QUINCY, Ill. – The Truman State men's basketball team engaged in a high-scoring battle with Hillsdale but came up just short, falling 88-84 on Tuesday morning at Pepsi Arena. Despite an efficient offensive performance, the Bulldogs dropped to 3-7 on the season while the Chargers improved to 4-6.
The Bulldogs came out firing early, racing to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes behind a Julian Brown three-pointer and fast break layup. Emmanuel Byrd set the tone with the game's first basket, and Jahki Parrinello's playmaking kept Truman State in control early. Drew Kingery extended the lead to 12-8 with a three-pointer at the 15:46 mark, assisted by Parrinello.
Hillsdale responded with their bench unit, as Braylon Morris sparked a rally with a three-pointer at 15:21 to cut the deficit to 11-12. The first half featured 13 lead changes and five ties as neither team could establish separation. Caleb Glaser provided a consistent interior presence for the Chargers, while Brown was nearly perfect from the field for the Bulldogs, hitting all five of his first-half attempts including three three-pointers.
The half closed with both teams trading baskets. Kingery's layup at 0:31 pulled Truman State within two at 43-41 heading into halftime. The Bulldogs shot an impressive 51.6% from the field in the opening period but trailed due to Hillsdale's 57.1% shooting.
The second half opened with Hillsdale extending their lead as CJ Yarian hit a three-pointer on the Chargers' first possession to make it 46-41. Parrinello kept the Bulldogs in the fight, hitting two free throws and then scoring on consecutive driving layups at 17:24 and 16:20, with the latter giving Truman State a 49-48 lead. However, a technical foul on Parrinello at 16:20 immediately after his basket tied the game at 49-49, and Tommy Morgan connected on a three-pointer moments later to push Hillsdale's lead to 52-49.
The game remained competitive throughout the second half with four additional lead changes. Ja'Vion Byers came alive in the second half, hitting four consecutive shots including three three-pointers. His step-back three at 14:55 tied the game at 52-52, and another three at 7:43 knotted the score at 69-69.
Marquis Carver-Smith provided a crucial spark with back-to-back layups, first stealing the ball and converting at 13:31, then driving for another bucket at 13:07 to give Truman State a 59-58 lead. Parrinello continued his aggressive play, scoring on a putback layup at 12:19 to extend the lead to 61-58.
However, Morris proved too much to handle for the Bulldogs' defense. The Hillsdale guard scored 11 points in the second half, including a crucial three-pointer at 10:21 to give the Chargers a 65-63 lead. The Chargers built their lead to 79-74 before Brown hit two free throws at the 4:00 mark to cut the deficit to 79-76. Giertz answered immediately with a three-pointer at 3:01 to extend Hillsdale's lead back to 82-76.
Truman State mounted one final push. Byers converted a layup to make it 82-78, but Morris scored inside to push the lead back to 84-78. After Brown missed the front end of a one-and-one, Byrd threw down a dunk off a Parrinello assist at 1:46 to make it 84-80. The Bulldogs had opportunities down the stretch but couldn't complete the comeback. Brown made two free throws with 22 seconds left to cut it to 85-82, and Parrinello added two more with 9 seconds remaining to make it 87-84, but Giertz sealed the victory with a free throw at the buzzer for the final margin of 88-84.
Team Statistics Comparison
| Category |
Truman State |
Hillsdale |
| Field Goals |
31-61 (50.8%) |
32-55 (58.2%) |
| Three-Pointers |
8-18 (44.4%) |
9-23 (39.1%) |
| Free Throws |
14-19 (73.7%) |
15-22 (68.2%) |
| Rebounds |
35 |
24 |
| Assists |
13 |
23 |
| Turnovers |
14 |
10 |
| Steals |
5 |
7 |
| Blocks |
1 |
2 |
| Points in Paint |
46 |
38 |
| Fast Break Points |
12 |
7 |
| Second Chance Points |
17 |
4 |
| Bench Points |
24 |
54 |
Truman State Statistical Leaders
Scoring:
Rebounding:
Assists:
Steals:
Blocks:
Up Next:
The Bulldogs return to Pershing Arena for their last home game of the year against Missouri Western on Saturday, December 20th at 3:00 PM. The Bulldogs won last year's matchup in St. Joseph 53-43.
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