Game Preview:
The two month sprint to Kansas City begins on January 2nd as the Truman Women's Basketball team hosts Fort Hays State University at 1:00 p.m. in Pershing Arena. The Bulldogs and Tigers are a combine 18-3 this season and have turned heads in the MIAA with both receiving votes in the national poll.
Truman (8-2; 3-2 MIAA) has had to sit on a disappointing loss at Emporia State for 16 days while Fort Hays (10-1; 3-1 MIAA) will play Doane College on Friday (Dec. 30) before making the trip east to Kirksville on Monday.
The Bulldogs couldn't buy a basket against the #23-ranked Lady Hornets on Dec. 17. Truman started the game missing their first 14 field goal attempts and finally cutting the cords with a basket by Nicole Gloor at the 6:39 mark of the first half. That drought coupled with some strong inside play by ESU led to a 70-49 loss. Gloor finished with 16 points on the day, going 14-of-18 from the foul line.
The Tigers have nearly matched their entire win total from last season through the first 11 games. Fort Hays was 12-14 last season but have been outscoring opponents by 27 points on average and holding foes to just 51 points per game. The Tigers are a plus-11.5 in rebounding margin while connecting on over seven three-pointers per game.
Prior the Christmas break, the Tigers downed defending conference champ Northwest Missouri 65-45 at home behind sophomore transfer guard Katelyn Edwards' 17 points. Edwards paces the Tigers with 15.7 points per game and also leads the team in rebounding (9.2/g).
About The Bulldogs:
Five players have started all 10 games for the Bulldogs this season and have accounted for 73% of all points scored. Junior Jennifer Conway leads the team with 13.4 points per night average and is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.1 per game. Junior Becka McHenry is second at 12.4 points per game and is the team leader in assists with 48.
Freshman Allie Norton is third at 10 points per game and is the leading three-point shooter with 25 makes in 52 attempts (48%) while dishing out 29 assists in her first season.
The Bulldogs are averaging 73.7 points per game, up nearly ten points from last season while shooting 42% from the field, 41% from beyond the arc and 76% from the foul line.
The Series:
Truman has won four of the last five meetings between the two schools including a season sweep over the Tigers last year. All-time Truman is 6-5 against Fort Hays State and 3-2 in games played in Kirksville. Since Fort Hays joined the MIAA in 2007, the series is knotted at five wins apiece.
Last season, Jennifer Conway nearly averaged a double-double with 13.5 points and nine rebounds per game in the Bulldogs two wins. Conway and Breanna Daniels each scored 10 in a defensive 54-45 win in Hays, Kan. on Jan. 3 of 2011 while Conway scored 17 with 13 boards in a decisive 65-53 win in Kirksville on Feb. 10th.
Bulldogs In The Polls:
Truman received 26 votes in the last WBCA/USA Today Division II Top 25 poll before Christmas, which was the third straight week they have been mentioned. It is the first time they had garnered some votes since Jan. 15, 2008 when they picked up votes in two consecutive weekly surveys. The team also received votes in the Dec. 14, 2004 poll.
From Dec. 8, 1998 through Feb. 22, 2000, with the exception of one poll, the Bulldogs either received votes or were ranked nationally, a span of 21 polls. The highest ranking achieved was 14th on Jan. 25, 1999.
The WBCA/USA Today Division II poll is released each Tuesday during the season.
Quick Look Around The MIAA:
The Bulldogs are currently in sixth place in the conference standings with a 3-2 record. Pittsburg State (5-0) and Emporia State (4-0), the two Truman losses, are the only undefeated teams in league play. Fort Hays State, Lincoln and Washburn are all at 3-1.
On the other end, Northwest Missouri (0-4) and Missouri Western (0-5) are the two winless teams in the conference with Southwest Baptist and Missouri Southern just ahead with one win apiece. Central Missouri is seventh with a 2-3 league record.
Surpassing A Grand:
With 13 points against Pittsburg State on Dec. 3rd, senior Breanna Daniels became the 16th Truman women's basketball player to eclipse 1,000 points for a career and first since Georgia Mueller did so in 2009.
Daniels has started 78 of 91 games played during her Bulldog career and is shooting nearly 40% from the field with 122 made three pointers. Her single-game high in points is 27 against Northwest Missouri on Feb. 17, 2010. She is averaging 11.5 points per game. Daniels had 61 double figure scoring nights with one double-double.
Daniels is third all-time in Truman history in made three-pointers (122), third in three-pointers attempted (355), eighth in free throw percentage (.789) and 10th in field goals (398), field goals attempted (1008) and games started (78).
Notable National Rankings:
In the latest set of national rankings released on Dec. 18th and Truman second in Division II in three-point field goal percentage (41.6%) trailing Arkansas Tech (42.1%) for the national lead.
Truman is fourth in Division II in turnovers per game (12.6) and seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.19). They are 19th in free throw shooting (76.5%), 15th in fouls per game (13.9) and 29th in the country in scoring margin (+14.9).
Individually, Allie Norton is 13th in three-point field goal percentage (48.1%) while Becka McHenry is 30th in the country in assists per game at 4.8 and 33rd in assist/turnover ratio with a 1.92.
Notable Conference Rankings:
Truman is ranked in the top five in 12 categories tracked by the MIAA. The team's highest ranking is first in three categories; three-point field goal percentage (41.6%) assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and turnover margin (+5.7). The Bulldogs are second in free throw percentage (76.5%).
Becka McHenry
-
14th Scoring (12.4/g)
-
2nd Assists (4.8/g)
-
7th FT Pct. (75.9%)
-
4th Assist/Turnover Ratio (1.9)
Jennifer Conway
-
10th Scoring (13.4/g)
-
8th FG Pct. (50.5%)
-
10th Rebounds (7.1/g)
-
5th FT Pct. (81.3%)
-
15th Blocks (0.9/g)
-
10th Off. Reb. (2.5/g)
-
11th Def. Reb. (4.6/g)
Allie Norton
-
T30th Scoring (10.0/g)
-
11th Assists (2.9/g)
-
6th 3pt Pct. (48.1%)
-
3rd 3pt Made (2.5/g)
Breanna Daniels
-
13th Rebounds (6.8/g)
-
14th 3pt Pct. (39.4%)
-
6th Def. Reb. (5.4/g)
Nicole Gloor
-
14th FT Pct. (68.0%)
-
8th Steals (1.6/g)
Bulldog Tip-Ins:
· Truman is averaging 73.7 points and shooting 42% from the field, 41% from the arc and 76% from the line. Last season the team averaged 62.7 points shooting 39% from the field, 33% from beyond the arc and 66% from the free throw line.
· The Bulldogs are 5-1 in Pershing Arena this season and 11-7 over the past two years at home.
· Over the past two years, Truman has a .500 record (7-7) on the road in conference play. From 2000-2010, the Bulldogs were just 15 and 75 (.200) in league road tilts.
· Truman has led at the half in six games this year and have won all six. They have trailed the other four games and won two of them.
· The Bulldogs have won the battle of the boards in seven games this season with the largest margin of 18 against Central Methodist. They have had a double-digit advantage in rebounds in five games.
· Three Bulldogs have topped 20 points this season. Becka McHenry and Nicole Gloor had single-game highs of 22 with McHenry's coming against Missouri Southern and Gloor's against Pittsburg State. McHenry also had 20 against Pittsburg State and Jennifer Conway scored 20 against William Penn.
· Truman has had five different players through 10 games lead them in scoring. McHenry has four games while Conway (2), Gloor (2), Daniels and Jenny Dorman each have one game.
· Four Bulldogs have each recorded double-doubles through 10 games. Jennifer Conway has two while Breanna Daniels, Allie Norton and Becka McHenry have one apiece. Three Bulldogs recorded double-doubles last season with five coming from Jennifer Conway and one apiece from Amy Galey and Megan Sharpe.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will return to the court on Saturday at defending conference champion Northwest Missouri for a 1:30 p.m. start time. The Bearcats defeated the Bulldogs three times last season with the last coming in the first round of the MIAA tournament in Kansas City.
Player Notes:
#3 Aqua Corpening – Has appeared in seven games during her freshman season…shooting 53% from the field with a season-high 11 points coming against Central Methodist…in the game against the Eagles, was 4-of-5 from the field with three three-pointers and three assists.
#5 Allison Wiese – Has appeared in six games, one in the MIAA thus far…scored a season-high six points against Central Methodist while playing 13 minutes and adding two steals.
#10 Kaitlin Stump – Has missed the past nine games with an injury…only action of the season was in the opener against Lindenwood-Belleville where she played eight minutes and had one assist.
#12 Allie Norton – Started all 10 games and leads the team with 25 three-pointers and a 48% three-point shooting percentage…has scored in double-figures six times this season with a season-high 16 points against Quincy and Missouri Southern…is second on the team with assists with 29 and dished out 10 for a double-double against Central Methodist.
#13 Jenny Dorman – Came off the bench in all 10 games this season…scored in double figures twice with a season-high 19 points against Central Methodist…averaging just over 15 minutes per game and is shooting about 39% from the field and from beyond the arc.
#15 Jennifer Conway – Started all 10 games and leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and in scoring at 13.4 points per game…has been in double-figures 10 times this season with a high of 20 points against William Penn…shooting 50% from the floor and has two double-doubles.
#21 Megan Sharpe – Joined the team on Dec. 3rd after earning all-America honors for the third straight year on the volleyball court…has come off the bench in four games and had the game-winning basket against #15 Washburn as time expired while also playing a season-high 25 minutes.
#22 Becka McHenry – Team leader in minutes played at 29.0 per game while also second in scoring 12.4 and first in assists with 48…has scored over 20 points on two occasions with a high of 22 against Missouri Southern…been in double-figures six times and had a double-double with 10 assists against Southwest Baptist.
#24 Sarah Gaeddert – Had played in eight games this years and averaging 8.1 minutes…scored a season-high four points against both Lindenwood-Belleville and Central Methodist and added three assists with six rebounds in a win over Rockhurst.
#25 Bianca Szafarowicz – Has come off the bench in all 10 games and is the leading reserve with 17.0 minutes per game…scored a season-high 11 points in a win over William Penn and pulled down nine rebounds with six offensive in a win against Lindenwood-Belleville.
#32 Nicole Gloor – Started all 10 games and is the team's top defensive player…has scored in double-figures five times this season with a high of 22 against Pittsburg State…leads the team in steals with 16…averaging over 23 minutes per game.
#41 Rachel Remick – Played in all 10 games and scored in nine…season-high is eight points against Emporia State on Dec. 17th…posted a season-high nine rebounds against Lindenwood-Belleville.
#42 Breanna Daniels – Has started all 10 games and is averaging 27.3 minutes in each…has been in double-figures six times with a season-high 14 points coming against Rockhurst…has one-double-double on the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds against Lindenwood-Belleville…went over the 1,000 career point total with 13 against Pittsburg State on Dec. 3.
