Men's Basketball 12/15/2011 1:35:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: at Emporia State

TRUMAN (4-7, 2-2 MIAA) @ Emporia State (6-3, 2-1 MIAA)

Saturday, Dec. 17, 4:30 pm
White Auditorium; Emporia, Kan.

Audio: 104.7 FM – KRES (Moberly, Mo.); Also streamed online at CentralMOInfo.com
Video: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=295
Live Stats: http://www.emporia.edu/athletics/livestats/basketball-m/xlive.htm

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
The Truman men's basketball team will look to close out the 2011 calendar year on a positive note this Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Emporia (Kan.) State for a 4:30 pm tip in historic White Auditorium.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 67-54 defeat at Washburn (Kan.) University last Saturday in a game that saw the purple and white fall behind by a dozen at the break. Despite the loss, Truman still finds itself in the middle of a deep pack at the heart of the MIAA standings, falling in at 2-2 in league play.

Truman will face an Emporia State squad that comes into Saturday's game with a 6-3 overall record (2-1 MIAA) following a 74-72 overtime victory at home last Saturday against Central Missouri. ESU has won two straight in MIAA play after opening the conference slate with a five-point loss at league-leading Northwest Missouri.

The Bulldogs and Hornets will be conducting their 40^th meeting in the all-time series, with Emporia holding a 26-13 edge dating back to the first meeting in 1992. The Bulldogs are 6-13 all-time in Emporia including four straight losses.

Truman's last win in White Auditorium came on Feb. 21, 2007 – an 88-78 Bulldog victory in a game that saw Nick Certa drain seven three-pointers on the way to 25 points and five other Bulldogs in double-figures. Andy Calmes came up just short of a triple-double in the game, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Last season, the two squads played a pair of tight matchups, with ESU beating Truman 74-71 in overtime in Kirksville before handing the Bulldogs a 65-61 setback in Emporia. Vesko Filchev posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds at ESU and Tom Norton averaged nine points per game as the top Bulldog returners.

Emporia has won the last eight games in the series and 10 of the last 12. Truman's last win came in the MIAA tournament on March 1, 2007 in Kansas City.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Junior guard Tom Norton is the team's leading scorer at 12.6 ppg, headlining three players in double-figures. He has made 28 triples this season and is 31-for-36 (86%) from the free throw line.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 12.2 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game. He is just one of just two players to start all 11 games and is shooting 46% from the floor. He also leads the team with seven blocks.
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 10.1 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer in conference games, averaging 11.3 ppg through the first four MIAA games. He is averaging 21.2 minutes per game and is 26-for-31 (84%) from the line.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 9.1 ppg and is the team's assist leader (24).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 26 triples and is averaging 9.2 points per game.
·       Freshman Patrick Burmester has started all 11 games and is averaging 5.1 ppg and 3.8 rpg. He leads the squad with ten blocks and is shooting 55% from the floor.
·       Freshmen Andrew Vander Zwaag (4.5 ppg, ten three-pointers) and Tyler Anderson (2.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg) have missed just one game between them this season.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has played in all 11 games and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (19).

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 4-7 (2-2 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 44.6% from the field as a team, including a 36.6% (83-for-227) from three-point range.
·       The Bulldogs are connecting at a 70.1% (162-for-231) mark from the free throw line.
·       Last Wednesday's 48-point first half against SBU marked the highest first-half output this season.
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season.
·       Isaac Gardner became only the third player in program history to post a 1.000% mark with six (or more) three-point attempts in a single-game with his 6-for-6 night against SBU last Wednesday.
·       The Bulldogs have had five 20-point scoring nights this season, led by Tom Norton's 27 at Grand View and Seth Jackson's 25 against Central Christian.

Scouting the Hornets:
The Emporia State Hornets (6-3, 2-1 MIAA) come into Saturday afternoon's game having split their last four games. However, the squad is 3-1 this year at home including most recently a two-point OT win against Central Missouri last Saturday (Dec. 10).

The Hornets are shooting 45% from the floor and averaging 66.7 ppg as a team, led by three players in double-figures. Derrell Conner (12.1 ppg), Chris Sights (11.4 ppg) and Tola Lawal (10.1 ppg) are the top scorers, while Troy Pierce is shooting 54%, scoring 8.1 ppg and is the team-leader at 7.0 rpg.

None of ESU's top five scorers this season were on the roster last year, having all transferred in for first-year head coach Shaun Vandiver. Vandiver replaced long-time ESU coach David Moe following a ten-year stint as an assistant coach at Boise State University.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will take a 15-day absence from game-action to celebrate the holiday season, returning to the floor on Monday, Jan. 2. Truman will host nationally-ranked Fort Hays State (8-1, 2-1 MIAA) at 3:00 pm in Pershing Arena to kick off the new year.

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