Bulldogs Face Stern Test Before Finals

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – One of the more intriguing non-conference games on the Truman schedule is on tap Wednesday night at the 8-1 Bulldogs host the 8-1 Columbia College Cougars at 5:30 p.m. in Pershing Arena.

The Bulldogs are still among those receiving votes in this week's WBCA Division II Coaches' poll. Drury, ranked eighth and Lewis, ranked 24^thare the other GLVC representatives in the weekly survey.

Truman has had six different players lead them in scoring through the first nine games. Katie Jaseckas has been the leading scorer in five games, Brooke Bailey for two and one apiece for Allison Thomas, Sloane Totta and Rachel Edmundson.

Edmundson's 20 points last Thursday against Rockhurst got Truman off on the right foot to start conference play. Edmundson blistered the nets six times from distance in the Bulldogs 73-56 triumph over the Hawks.

Saturday was a defensive battle with William Jewell and Truman found themselves down four with 3:03 to play. Edmundson made her second three of the day then converted on a pair of free throws to put Truman up by one at the 1:16 mark. The Cardinals made one of two free throws to tie the game and with the clock winding down, Mackenzie Bray popped open for a three-point attempt but was fouled. She made only one of three with three seconds left and Truman survived a late shot attempt to down William Jewell 60-59.

Truman has started the season 8-1 only two other times in their history. The first was in the 1998-99 season and last time was in the 2007-08 campaign.

The Cougars were ranked fourth in the preseason Division I NAIA poll and have sprinted out to their 8-1 record. Columbia College is an NAIA powerhouse with 20 or more wins for 10 straight years including last seasons' 28-6 record. This will not count toward their overall record as it is an exhibition games for the Cougars.

Columbia suffered their first loss of the season last Thursday in nearby Fulton by falling to William Woods (Mo.) 74-65 in overtime. They bounced back with a 67-53 win over Lindenwood-Belleville on Saturday.

The Cougars last game against a NCAA Division II opponent was two seasons ago when they travelled to Springfield and faced the Drury Lady Panthers. Drury held on for a 70-66 win after Columbia got it to one point with just over a minute to play.

Eagan Nearing 100:
Head Coach Amy Eagan is four wins away from reaching 100 wins at Truman. That total would tie Mary Jo Murray for the most by a Bulldog head coach. Murray led the Bulldogs from 1976-1983.

Eagan has the best winning percentage of any Truman women's coach at .635. Eagan's overall collegiate coaching record is 172-135 with stops at St. Ambrose (Iowa) and Ashford (Iowa).

In non-conference games under Eagan, Truman is 37-18, 16-5 at home and 11-0 against NAIA opponents.

Bulldog Bites:

Truman is averaging 70.8 points per game with a high of 84 against Missouri Western and a low of 59, twice.
The Bulldogs largest margin of win this season is 17 points over Missouri Western and has won by double-figures in four of the six wins.
Truman has won the glass in all but two games this year and have a rebounding margin of +4.7. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle in 18 games last season and won 11 of those games.
Ten players have played in all nine games and all have averaged near or over 10 minutes per game.
Rachel Edmundson has the single-game high in points this year with 20 coming against Rockhurst in the GLVC opener. She made six of eight three-pointers that game for her fourth career 20+ night and has 32 double-figure scoring dates. She is the active leader in points scored with 718.
Sloane Totta eclipsed the quarter record for points in the game against Lindenwood. Totta scored 16 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter to break Courtney Strait's mark of 14 in the fourth quarter against Illinois Springfield in 2016.
Maddie Re has both double-doubles this season and has pulled down 8.4 rebounds per game, good for fifth among all GLVC rebounders.
The Bulldogs have won two games this year when entering the fourth quarter trailing. Since the quarter system started in 2014-15, Truman is 5-30 when trailing entering the fourth quarter. When leading entering the fourth, Truman is 53-6.
Brooke Bailey has cracked the Truman top 10 in three-pointers made with 104 and is ninth overall. Amy Briggs is eighth at 133 and Allie Norton is the career three-point leader at Truman with 277.
In conference statistics, Truman is seventh in scoring offense (70.8), seventh in scoring defense (62.2), fourth in free throw percentage (.750) and fourth in defensive field goal percentage (.379).

About Columbia College:

The Cougars are off to an 8-1 start as this will also be an exhibition game for the NAIA team. Their only loss came to William Woods (Mo.) in overtime 74-65. Last year, the Cougars were 28-6 and won the American Midwest Conference tournament championship. They were defeated at the NAIA National Tournament by Benedictine (Kan.) 68-59.

The Cougars have won 20 or more games for 10 straight seasons and over 25 wins in eight of those 10 including the last three years.

Two seniors and two juniors average in double-figures for the Cougars this season. Senior Morgan Brandt is averaging 11.9 points per game and is the leading rebounder at 8.8 per night.

Senior Ashlee Marlatt has made 14 three-pointers and scores at an 11.6 points per game clip. Jordan Alford has connected 17 times from distance and is a transfer from the University of Missouri. Alford averages 11.1 points. Mai Nienhueser averages 10.5 and scored 25 points in their overtime loss to William Woods last week.

Brief History With The Cougars:
The two teams, separated by 80 miles of U.S. 63 have only played twice on the hardwood and both occurred in a 16-day span in 1978. The Bulldogs won both games convincingly 93-46 in Kirksville and 116-52 in Columbia. The 116 points is the second most by a Bulldog team in a game trailing the 120 put up in 1989 over Central Methodist.

Around the GLVC:
Truman and Drury are the only GLVC teams with eight wins this season. Southern Indiana has seven and Lewis with six and each has one loss. Drury is the only undefeated team in the league. After the first weekend of conference games, Truman and McKendree are 2-0 while Drury, Southern Indiana and Lewis are 1-0.

Lewis' Jessica Kelliher leads the league in scoring at 23.1 points per game and is first in rebounding at 10.3 boards per game. Hailey Diestelkamp is second in scoring at 19.1 and third in rebounding (8.9/g).

Paige Robinson, a freshman guard for Drury, was the GLVC Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points in two wins against Rogers (Okla.) State and Missouri S&T.

Truman Individual Conference Rankings:
Scoring: Katie Jaseckas (11.0/26^th); Brooke Bailey (10.9/27^th)
Rebounding: Maddie Re (8.4/6^th); Katie Jaseckas (5.7/18^th)
Field Goal Percentage: Katie Jaseckas (.565/7^th)
Assists: Brooke Bailey (3.44/11^th); Sloane Totta (3.00/13^th)
Free Throw Percentage: Allison Thomas (.892/2^nd)
3-Point FG Made: Rachel Edmundson (1.89/13^th)
Blocked Shots: Katie Jaseckas (9/T8^th)
Assist/Turnover Ratio: Sloane Totta (1.42/8^th); Brooke Bailey (1.24/13^th)
Offensive Rebounds: Maddie Re (2.56/8^th); Katie Jasekcas (2.44/9^th)
Defensive Rebounds: Maddie Re (5.89/5^th)

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will go dark next week for finals on campus but then hop on a plane and head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the Cruzin Classic on December 17 and 18. Truman will square off against Palm Beach Atlantic (1-4) and Barry (2-5) on consecutive days before returning home for the holiday break.

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