Truman Game Notes (PDF)
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Following a quick two-game road trip, the Truman State University men's basketball team is back home for the fifth time in seven games, this time to face rival Quincy on Saturday with the tip set for 3 p.m. inside Pershing Arena. The Bulldogs and Hawks have yet to face off this season, but will see each other twice in the next two weeks, both of which will come on a Saturday.
The Purple and White are coming off a bye on Thursday and will have another on Thursday, Feb. 21. Because of that, Truman will play its final six games of the regular season in a three-week span to allow for a little more rest in anticipation of the GLVC Tournament starting the first week of March.
Taking a look at the GLVC Point Rating System, Truman is currently tied with Illinois Springfield for seventh with a rating of 3.29. Quincy has had a down year and is currently second-to-last in the standings with a rating of 2.46. The top eight teams will qualify for the league tournament and four of the Bulldogs' final six games will be against teams that aren't currently among the top eight for the Point Rating System.
Scouting Quincy
One game separates Truman and Quincy in the all-time series as the Hawks have the lead, 61-60. The two rivals met just once last season and it was in Quincy where Truman took care of business, 86-72. The Bulldogs led by as many as 25 in that game when they were ahead, 42-17, near the end of the first half. Even though the series is decided by just one game right now, the Purple and White have dominated as of late by taking nine of the last 11 matchups.
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In year No. 2 under Ryan Hellenthal, former one-year assistant to Marty Bell, Quincy is 9-13 overall and 3-9 in GLVC play, but just 2-7 in games away from home. The Hawks have done pretty well at home where they're above the .500 mark at 7-6. The same can be said for the Bulldogs as they're 7-4 at home, but 4-7 when not playing inside Pershing Arena. With that being said Quincy is coming off a road win at Missouri S&T last Saturday, 71-67. That victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Hawks.
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Quincy features five players averaging at least 10 points per game, only three of which are regulars including Demetrius Houston (13.1 PPG), Marcus Hinton (12.5) and Jah-Kobe Womack (11.9). The other two are Austin Downing (11.2) with just five games played and Aziz Fadika (11.0) with just one appearance. The scoring amongst those first three is pretty evenly distributed with 288, 249 and 262 total points, respectively. Hinton leads the way in rebounds per game (6.9) while Ryan Briscoe is on top of assists per game (3.1).
Previously Unbeaten
Until Saturday's loss at Drury, Truman was undefeated when shooting for a better percentage than its opponent. The Bulldogs were 9-0 in such games before out-shooting the Panthers 46.8 percent to 42.3 percent in a six-point loss, 65-59. That game also marked the fourth time in which the Purple and White were held to just 59 points or less and they're now 0-4 in such games. The Bulldogs will look to get the offense going on Saturday as they're last in the GLVC in points per game with 71.9.
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Familiar Environment
Quincy and Truman are meeting for the first time this season, but the Hawks have already played two games inside Pershing Arena this season. Quincy came to Kirksville for the GLVC/G-MAC Challenge back on Nov. 9-10 when it faced Cedarville that Friday and Findlay the following Saturday. The Hawks defeated the Yellowjackets, 69-53, before falling to the Oilers, 91-86.
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Home Sweet Home
As mentioned above, Truman has had much more success inside the friendly confines of Pershing Arena. There, the Bulldogs are three games above .500 at 7-4, but have gone just 4-7 away from Kirksville. After losing their first two at home, the Purple and White have won seven of their last nine when sleeping in their own beds.
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Hinton the Glass
Redshirt-senior forward, Marcus Hinton, is one of the best rebounders in the GLVC. Hinton is sixth in the league in rebounds per game with 6.7 with three games of at least 10 rebounds this season. The Florissant, Mo. native also tallied double-doubles for all three of those outings including 16 points-11 rebounds on Nov. 24 (Harris-Stowe), 21 points-11 rebounds his next game on Nov. 29 (William Jewell) and 18 points-12 rebounds on Jan. 17 (Maryville).
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Up Next
Truman will play its final three road games of the regular season including William Jewell on Feb. 14 (won first time at home), Rockhurst on Feb. 16 (won first time at home) and these Quincy Hawks on Feb. 23.
#BewareOfDog
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