Game Links:
Quincy - Live Video ($) | Live Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)
Illinois Springfield – Live Video ($) | Live Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)
 
 
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Bulldog Women's Basketball team will swing through west central Illinois still seeking their first Great Lakes Valley Conference victories. Truman will put their 12-game winning streak against the Quincy Hawks on the line Thursday then their 14-2 all-time record against Illinois Springfield on Saturday.
 
The Bulldogs are in uncharted territory having dropped their first six GLVC games this season. The latest coming on Saturday when they fell at Missouri-St. Louis 61-60. Ellie Weltha scored 11 points and pulled down 13 rebounds while Ainsley Tolson scored a team-high 13 points with making all 11 at the free throw line for the Bulldogs. The lead changed seven times with the last coming midway through the fourth quarter. Truman had three free throws to tie the game with one second on the clock.
 
Truman is looking to avoid their longest GLVC losing streak of seven games that occurred during the 2018 season and looking to avoid the longest streak to start a conference season since the 2008-09 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association campaign.
 
The Bulldogs will bring a 12-game winning streak against Quincy into their game on Thursday, which is the longest by any team in the all-time series. The streak began in December 2016 and continued with a pair of wins last season. The Bulldogs won in Kirksville 68-56 and dominated the Hawks 67-51 in their February 18^th meeting in Pepsi Arena. Hannah Belanger scored 20 points and both Ellie Weltha and Alex Fanning had double-doubles.
 
Quincy is 4-10 overall but are 3-5 in GLVC games played under new head coach Courtney Boyd. The Hawks won three of their first four league games with wins over William Jewell, Missouri S&T and Maryville but have lost to Drury, Missouri-St. Louis, McKendree and most recently after the break to Rockhurst and Southwest Baptist. Cymirah Williams lead the Hawks in scoring at 12.3 points per game while Janiece Dawson is the team leader in three-pointers made with 16.
 
Following Thursday, Truman will trek east to Illinois Springfield for a Saturday matinee. The Prairie Stars are 7-7 and 5-3 in the GLVC and will host Upper Iowa on Thursday. League wins have come against Southwest Baptist, Maryville, Missouri S&T, Drury and William Jewell while losses are to Rockhurst, McKendree and Missouri-St. Louis. Three players average over 10 points scoring led by Jessenia Lawson at 16.8 points per outing. Liz Uhl (11.9) and Michaela Gibbons (10.4) follow. UIS is third in the GLVC in scoring average at 75 points per game but last in team defense allowing 77.1 points.
 
Truman scored 98 points against UIS in the finale as they swept the season series last year. The Bulldogs won 86-79 in December and 98-84 in Kirksville in February. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Hannah Belanger with 24, Alex Fanning with 18, Claire Rake with 17, Maddie Niemeier with 11 and Ellie Weltha with 10.
 
Ellie Weltha remains second in the GLVC in scoring at 17.6 points per game. She has been in double-figures in all 12 games this season with five double-doubles. She has now gone over 1400 career points (1402) in 111 career games and has 966 career rebounds. Weltha has lettered in three sports while at Truman playing for the softball team in both 2021 and 2022 and was the GLVC champion in the outdoor Discus throw and silver medalist in the Shot Put. Weltha finished ninth in the Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships last May in the Shot.
 
Claire Rake is second in scoring at 10.0 points per outing and leads the team with 29 three-pointers made in 90 attempts. Rake has started all 12 games, scoring in double-figures six times with a high of 17 points coming against Winona State. In 72 career games, Rake has knocked down 106 three-pointers.
 
Ainsley Tolson averages 9.9 points and is the assist leader with 40 in her first season with the Bulldogs. Tolson has played 117 games for three other schools during her college career and amassed 1,541 points, and 387 assists. She has scored in double-figures in six games as a Bulldogs with a high of 18 points in two games. Tolson has started 10 of the 12 games thus far.
 
Bailey Kliewer is the active leader in games played with 118 in five seasons. The past four have been at Rogers (Okla.) State where she earned all-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association honors. Kliewer has 1,160 career points and is averaging 7.9 points this season as a Bulldog. In starting all 12 games, Kliewer has been in double digits five times, with one double-double and a single-game best 17 against McKendree.
 
Emma Bulman has started nine of 12 games this season and averages 6.7 points. Bulman's single-game high this season is 18 points coming against McKendree.
 
Gracie Neff has been the sixth Bulldog this season with starts. Neff has started the past five games and is second on the team with 32 assists with 2.8 points scored per game. Neff has played in 42 career games for Truman after spending her first two years with Lindenwood (Mo.).
 
Madison Niemeier along with freshmen Molly Joyce have each appeared in all 12 games this season. Niemeier averages 4.9 points per game and Joyce scores 6.7 points per game.
 
As a team, Truman is shooting 42% overall and scoring 71.2 points per game while opponents are shooting 42% overall and averaging 73.8 points. The Bulldogs are making 6.6 three-pointers per game, 17 free throws per outing, shooting 76% from the line, 15.2 assists, 7.3 steals and 2.5 blocks.
 
Theo Dean is in his fifth season at Truman State and has a 78-43 record. He is currently fourth on the all-time wins list at Truman State. Dean's teams have won 70% of his GLVC games during his tenure with a 58-24 conference record. His squads are 31-11 in GLVC home games and 28-13 in conference road games.
 
Up Next:
The Bulldogs return to Pershing Arena for a Thursday/Saturday swing on January 18-20 and will welcome Southwest Baptist and Drury to town.