Women's Basketball 3/13/2019 10:00:00 AM

NOTES: Truman Faces #10 Grand Valley State In NCAA Opener

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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Showtime! The Truman Women's Basketball team will raise the curtain on the 2019 NCAA Division II Tournament with a noon game on Friday against #3-seed Grand Valley State.

Truman enters their fourth NCAA Tournament as the number six seed and has eclipsed the school record with 23 wins. The Lakers were the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference top seed and South Division Champions at 27-3 overall and 19-1 in the league.

The Bulldogs advanced to their first Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament semifinal since 2014 with a rally of epic proportions in defeating Maryville on Friday night in overtime 88-82. Sloane Totta scored a career-high 29 points as the Bulldogs rallied from down 16 in the first minute of the fourth quarter to overtake the Saints. After Maryville went up 70-54 with 8:58 to play in regulation, Truman went on a 16-0 run and outpaced Maryville 34-12.

The win set up Truman in the conference semifinals with top seed, undefeated and nationally-ranked number one Drury. The Lady Panthers went on the attack early and forced six turnovers in the first six minutes and jumped out to a 14-3 lead that the Bulldogs could not recover from. Drury kept the pedal down throughout the game as 14 would be the closest Truman would get in the second half. Makenzie Bray led Truman with a career-high 22 points.

Drury went on to throttle #6 Bellarmine in the finals 94-48 and earned the league's automatic qualifier into this tournament.

Grand Valley State rolled through the regular season with only two losses. They fell to Lewis in Romeoville 74-66 on November 16 and in conference to Northern Michigan on the road 56-43. In the conference tournament, they opened with a 73-50 home win over Wayne State but were upset on their court by Northern Michigan again 47-38 in the semifinals. All five starters for the Lakes played over 30 minutes but shot just 32% for the game and 18% from three in the loss.

The Bulldogs and Lakers have some recent history with one another. They've only met up three times but all three have come since 2013. The Lakers won the first two games 81-68 (in Nashville, Tenn.) and 77-61 in 2015 (in Quincy, Ill.). The Bulldogs won 74-69 in their most recent hook-up in 2016 in Allendale, Michigan. Truman led wire-to-wire against the then defensing regional and NCAA Final Four Lakers. Sloane Totta scored a game-high 16 points in just her second career game. Totta made four three-pointers.

About the Bulldogs:
Truman placed four players on the all-conference team that was released last week with Totta earning a first team all-GLVC nod. Totta leads the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game, first in steals with 32, second in assists with 87 and third in three-pointers made with 41. Totta is also the top free throw shooter at 83%.

Rachel Edmundson and Brooke Bailey were both named to the second team. Edmundson is the top three-point maker on the team with 70, which just cracked into the Truman single-season top 10. The record for threes in a season is 80 set by Amy Briggs on the 2013-14 tournament team. Edmundson averages 10.8 points, 37% from three and 81% at the line.

Bailey is the assist leader at 100 this year and is also averaging 10.8 points per game. She has knocked down 48 triples (36%) and has 30 steals.

Maddie Re was named to the all-Freshman GLVC team after making six starts and coming off the bench in the remaining 24 games. Re averages 6.7 points and is the top rebounder at 7.1 boards per night.

Truman won 11 of their first 12 games with the only setback coming against Lindenwood 94-83 in Springfield, Missouri as part of the Drury Thanksgiving Classic. After a loss at Lewis on January 3, Truman won seven of their next eight to have a program best 18-3 mark.

About the Lakers:
Grand Valley is a tournament-tested team having appeared in the regional the past three years and winning it in 2016. That season they defeated Lewis, Saginaw Valley and Drury to get to the Elite Eight and won the national quarterfinals 59-56 over Pittsburg State. They lost 67-47 to Alaska Anchorage in the Final Four.

The past two years, the Lakers have dispatched their first round opponents but couldn't get past Ashland in the semis. In 2017, the Lakers defeated Ursuline and in 2018 defeated Michigan Tech.

The Lakers feature the GLIAC Player of the Year in junior Cassidy Boensch and had six players named to all-GLIAC teams. Boensch averaged 20 points, 11.9 rebounds and had 94 blocked shots in 30 games this season. Jenn DeBoer joined Boensch on the first team and was second in scoring at 14.1 points and led the team in threes with 54. Natalie Koenig and Maddie Dailey were both second team nods and Dailey and Boensch joined Victoria Hedemark on the all-Defensive team.

The common opponents between the two teams have GVSU playing and winning over Maryville (74-50/Nov. 9), Missouri-St. Louis (87-44/Nov. 10) and Indianapolis (80-71-ot/Nov. 18). They lost to Lewis 74-66.

NCAA Tournament History:
This is the fourth tournament Truman will be making an appearance in. They first hosted a game in 1982 when Chapman (Calif.) downed the Bulldogs 49-46. The Bulldogs would also play in the AIAW Tournament that postseason. The 1998-99 team advanced to the regional finals before bowing out against Emporia State and the 2013-14 team earned the automatic qualifier and was the eighth seed and pushed Drury to the brink before falling in overtime 74-68.

Ashland is the two-time defending regional champions and won the national championship in 2017 and were runners-up last season.

Drury is making its 16^thnational tournament appearance in 19 years as a program and sixth straight.

Lewis enters its seventh straight regional tournament.

Northern Michigan is like Truman and returns for the first time since the 2014 tournament held in Springfield. That season, the Wildcats were the #4 seed.

Walsh earned the program's first NCAA tournament berth by winning the automatic qualifier from the Great Midwest Conference (G-MAC).

Kentucky Wesleyan returns for the first time as a member of the G-MAC after last making the regional as a member of the GLVC in 2012-13. Also like the Bulldogs, the Panthers have posted a school record in wins in a season with 24.

WBCA Poll
Drury remains atop the latest WBCA Division II Coaches Poll with Ashland ranked at number four, Grand Valley State is tied for 10 and Lewis at number 20. They are the only regional teams mentioned in the survey. Truman had received votes starting on the November 27 poll date and got enough votes to crack the top 25 in two polls.

The 11 weeks mentioned this season tied the 2012-13 season for most weeks in a season receiving votes.

Truman has been ranked inside the top 25 in five weekly polls since 2004, peaking at 19 on February 5, 2013. However, the team is 3-6 in games played following a top 25 national ranking.

Individual Notes:

Brooke Bailey, named second team all-GLVC, is third in scoring at Truman this season at 10.8 points per game. She has played in 114 games and has started the last 38. She is in a race with Rachel Edmundson on the career three-point chart at Truman. Bailey has 138 career treys while Edmundson has 150. . She is seventh on the three-point attempts list with 407 and is closing in on Angie Gum (412) and Bre Daniels (417) on the charts. Bailey is the active leader in career assists with 233 and has 102 career steals has jumped over 800 career points (844).

Sloane Totta, named first team all-GLVC, leads the Bulldogs in scoring this year at 11.6 points per game and has averaged 12.1 points in conference games. She has played and started in all 84 games through the first three years of her Truman career and has been in double-figures 18 times this season with a season/career high of 29 against Maryville last Friday night. Totta had scored in double figures in seven straight until being held to four points against Drury in the semifinals.

Rachel Edmundson, named second team all-GLVC, is the three-point leader this season with 70 triples and a 10.8 points per game average. She enters the top ten in three-pointers in a single season and will tie for eighth with Allie Norton with just one more. The record is 80 held by Amy Briggs during the 2013-14 campaign. She was fifth in conference-only three-point percentage at 40.8%. Edmundson has made at least one three-pointer in her last 20 outings. She has entered in 113 career games, making 77 starts and all 30 this season. She has the most career double-figure games than any active Bulldog with 44 and has been the leading scorer in 10 games this season. She enters the tournament with 958 career points.

Katie Jaseckas was the 2018 GLVC Freshman of the Year and is averaging 9.1 points during her sophomore season. She had a season-high 19 points in a win over Missouri S&T back on January 31 and leads the team in blocked shots with 24. Jaseckas went over 500 career points (561) and pulled down over 300 rebounds (382) in 55 career games at Truman. She has started 26 of the 29 this season. She has nine career double-doubles and has led the Bulldogs in scoring in eight games this season.

Makenzie Bray has started the last 16 games for the Bulldogs and is averaging 7.0 points per game and 4.4 rebounds. She has been in double-figure scoring nine times this season with a high mark of 22 against Drury on Saturday night. She has averaged 20.0 minutes in her 18 GLVC games this season and is averaging 4.8 rebounds per conference contest.

Maddie Re, named to the GLVC All-Freshman team, has been among the conference leaders in rebounding at 7.1 per game and is Truman's leader in boards this season. Re has nine games with 10 or more rebounds with a high of 16 coming earlier this year against Kentucky Wesleyan. She has the honor of most double-doubles on the squad with six. She has played in all 30 games at 19.8 minutes per game and started six games.

Allison Thomas is shooting over 50% from the field (53.1%) and a leader at the free throw line (82.7%). The freshman has started four games and came off the bench in the other 26 at 14.1 minutes per contest. She has been in double-figures in eight games this season with a high of 14 against Wayne State (Neb.). Thomas is second on the team in blocks with 21.

Rachel Steinhoff will become the career leader in games played when she takes the court on Friday with 116. Steinhoff is coming off her first double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 against Drury and has 211 assists and 616 career points. She passes teammate Courtney Strait atop the career games chart. Steinhoff is Truman's nominee for the Spaulding Sportsmanship Award.

Tiffany Davenport started the first seven games this season and has played in all 30 to the tune of 17.5 minutes per game. She has been among the team leader in steals with 17 and has 43 for her 56 game career. Daveport has made 10-of-24 three-point attempts in conference games this season (41.7%) and 90% of her free throws (9-of-10).

Mackenzie Jerks has played in 29 games this season. She had a career-high 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from outside in the Bulldogs 19-point win over Quincy on Feb. 9. She is 8-of-18 (44.4%) from distance in conference games this season.

Maya Mouton has played in 24 games with a 1.5 points per game average this season. Katey Klucking has appeared in 25 games with a 1.9 ppg mark. Klucking hit the tying three in the final minute in Truman's comeback against Maryville on Friday night and played a season-high 21 minutes in the game. Taylor Koper has seen action in 10 games, six in conference.

Bulldog Bites:

The Bulldogs are averaging 72.8 points this season offensively, which ranked fifth overall in the GLVC. In league games, the average dips to 71.7 points but is ranked fifth as well.
That scoring mark is currently the highest in five seasons for Truman. Last year, the Bulldogs averaged 66.6 points per game.
Truman has won 14 games this season by 10 points or more and are 3-0 in games decided by one possession.
The Bulldogs have had 55 quarters this season in which they have scored 20 or more points, the most points in a quarter was 32 against Barry in the third. Last year, Truman scored 20 points in a quarter 29 times.
Eight players have played in all 30 games and Truman has used three different starting lineups. The lineup of Edmundson, Bailey, Totta, Jaseckas and Makenzie Bray has started the most games at 15.
Head Coach Amy Eagan is the all-time leader in Truman coaching wins with 111 in her six years on the Bulldog bench. The Bulldog All-American in 1999 is 111-61 at Truman and 187-141 in her coaching career. Truman is 68-40 in the GLVC under Eagan.
This season, Truman is 20-2 when taking a lead into half and 19-1 when leading entering the fourth quarter. All time since the quarter system started, the Bulldogs are 62-9 when leading at half and 65-7 when leading after three.
Truman is 18-2 when winning the rebound margin.
The Bulldogs have had 11 wins this season by 15 or more points and 14 wins by 10 points or more.

Truman Individual Conference Rankings (GLVC Games):
Scoring: Edmundson (12.3/T14th); Totta (12.1/16^th); Bailey (10.6/29^th)
Rebounds: Jaseckas (5.9/14^th); Re (5.8/15^th)
Field Goal Pct: Jaseckas (.483/11^th)
Assists: Bailey (3.39/8^th)/Totta (3.11/11th)
Free Throw Pct: Totta (.818/13th)
3-Pt Field Goal Pct: Edmundson (.408/5^th); Bailey (.397/6th)
3-Pts Made: Edmundson (2.83/1st); Bailey (1.72/T12^th)
Blocked Shots: Jaseckas (1.00/9^th); Thomas (0.83/T14^th)
Assist/Turnover Ratio: Bailey (1.69/5^th); Totta (1.56/6^th)
Offensive Rebounds: Re (2.22/T9th)
Defensive Rebounds: Jaseckas (4.18/13^th)

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Players Mentioned

#02 Brooke Bailey: G; 5' 6"; Redshirt Senior

#24 Tiffany Davenport: G; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#31 Rachel Edmundson: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#54 Katie Jaseckas: F; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#01 Mackenzie Jerks: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#10 Taylor Koper: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#34 Maya Mouton: F; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#23 Maddie Re: F; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

#32 Rachel Steinhoff: G; 5' 7"; Redshirt Senior

#04 Sloane Totta: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#33 Katey Klucking: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

#40 Makenzie Bray: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#02 Brooke Bailey
: 5' 6"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#24 Tiffany Davenport
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#31 Rachel Edmundson
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#54 Katie Jaseckas
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: F

#01 Mackenzie Jerks
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#10 Taylor Koper
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#34 Maya Mouton
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: F

#23 Maddie Re
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#32 Rachel Steinhoff
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#04 Sloane Totta
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#33 Katey Klucking
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G

#40 Makenzie Bray
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G