KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Truman State Bulldogs used a balanced offensive attack and dominated the paint to defeat Missouri Western 100-91 Saturday afternoon at Pershing Arena. The victory improves Truman State to 4-7 on the season, while the Griffons fall to 10-3.
The game was tightly contested early with multiple lead changes. Missouri Western opened the scoring with a Pavlovic tip-in, but Truman quickly responded as Byrd dominated the interior with a fast-break dunk and multiple tip-ins. Parrinello consistently attacked the basket to keep the Griffons' defense on its heels as the Bulldogs began to take control.
The Bulldogs began to pull away midway through the first half. Parrinello hit a fast-break three-pointer assisted by Lovette to give Truman a 26-23 lead with just over seven minutes remaining. After McKowen answered with a three-pointer to tie it at 26-26, the Bulldogs responded. A Brown three-pointer pushed the advantage to 35-30, and Brown added a second-chance tip-in to make it 37-30 with 4:25 left in the half.
Truman's largest lead of the half came at 41-32 with 3:07 remaining when Kingery scored a driving layup assisted by Byrd. Missouri Western closed the half on a 9-6 run, with Kiburis hitting a three-pointer and King converting multiple free throws, but the Bulldogs maintained a 47-41 advantage at the break.
The second half became a back-and-forth battle as Missouri Western refused to go away. The Griffons opened the period with a Noah King three-pointer and clawed back to tie the game at 52-52 on a Gavin Hershberger three-pointer with 17:08 remaining. The teams traded leads over the next several minutes, with neither able to establish separation.
Missouri Western took its largest lead of the game at 79-72 with 7:39 remaining after King converted a layup. Truman State responded with composure, refusing to panic despite the seven-point deficit.
The Bulldogs' decisive run came down the stretch. Brennan Lovette hit a crucial three-pointer assisted by Brown to cut the lead to 79-78 with 6:51 remaining. Moments later, Carver-Smith came up with a steal and converted a fast-break layup to give Truman an 80-79 lead with 6:20 left, an advantage they would not relinquish.
Brown extended the lead to 83-81 with a three-pointer at the 5:41 mark, and Carver-Smith added another fast-break layup off a Byrd assist to push it to 85-81. Truman State converted critical free throws in the final minute to seal the victory, with Brown hitting four straight from the charity stripe in the closing seconds to put the game out of reach at 100-91.
Team Statistics Comparison
| Category |
Truman State |
Missouri Western |
| Field Goals |
38-61 (62.3%) |
32-69 (46.4%) |
| 3-Point FG |
8-18 (44.4%) |
13-31 (41.9%) |
| Free Throws |
16-25 (64.0%) |
14-19 (73.7%) |
| Rebounds |
32 |
37 |
| Assists |
18 |
23 |
| Turnovers |
10 |
14 |
| Steals |
6 |
5 |
| Blocks |
6 |
1 |
| Points in Paint |
50 |
30 |
| Fast Break Points |
31 |
13 |
| Bench Points |
8 |
8 |
| Points Off Turnovers |
17 |
18 |
Truman State Statistical Leaders
Scoring:
Rebounds:
Assists:
Steals:
Blocks:
Parrinello's 33-point performance led five Bulldogs in double figures, while Byrd nearly recorded a double-double and anchored the interior defense with four blocked shots.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will get some well needed rest before facing off against Lincoln in Jefferson City on January 2nd at 3:00 PM.
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