Men's Basketball 1/19/2012 1:01:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: vs. #16 Missouri Southern

#16 Missouri Southern (15-3, 7-3 MIAA) @ TRUMAN (5-12, 3-7 MIAA)

Saturday, Jan. 21; 3:00 pm
Pershing Arena; Kirksville, Mo.

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.sidearmstats.com/truman/mbball/index.htm

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
The Truman men's basketball team will play its first Saturday afternoon home game in seven weeks this weekend as it hosts 16^th-ranked Missouri Southern in Pershing Arena at 3:00 pm.

The Bulldogs (5-12, 3-7 MIAA) haven't been home on a Saturday since a Dec. 3 66-57 victory against Pittsburg State but are in the midst of a stretch with four out of five games at home. Despite a game-high 22 points from freshman Seth Jackson, Truman dropped a 78-73 decision to Central Missouri on Wednesday night to fall into a tie for ninth-place in the MIAA at 3-7.

The nationally-ranked Lions come in having won three straight to move into a four-way tie for the MIAA lead at 7-3. Most recently, MSSU picked up an 84-76 home win against Northwest Missouri on Wednesday night behind 31 points from Jason Adams.

Saturday afternoon will mark the 44^th all-time meting between the two schools, with MSSU holding a 26-17 lead. The Lions hold an 11-10 lead in games played in Kirksville and have won nine straight overall. Truman's last win in the series came on Jan. 27, 2007 in a 76-68 home win behind 21 points from Nick Certa, 19 points from Banks Estridge and 13 points from Austin Kirby.

Three to Watch:
1.     Avoiding the Big Runs. Truman fell victim to a pair of first-half Lion runs that equaled 24-0 last time the teams met, giving the host squad a 29-point halftime lead.
2.     Doing Work at the Free Throw Line. The Bulldogs have had four of their seven MIAA losses come by five or fewer points. Their free throw percentage in those games: 64.6% (51-for-79).
3.     Minimizing the Turnovers. The Bulldogs have been taking care of the basketball very well the past five games, averaging just 10.8 giveaways per contest. Earlier this season, Truman turned it over 25 times at MSSU leading to 34 Lion points.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 12.3 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer both overall and in MIAA (13.9) games. He is also the team's second-leading rebounder at 4.6/game (5.7 in MIAA-only) and is 52-for-71 (73%) from the line with three 20+-point games.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He has started all 17 games and leads the squad with 13 blocks.
·       Junior Tom Norton ranks third on the squad at 10.5 points per game as one of three players in double-figures. He has made 37 triples this season and is 38-for-47 (81%) from the free throw line.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 9.7 ppg and is the team's assist leader (43).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 36 triples and is averaging 7.8 points per game.
·       Freshman Patrick Burmester has started 13 of 17 games and is averaging 4.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg. He also has 11 blocks and is shooting 51% from the floor.
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. He is fourth on the squad with 13 triples.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has played in all but one game and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (28). He logged career-highs in points (14) and rebounds (11) at MWSU on Jan. 11.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in nine games overall and in each of the past six, averaging 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in ten minutes per game. He is shooting 62% from the floor.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has earned five starts this season and is averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He has averaged more than one point and rebound more per game in MIAA play.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 5-12 (3-7 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 42.9% from the field as a team, including a 34.0% (112-for-329) mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line more than 21 times per game, for a total of 13 additional attempts than their opponents on the year. Truman is connecting at a 67.1% (245-for-365) mark on the year.
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, led by Jackson's team-high seven times.
·       Truman has had seven 20-point scoring outings this season, led by Tom Norton's 27 at Grand View and Seth Jackson's 25 against Central Christian. Jackson is the only player this year to top 20 points in a game twice and has done it three times.
·       Of 85 total starts in the 17 games this season, 52 (61%) have been made by freshmen and 63 (74%) have been made by newcomers overall (Hicks + freshmen).

Scouting the Lions:
Missouri Southern (15-3, 7-3 MIAA) appear to be once again hitting their stride after following up a 9-0 start that saw the team vault to No. 1 in the national polls with a 4-3 stretch throughout December. Since then, however, the team has won three straight, including most recently MIAA wins at Fort Hays State and against Northwest Missouri.

While a perfect 12-0 in combined home and neutral-site games, the Lions are just 3-3 on the road this season. All-conference returners Keane Thomann (20.9 ppg) and Jason Adams (19.6 ppg) lead a Southern squad that is shooting 52% on the year en route to 84.2 points per game.

Earlier this season, MSSU used a pair of runs totaling 24-0 during the first half to open up a 50-21 halftime lead against Truman before winning 89-43 in Joplin. Thomann led all player with 31 points in just 22 minutes, while Adams finished with 10 points and 10 assists. Seth Jackson was the top Bulldog finisher with 11 points.

Robert Corn is in his 23^rd season at the helm of the MSSU program.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs head to Pittsburg State looking for a season sweep next Wednesday (Jan. 25) night. Truman downed the Gorillas (now 10-7 overall, 6-4 MIAA) 66-57 on Dec. 3 in Kirksville.

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