight prior to a pair of wins this past week.
It's been a season of nail-biters for the green 'Cats, with all seven losses coming by ten points or less. However, in their four wins, NWMSU has handled opponents by 22 points per game.
Elijah Allen (14.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg), DeShaun Cooper (13.7 ppg, 5.7 apg) and Shaneel Narayan (12.5 ppg, 29 3FG) guide a Bearcat attack that is shooting 44% from the field but just 34% from long-range. The unit is out-rebounding foes by nearly three per game and is averaging nearly 11 offensive rebounds per night.
Northwest Missouri is coached by Ben McCollum, who is in his second season with the program. He has a career record of 16-22 at the helm of the green and white.
Up Next:
Truman stays within the confines of Kirksville for another full week, hosting Missouri Western on Wednesday (Jan. 12) night before welcoming conference newcomer Lincoln (Mo.) on Saturday (Jan. 15) afternoon.
