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Truman State University Athletics

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Tim Barcus - University Photographer

Men's Basketball Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: vs. Missouri Western

Missouri Western (7-16, 2-15 MIAA)
@ TRUMAN (7-18, 4-13 MIAA)
 
Saturday, Feb. 18; 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/scoreboard.aspx

PDF Notes
 
Game Preview:
After going all 15 rounds in a double-OT loss to MIAA-leading Northwest Missouri State on Wednesday night, the Truman men's basketball team continues on its trek for an MIAA tournament spot with a critical home game on Saturday (Feb. 18) afternoon at 1:00 pm against Missouri Western.
 
The Bulldogs (7-18, 4-13 MIAA) sit in a three-way tie for eighth with three games to go with the opportunity to deliver a knockout punch to the Griffons (7-16, 2-15 MIAA), who need to win out to remain alive.
 
Truman defeated Missouri Western 87-86 in overtime on Jan. 11 in St. Joseph, getting 18 points from freshman Seth Jackson, a 14-point, 11-rebound outing from sophomore Marek Bush and 13 points out of Wednesday night's star Tom Norton. Norton set a new career-high and hit eight triples in scoring 34 points.
 
The Bulldogs and Griffons will meet for the 62nd time in the all-time series on Saturday, with Missouri Western holding a 37-24 lead. Truman has won the last two meetings overall but has dropped each of the last two played in Pershing Arena.
 
TSU, et al, Fighting for Kansas City:
The race to Kansas City couldn't be tighter with three games to go, as Truman, Lincoln and Emporia State all sit tied for the final spot at 4-13 in league play. Missouri Western, two games back, is on life support, needing three wins to get into potential tiebreakers for a right to play in the MIAA tournament.
 
Saturday will be key for all four teams, as Truman hosts MWSU while ESU travels to LU, meaning that at least one of the three currently tied teams will be at the five-win mark following Saturday's play.
 
A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Junior Tom Norton is the Truman offensive leader, averaging 12.3 points per game with four 20+ point games. He has mad 65 three-pointers at a 38% clip and is 82% (65-for-79) from the free throw line.
·       Freshman Seth Jackson ranks second on the squad at 11.4 ppg and is the team leader in MIAA-only games at 11.6/game. He is fourth on the team in rebounding at 4.0/game and has taken 135 free throws. He has three 20+ point games and has led the team in scoring eight times this year.
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 64 triples, including a 10 three-pointer effort against HLG on Feb. 13 to set a program single-game record. He is averaging 9.6 ppg on the season.
·       Sophomore Mike Carlson is averaging 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He has started 22 of 25 games and leads the squad with 22 blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 8.7 ppg and is the team's assist leader (74). He became the first Bulldog since 2007 to hand out 11 assists in a game (HLG; 2/13/12).
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.5 points per game. He is third on the squad with 22 triples.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has started the last nine games and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (42). He leads the team in rebounds at 4.8 per game.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has played in all but one game and is averaging 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in 16 games, averaging 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. He is shooting 61% from the floor.
 
Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 7-18 (4-13 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 41.7% from the field as a team, including a 36.1% mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line nearly 23 times per game but are connecting at just a 65.5% mark on the year.
·       Truman now possesses three of the MIAA's four best single-game three-point shooting performances by an individual, with Gardner's 10 (vs. HLG) and Norton's two different eight triple performances (MSSU; NWMSU) sitting atop the conference list.
·       Against HLG on Feb. 13, EJ Hicks handed out 11 assists, the most since Banks Estridge in 2007. Ethan Freeman was the last Bulldog to reach double-figure assists in a game (Jan. 8, 2011).
·       Against ESU on Jan. 28, the Bulldogs hit 34 free throws (5th most in school history; most since 1/18/88 vs. QU; 36) and took 48 attempts (4th most in school history; most since 2/22/97 vs. Lincoln; 49).
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, led by Jackson's team-high eight times.
·       Truman has had 11 20-point scoring outings this season. Tom Norton and Seth Jackson are the only players to surpass 20 points in a game at least three times.
 
Career Check:
·       Tom Norton has hit 194 career three-pointers, putting him 5th all-time. He trails Austin Kirby for 4th all-time by 13 (199; 2003-07).
·       Norton's career FT percentage of .855 is currently the program-best, leading both Scott Matthews (1993-94) and Mike Peterson (1987-89) who are currently at the top (.848).
·       Vesko Filchev's 78 career blocks puts him 4th all-time at Truman, trailing Nick Certa (2004-08; 82) for third.
 
Scouting the Griffons:
Missouri Western comes to Pershing Arena on Saturday afternoon looking to keep its season alive following a 79-67 setback at Lincoln on Wednesday night. The Griffons have won just two games (2-14) since the end of November after starting the season 4-0.
 
MWSU's scoring differential is not reflective of the team's struggles this season, as the Griffons are only being outscored on average by less than three points per game. Like Truman, however, the Griffs have had troubles at the free throw line, connecting at just a 61% clip.
 
Three players are averaging nearly the exact same scoring line, with Lavonte Douglas (12.7), James Harris (12.6) and TJ Johnson (12.5) all pacing the squad offensively.
 
Tom Smith is in his 24th season at MWSU, having compiled a 436-261 record in St. Joseph. He is in his 37th season coaching overall.
 
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will host Lincoln in another key MIAA contest next Wednesday (Feb. 22) night in the home finale for the 2012 regular season. Truman will honor its lone senior – Vesko Filchev – prior to the 7:30 pm tipoff against the Blue Tigers.
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