Men's Basketball Notes: at Missouri Southern

Truman @ #4 Missouri Southern – Wednesday, Nov. 30, 7:30 pm
Leggett & Platt Athletic Center; Joplin, Mo.
Audio: 104.7 FM – KRES (Moberly, Mo.); Also streamed online at CentralMOInfo.com
Video: Link Available at TrumanBulldogs.com
Live Stats: Link Available at TrumanBulldogs.com

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
For the 86^th time in program history, the Truman men's basketball team will start play in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) this Wednesday night when the Bulldogs travel to 4^th-ranked Missouri Southern for a 7:30 pm tip in Joplin, Mo.

The Bulldogs, 2-5 on the season through seven non-conference games, will face their toughest test to-date in the 2011-12 season when they take on the Lions, who are off to 6-0 start of their own. Wednesday night's game will mark the sixth straight season that the Bulldogs and Lions have opened MIAA play against each other, with MSSU taking the last four.

Truman is coming off a 75-68 loss on Saturday (Nov. 26) at Upper Iowa University, marking the team's third straight loss after winning back-to-back games on Nov. 15 and 17. The Bulldogs are 0-5 against Division II competition this year, having played all regional opponents at the Div. II level since the start of the season.

Missouri Southern, meanwhile, has been idle since a 68-66 win in Kansas City's Sprint Center on Nov. 22 against Northeastern (Okla.) State. It was the first time the Lions had been held below 85 points all season.

The Lions hold an eight-game edge in the all-time series, as the green and gold currently have a 25-17 lead. However, that lead has been built during the past four seasons, as MSSU has won eight straight dating back to a 76-68 Bulldog win in Kirksville on Jan. 27, 2007. Truman is 6-14 all-time in Joplin.

Last Time Out:
at Upper Iowa 75, TRUMAN 68
FAYETTE, Iowa - - A three-pointer by Upper Iowa's Trevor Hook was the last of 13 lead changes as the Peacocks defeated the Bulldogs 75-68 in the final tune-up before conference play tips off on Wednesday. E.J. Hicks led Truman with 17.

Upper Iowa (3-1) led by as many as seven points three times in the first half before the Bulldogs went on a 10-2 run capped off by Isaac Gardner's four-point play to give the Bulldogs their first lead of 23-22 with 7:12 in the first half.

A three-pointer by Bo Pagel with 44 ticks remaining in the half knotted the score at 32 apiece.

Truman would take their largest lead as five points with 17:21 left on a pair of free throws by Patrick Burmester but then the game see-sawed over the next five minutes before Hook's three-pointer turned a one-point Truman lead to a two-point Peacock advantage with 10:57 left.
Upper Iowa grew the margin to as many as nine but a three-point play by Hicks with 1:32 trimmed it back to just three with 1:32 showing.

Following a turnover, Tom Norton missed on a tying trey attempt and Jake Hughes took a pass from Sam Elgin to extend the lead to five with just under a minute to play.  Hughes would finish off the game with a pair of free throws late.

Hicks was 6-of-9 from the field and made five of six free throw s to finish with a season-high 17.  Mike Carlson was the only other 'Dog in double-figures with 11.

The Bulldogs shot 40% from the field but struggled from outside connecting on five of 20 three-point tries.

Tucker Wentzien paced the Peacocks with 17 points as the home team shot 50% from the field but just 52% from the charity stripe.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are off to a 2-5 start in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17 MIAA) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 45.6% from the field as a team, including 38.1% (61-for-160) from three-point range.
·       The Bulldogs are connecting at a 71.4% (95-for-133) mark from the free throw line.
·       Truman is out-rebounding opponents by a +1.3 margin (34.4-33.1).
·       The Bulldogs have hit at least eight three-pointers in all but one game this season.
·       Only twice this season has Truman been outscored in the second half.
·       The Bulldogs have posted a 1-to-1 assist-turnover ratio in all but one game (at ACU) this year, including a season-best 18a-10t ratio against Grand View.

Topping the Charts:
·       Tom Norton (7 at GVU) and Isaac Gardner (6 at MU) both put themselves on the all-time single-game program chart with three-pointers made in the two nonconference games.
·       Norton has 149 career three-pointers made, ranking him 9^th already on Truman's career 3-pointers made list. He is five behind Jiri Mikl (1999-2003; 154) for 8^th.
·       Norton, through two-plus seasons, is shooting .891 from the free throw line (115-for-129), which qualifies him for the top spot all time at Truman (minimum 100 made; both Scott Matthews (1993-94) and Mike Peterson (1987-89) finished their careers at .848).
·       Senior center Vesko Filchev is fifth all-time in career blocks with 76. He needs one to tie Erik Hansen (1982-87; 77).

Scouting the Lions:
MSSU enters Wednesday night with a 6-0 overall mark, having topped the 100-point mark against both Dallas Baptist and Arkansas-Monticello to open the year. They, too, will be opening MIAA play on Wednesday night and are averaging 91.3 points per game through their first six.

All-conference seniors Jason Adams (23.0 ppg; 61% FG, 56% 3FG, 81% FT) and Keane Thomann (21.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 72% FG) lead the Lions, while four other players also average at least seven points per night. MSSU has run the same starting lineup all six games.

The Lions are shooting 56% from the floor overall, 44% from distance and 70% from the charity stripe. One area they have excelled is in turnovers forced, costing their opponents nearly 20 turnovers per game.

Robert Corn is in his 23^rd season at the helm of the men's basketball program at MSSU and is a three-time MIAA Coach of the Year winner.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs return to Pershing Arena this Saturday afternoon for a 3:00 pm tilt with Pittsburg State. The Gorillas are 4-2 on the season and will host Missouri Western on Wednesday night before visiting Kirksville on Saturday.

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