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Game Preview:
Three games remain in the march toward March and the Bulldog women's basketball teams next “biggest” game of the year is set to tip off on Saturday night when they face Missouri Western State University at 5:30 p.m. in St. Joseph.
Truman enters the game clinging on to the eighth and final postseason spot by virtue of their season sweep over ninth place Fort Hays State, while the Griffons are in a tie for sixth place, just one game ahead of the Bulldogs in the standings. A win by Truman would keep the possibility of moving as high as sixth in the final standings while a loss would limit the Bulldgos to either seventh, eighth or ninth since Missouri Western won the first meeting between the two schools 62-53 back in Kirksville on Jan. 12th.
It is the third game of a four-game road trip for the Bulldogs after losses to the top two teams in the conference on Monday (Washburn 62-53) and Wednesday (Northwest Missouri 87-69). The Griffons are wrapping up their four-game homestand and will be playing their final game in the MWSU Fieldhouse this season on Saturday night.
Truman is led by junior forward Breanna Daniels with her 13.5 points per game average and sophomore forward Jennifer Conway and her 8.3 ppg and 6.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard Amy Galey leads the team in assists while sophomore Becka McHenry (8.3ppg) and freshmen Bianca Szafarowicz (4.1ppg) will be the projected starters for the Bulldogs. Freshman Nicole Gloor (9.7 ppg) is second in scoring and will come off the bench with sophomore two-sport start Megan Sharpe (4.6 ppg).
Jessica Koch has been the Griffons leading scorer in five of the past six games including a 20-point effort in Missouri Western's 66-34 victory over Lincoln University on Wednesday night. Koch is averaging 16.2 points per game and leading the team with 98 assists while being second on the team with 33 three-pointers. Rachel Luteyn (12.3 ppg), Kallie Schoonover (4.5 ppg) and Lauren Nolke (11.1 ppg) have also been staples in the starting line-up for Coach Lynn Plett.
Last Games (Truman):
A 17-4 run midway through the first half by the #20th ranked Northwest Bearcats was too much for the Bulldog women to overcome on Wednesday night in Maryville. With Truman trailing by just one point, the Bearcats hit eight of their next 12 shots and forced five turnovers during the next five minutes of action to open up a 37-23 lead. During that stretch, the Bulldogs had eight less shot attempts than the Bearcats.
Kyla Roehrig paced for Northwest players in double figures with 23 points while Gabby Curtis added 17, Abby Henry 14 and Gentry Dietz 13. The Bearcats shot 53% for the game from the field.
Jennifer Conway recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Becka McHenry added 17 points. Truman did win the battle of the boards as the Bulldogs claimed nine more than the Bearcats (43-34) and for the season series dominated the glass against the bigger Northwest team 103-78.
Last Games (Missouri Western):
Missouri Western hosted the struggling and shorthanded Lincoln Blue Tigers on Wednesday night and held the visitors to just 13 second half points en route to a 66-34 thrashing. Jessica Koch scored 20 points while Lauren Nolke added 14 while Lincoln played just six players and was led by Vivian Essuon's 15 points and 19 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
A Look At the Playoff Picture:
The following is a breakdown of the four teams looking for the final three spots for the MIAA postseason tournament in Kansas City. All teams have four games left.
Truman (9-10 Record; 2 Road, 1 Home) are holding on to the eighth spot by virtue of their season-sweep over Fort Hays State (9-10). They are one game back of Missouri Western and Central Missouri whom they have a road victory over and will finish the season against at home. The Bulldogs lost to Missouri Western in Pershing Arena on Jan. 12th and a loss would give the Griffons the season-sweep if the teams are tied at the end of the regular season.
Missouri Western (10-9 Record; 1 Home, 2 Away) will play their final home game against Truman on Saturday and nearly secure their tournament bid with a win and season sweep over the Bulldogs. The Griffons will then close the regular season with road games at Central Missouri and at Southwest Baptist. Western lost to the Jennies at home, defeated the Bulldogs on the road and split with Fort Hays State.
Central Missouri (10-9 Record; 2 Home, 1 Road) gets a crack at conference leader Northwest Missouri at home on Saturday afternoon. The Jennies lost by only three to the Bearcats in Maryville earlier this season. The Jennies then host Missouri Western on Wednesday night, UCM won the first meeting and will finish up the season at Truman, a home loss to the Bulldogs back in January.
Fort Hays State (9-10 Record; 1 Home, 2 Away) is also playing their final home game of the season on Saturday as they host Missouri Southern (12-6). The Tigers lost to the Lions by two in overtime in Joplin on Jan. 10th. FHSU will then travel to Pittsburg State on Wednesday (an 11-point loss at home) and to Emporia State (a 10-point loss at home) to close the season.
Truman Upcoming Milestones:
- Amy Galey is one assist away from 100 for the season, she is 10 shy of breaking into the Truman single-season top 10 in assists.
- Galey is five assists away from cracking the career top-10 list in Bulldog history. She had 218 assists and trails Cathy Minor (1977-81) for 10th all-time.
- Breanna Daniels is three points shy of 900 for her career and 42 points away from matching her single-season high. Daniels scored 353 points last season in 27 games while this season only 26 regular season games will be played.
- Senior Malorie Kiecker is six points away from 500 for her career. She is the Bulldogs only four-year player on the roster.
About the Bulldogs:
Junior forward Breanna Daniels leads the Bulldogs with a 13.5 points per game mark. Daniels leads Truman in shots taken with 328 this season, three-pointers made and attempted with 43 out of 124 and shoots 80% from the foul line.
Daniels has the high point mark of the season for the Bulldogs with 26 in the second game of the season against Nova-Southeastern (Fla.). She has been in double-figures in scoring in 21 of the 23 games, 53 for her career and the team's scoring leader in 14.
Daniels was selected last week as a third-team Capital One Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Sophomore guard Becka McHenry third in shots taken with 194 this season and is averaging 8.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while starting 19 of 23 games. She is shooting 42% from the field and averages 25.4 minutes per game. McHenry scored a career-high 22 in the Bulldogs thrilling comeback against the University of Central Missouri on Jan. 19.
Senior guard Amy Galey is among the conference leaders in assists at 4.3 per game and has the team's best three-point shooting percentage but not enough attempts to qualify for any rankings. Galey has made 20-of-50 triples for a 40% mark while also pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game. She is third in the conference in minutes played per game at 34.5. Galey has been a staple in the Bulldog starting line-up as she has started all 50 games of her Bulldog career.
Sophomore Jennifer Conway is the team's leading rebounder at 6.0 per game and has 23 blocked shots. She set a career high with 14 rebounds against both Northwest and Nebraska-Omaha and set a new highmark in points scored with 17 twice in a week against Fort Hays and UNO. Since Dec. 29th, Conway has more than doubled her points per game average to 8.3 and is second in shots taken with 204.
Sophomore Megan Sharpe is tied for second on the team in offensive rebounds with 39 despite playing in five fewer games due to her being an two-time All-American for the Bulldog Volleyball program and missing two with an injury. Sharpe is shooting 52% from the field in 16.6 minutes per game and while making starts in seven games.
Senior Malorie Kiecker has made one start in 16 games this season. For her career, she has played in 85 games and has averaged 6.2 points per game. She is the only four-year player for the Bulldogs on the roster.
Sophomore Jenny Dorman has come off the bench in 19 games this season and knocked down 10 of her 25 three-point shots. Her season-high is eight points against Lincoln this season.
Senior Cassie Hunt averaged three points per game and nearly two rebounds before leaving a game on Jan. 8th against Northwest Missouri with an injury. Hunt was shooting 60% from the field in just over five minutes per game with a Truman career high of 12 points against Nova Southeastern (Fla.). She was a transfer from North Central Missouri College.
Bulldog Newcomers:
Freshman Nicole Gloor is second on the team in scoring at 9.9 points per game while shooting 51.6% from the field. Gloor has 12 double-digit games this season including a season-high 22 against Maryville University during non-conference play. Gloor leads the team in free throw attempts with 679trips to the line making 50 for a 72.5% mark.
Freshman Kayla Klopfenstein has appeared in 19 games this season and started three. She has scored a season-high six points in both the season opener against Barry University (Fla.) and against Lincoln University. Eight of her 10 made field goals have been from behind the arc.
Freshman Kaitlin Stump has played in 10 games this season for the Bulldogs and has just four points in 40 minutes. Stump logged a season-high nine minutes in a Bulldog non-conference victory over Maryville University and had a key five minute span as the Bulldogs railed for 13 down against Lincoln University on Jan. 15th.
Freshman Bianca Szafarowicz has appeared in all 23 games and averages just over 16 minutes per game while making 14 starts. Szarfarowicz tallied season highs in both points and rebounding against Southwest Baptist on Feb. 5th. She scored 12 points and had eight rebounds with three assists against the Bearcats. Szarfarowicz shoots 45.8% from the field.
Truman On The Road:
Truman is 5-6 overall on the road this season and has matched the highest win total since the 2000-01 season. The most road wins in a season is eight set on three different occasions (1978-79, 1990-91 and 1998-99. The Bulldogs matched a program best four-game road winning streak from Dec. 4 through Jan. 3 this season. The Bulldogs four conference road wins are the most since the 1999-00 season.
The Bulldogs are 4-5 in conference road games. Truman shoots 43.0% from the field while their opponents have shot 42%. Behind the arc, the Bulldogs have made just 29 three-pointers for a 28.7% average while the home team has made 53 triples. Breanna Daniels leads in road conference game scoring at 12.2/g while Becka McHenry is second at 10.9/g and Nicole Gloor is third at 10.7/g.
Bulldogs At Home:
The women are 4-5 in games played in Pershing Arena this season. Breanna Daniels leads the team with 14.0 points per game and Nicole Gloor adding 10.3 a contest. Jennifer Conway averages 6.6 rebounds a game and as a team, Truman is a plus 3.4 in rebounding margin.
Shooting, the Bulldogs shoot 37% from the field in home games and 35% beyond the arc.
Bulldog Tip-Ins:
- In conference only statistics, the Bulldogs are second in scoring defense (62.2), and in rebounding defense (34.4/g). They are third in offensive rebounds (13.6/g) and in three-point defensive (31.3%).
- The Bulldogs have the highest single-game field goal percentage so far this season. Truman shot 60.9% (28-of-26) against Southwest Baptist on Dec. 7th. Truman also registered the best three-point shooting by percentage that game with a five of eight performance for 62.5%.
- Truman has posted the most field goal attempts than any team in the MIAA in a single game with 87 against Northwest Missouri and also the most rebounds by a conference team this season with 60 against the Bearcats, 27 on the offensive end.
· Truman is averaging 62.3 points per game, last season the Bulldogs averaged 61.6.
· Other key stat comparisons from this year to last year include:
o FG% .407 from .403
o 3FG% .330 from .356
o FT% .704 from .779
· Breanna Daniels leads the team with 21, 10-point plus games this season and has 53 for her career. She is the active leading scorer with 897 points and has been the team's leading scorer in 14 of the 23 games.
· Eight different Bulldogs have been single-game leaders in rebounding with Jennifer Conway leading the way with nine games with the most boards.
· Three Bulldogs have recorded double-doubles this season with five coming from Jennifer Conway and one apiece from Amy Galey and Megan Sharpe. Galey's was the only one that was for 10 assists and not rebounds.
· The Bulldog bench has averaged nearly 21 points per game compared to the opposion's 14.1 per game. Eight points by the bench against Pitts State was a season low while the season high was 50 against Maryville and 33 against Missouri Southern in conference.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will close out the 2010-11 road season with a trip to the conference's newest member and closest road trip, Lincoln University on Wednesday night in Jefferson City. Truman defeated the Blue Tigers 59-51 in Kirksville on Jan. 15th and will be looking for a much-needed season sweep.
