WEEK 13: TRUMAN AT MISSOURI S&T, AT DRURY
	Truman Bulldogs 2018-19 Record: 10-10, 5-5 GLVC Coach: Jeff Horner, First season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Missouri S&T Miners 2018-19 Record: 3-14, 1-8 GLVC Coach: Jim Glash, 10th season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Drury Panthers 2018-19 Record: 10-10, 4-5 GLVC Coach: Steve Hesser, 15th season Roster | Schedule | Statistics
	Game Information When? January 31, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. February 2, 2019 | 3:00 p.m. Where? Rolla, Mo. | Gibson Arena Springfield, Mo. | O'Reilly Family Event Center Follow Along Missouri S&T - GLVCSN | 104.7 KRES (Brad & Hank) | Live Stats Drury - GLVCSN | 104.7 KRES (Brad & Hank) | Live Stats Twitter Truman Athletics | #BewareOfDog | Truman Men's Basketball GLVC Men's Basketball Standings | Statistics | News

Truman Game Notes (PDF)

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Looking to snap a five-game losing streak last week, the Truman State University men's basketball team put together its two most complete performances of the season. The Bulldogs rolled past Illinois Springfield by 25 on Thursday, 77-52, and made quick work of McKendree the following Saturday, 79-56. Prior to those two wins by a combined 48 points, Truman's six Division II wins had come by a combined 23 points.

In those two victories, three Bulldogs averaged at least 10 points per game including Brodric Thomas (19.5), Nathan Messer (13.5) and Taurin Hughes (11.0). As a team, the Purple and White shot 53.2 percent (58-of-109) from the field including 45.3 percent (24-for-53) from behind the arc. Truman also assisted on 36 of its 58 field goals (62 percent) with an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 2-to-1 (36-to-20).

Truman's reward for starting up another winning streak? Two games back on the road where it has gone just 3-6 as opposed to 7-4 inside the friendly confines of Pershing Arena. The Bulldogs have dropped four of their last five games away from Kirksville and that lone win came at Lewis, 75-66, and made them 3-0 in GLVC play prior to the five-game skid that started at Indianapolis.

Scouting Missouri S&T
Missouri S&T, the GLVC's last-place team, enters this matchup with an overall record of 3-14, which includes a league mark of 1-8. Since winning their first two games of the season, the Miners have dropped 14 of their last 15 with the one win being a three-point victory, 72-69, at McKendree on on Jan. 19. Missouri S&T gets over a third of its scoring from two players including junior guard, Jordan Newt, at 14 points per game, and fellow junior guard, CJ Hedgepeth, at 12.7 points per contest. However, Newt has played just eight of the team's 17 games, but not one since his last on Dec. 4 vs. Lincoln College. Redshirt senior guard, Juwan Miller, is tied for fifth on the team in PPG (RSR guard, Jalen Myers) with 8.6, but leads the Miners in rebounds per game with 5.1. Hedgepeth runs the offense with 3.3 assists per outing, which is tied for 12th in the GLVC.

Scouting Drury
Drury enters this week with an identical overall record to Truman's at 10-10. Also just like the Bulldogs, the Panthers have picked up seven of their 10 victories on their home court where they're 7-2. Away from the O'Reilly Family Event Center, Drury has gone just 3-8. With that being said, Drury has fought a bit of bad luck as nine of its 10 losses have come by six points or less. In fact, seven of those nine defeats were decided by just a single possession. The Panthers are also coming home from a four-game road trip and will play their next four contests in Springfield. Drury is led by sophomore guard, Conley Garrison (16.9 PPG and 5.0 APG), senior guard, Allen Billinger (12.2 PPG), and senior guard, Andrew Ballock (5.3 RPG).

Familiar Foe
The all-time series between Truman and Missouri S&T has seen 146 meetings of which the Bulldogs lead by 48, 97-49. More specifically, the Purple and White have won three in a row between the two teams and nine of the last 10. In those nine victories, Truman has dominated with the margin being an average of 17.6 points per game.
 
So We Meet Again
The series that matches up Truman and Drury hasn't seen nearly as many meetings, but has been much more competitive. The Panthers lead it by two, 10-8, but the Bulldogs have won six of the last 10 between the two teams. These two teams have played each other seven times since the beginning of the 2013-14 season with the Purple and White holding a one-game edge, 4-3. Three of those seven games have been decided by four points or less.
 
Just What the Doctor Ordered
Truman is second-to-last in the GLVC in scoring offense with 72.6 points per game, but Missouri S&T holds the same spot in scoring defense at 80.8 points per contest. This season, the Bulldogs have scored at least 80 points in a game just four times, but not once in 10 league games. The Purple and White might be on the brink though as they just reached 79 points against McKendree on Saturday.
 
That's More Like It
While Missouri S&T has struggled on the defensive end, Drury has excelled on that side of the ball. The Panthers are surrendering just 68.4 points per game and that mark is good for second in the GLVC. Offensively, Drury is just two spots ahead of Truman in points scored per game with 76.9. Saturday's meeting between Truman and Drury will most likely be decided on the defensive end.
 
Agent Zero
No. 0, Conley Garrison, is quickly becoming one of the best players in the GLVC and is doing so as just a sophomore. Among the best in the league, Garrison is third in assists per game (5.0), third in total assists (100), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (39.0), tied for fourth in three-pointers made per game (2.7), tied for fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2), tied for sixth in steals per game (1.5), seventh in points per game (16.9), and ninth in field goal percentage (50.4).
 
Efficiency is Key
While Drury is 11th out of 14 league teams in scoring offense, it is scoring those 76.9 points per game very efficiently. The Panthers are fourth in field goal percentage with a clip of 48.2 percent. Adding on to Drury's stellar defense, it is second in the conference in field goal percentage defense at 43.2 percent.
 
Up Next
Truman's league assigned day off will be on Thursday, February 7 before it will host rival Quincy the following Saturday beginning at 3 p.m.

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