Bulldog Men Notch Conference-Opening Victory

Box Score || Season Stats

Site: St. Joseph, Mo. (MWSU Fieldhouse)
Score: Truman 71, Missouri Western 69
Records: Truman (3-3, 1-0 MIAA), Missouri Western (4-3, 0-1 MIAA)
Next Truman Event: Saturday, Dec. 8 - - vs. Missouri Southern (Kirksville, Mo.), 3:00 pm

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - - Four Truman men's basketball players scored in double-figures, as a complete team effort sent the Bulldogs to 1-0 in the MIAA after a 71-69 conference-opening road win at Missouri Western on Wednesday night at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Mike Carlson (Superior, Wis., Marshall) led all players with 19 points, while Isaac Gardner (Washington, Iowa, Washington) and Tom Norton (Bloomington, Ill., Central Catholic) combined for six triples and 23 total points off the bench to even Truman's record at 3-3 overall on the season. Cory Myers (Ankeny, Iowa, Ankeny) finished with 10 points and a team-high six assists, with Cole Myers (Ankeny, Iowa, Ankeny) drilling a clutch three-pointer with just 26 seconds to play en route to nine points on the evening.

The back-and-forth contest featured nine ties and six lead changes as the Bulldogs carried a 36-34 lead into the intermission. Truman would lead 43-38 with 17:06 to play before the Griffons (4-3, 0-1 MIAA) started their charge, rattling off a 14-2 run to build a 52-45 lead with 12:06 remaining.

The Griffon lead would hold at six for the next two minutes before a critical turning point in the contest, as the Western bench was whistled for a technical foul at the 10:08 mark. Norton, who was playing in his first game of the season after missing the first five contests due to injury, calmly hit the two free throws, then drained a 23-footer to complete a five-point trip and cut the Griffon lead to just one at 54-53 with 9:51 on the clock.

From there, Carlson took the reins by scoring 11 of the squad's next 12 points and helping Truman piece together a 65-62 lead with 4:30 to go. Only one basket would be scored in the next four minutes as the two teams relied heavily on their defenses, but with the Griffons sitting within one at 65-64, Cole Myers buried the biggest shot of the night – a triple with 26 seconds on the clock – to push the Bulldog lead to four at 68-64.

A quick Griffon jumper would make it 68-66 with 18 seconds to play, but Gardner hit two free throws, and the Bulldog defense forced the 15^th Griffon turnover of the night on the next possession to effectively seal the game. Cory Myers would hit one of two free throws before a Western three at the buzzer, but it wasn't enough as Truman picked up the 71-69 victory.

The win marked the first time Truman has been 1-0 in league play in six seasons, as the Bulldogs pummeled the Griffon zone defense to the tune of 37 three-point attempts out of 56 total field goal attempts from the floor. Truman would hit a dozen long-range shots on the night, ending the evening having shot 38% overall and 32% from distance, with a 17-for-24 mark (71%) from the charity stripe.

Carlson's 19 points and nine rebounds came with three assists and two blocks in 33 minutes. Four different Bulldogs hit three triples each, with Carlson, Norton, Gardner and Cole Myers all connecting from outside. The Bulldogs got out-rebounded by five but stepped up the perimeter defense by holding Western to just 6-of-24 shooting from three-point range. Truman also snapped a six-game road losing streak, dating back to last season's 88-87 overtime win at Missouri Western on Jan. 11, 2012.

The Bulldogs return to Pershing Arena this Saturday (Dec. 8) afternoon at 3:00 pm to host Missouri Southern. The Lions will visit Kirksville with an overall record of 5-3 and will open MIAA play on Saturday after having the mid-week off from MIAA action.

***
Want to stay up-to-date with what's going on with the Bulldogs? Follow @TrumanAthletics on Twitter, become a fan of Truman Athletics on Facebook, subscribe to your favorite team's newsletters/releases, and receive text alerts of scores and big news to interact with all of Truman's 20 athletic programs. For more information, visit our website – TrumanBulldogs.com

Print Friendly Version