KIRKSVILLE, Mo. –  The Truman State Women's Basketball team heads to Jefferson City and Rolla, Missouri this weekend as the push for a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference postseason tournament heats up.
 
The Bulldogs are fractions of a point outside the top eight in the league's points ratings system and have three games left against teams that are .500 or above in conference play and three games left against teams below .500. Road wins typically earn more points toward the ratings than home wins so two important games dot the schedule this week.
 
Truman has split the 14 conference games played so far but their 3.11 rating has them ninth behind Upper Iowa (7-8/3.13) and McKendree (8-6/3.25). The Bulldogs are most likely the only remaining team to challenge for a spot in the tournament as the remaining six teams below Truman State have ratings in the two-point range. The Bulldogs are three-tenths of a point in front of 10^th place Indianapolis (5-10/2.73).
 
The first stop on the tour will be a return to Jason Gymnasium on the campus of Lincoln University for the first time since 2013. The Bulldogs picked up the 19-point win over the Blue Tigers in the teams' first meeting back on January 20^th.
 
Truman State won every quarter in that game in Pershing Arena and outscored Lincoln 43-32 in the second half on the road to the 78-59 win. Jordan Cunningham led the Bulldogs with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Tori Standifer (14 points) and Lexie White (10 points) also scored in double-figures. Hanne Hybo led three Blue Tiger players in scoring with 16.
 
After winning the first game of the season, Lincoln has lost 19 straight games, including all 14 played in the GLVC this season.
 
Saturday's action moves to Rolla where the Bulldogs will hope to avenge a two-point loss to the Miners back on January 3^rd. Missouri S&T's Chorus Bavis scored on a fast break off a rebound in the closing seconds to break the tie and give the Miners the 74-72 victory.
 
The Miners had an eight-point advantage after the first half but the Bulldogs battled back with a strong third quarter and it was back and forth down the stretch. Each team had four starters in double-figures with the Bulldogs led by Jordan Cunningham's 25 points and the Miners by Norah Gum with 13.
 
Missouri S&T has the sixth-best rating in the GLVC at 3.36 and is 7-7 in conference games. They lost both of their games last week on the road against Lewis and Indianapolis. They will host William Jewell on Thursday.
 
Outside of losses to two of the top three teams in the conference, the Bulldogs are winners of five of their last seven games including Saturday's 84-77 win over Southwest Baptist in Pershing Arena.  That win came on the heels of a loss to the number three team in the GLVC, Drury 88-64 on Thursday.
 
Molly Joyce was the scoring leader last week with 22 against Drury and 28 in the win over SBU. She has scored in double-figures in five straight games and it was the first time in her career that she has posted back-to-back 20+ point games. In her 52 career games thus far, she has been in double figures in 40 with nine of 20 or more and two of 30 or more, both this season.
 
Joyce's scoring average climbed up to 14.5 points overall and 12.6 in the GLVC. She has made 103 of 124 free throw attempts this season (83%) and is fifth in the conference in free throw shooting this season. Her two 30-point games are tied with Mia Huberty of Upper Iowa for the most by a conference player.
 
Jordan Cunningham is closing in on 1,100 career points as she sits with 1,090 entering the weekend. Cunningham leads the Bulldogs in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots and minutes played. She has scored 401 points in her first season with the Bulldogs after four with Missouri Western.
 
She averages 16.7 points overall and 18.4 in conference games, which is the third-highest average. Her nine games of 20 or more points are the most by any player within the conference. She also has three double-doubles this season.
 
Bryar Duwe scored a career-high on Saturday with 17 points against Southwest Baptist. After playing in just seven games as a freshman, Duwe has started all 24 this season and is averaging 8.8 points with 34 made three-pointers, tying Joyce for the team lead in that category.  She made four in a game against Quincy back on January 25.
 
Lexie White has started all 24 as well and has a pair of double-doubles this season. She had 12 points and 11 rebounds earlier against Rockhurst and 11 points, 10 boards against Missouri S&T. Her single-game high in points was 16 against Quincy. She has averaged 6.8 points overall and 7.9 in conference.
 
Katelyn Odem has started the past 13 games and has played in all 24. She is currently sitting on 100 points for the season (4.2/game) and has a single-game high of 13 coming against Hawaii Hilo on December 21.
 
Seniors Gracie Neff and Emma Bulman are the other two players that have played in each game this season. Both bring over 200 combine games experience to the team. Neff is 23 assists shy of 400 for her collegiate career and has 214 in her 82 games with Truman State. Bulman has reached 100 points for the third straight season and has 25 career blocks to go with 48 steals.
 
Tori Standefer, in her first season as a Bulldog and third as a collegiate, has played in all 14 GLVC games and has averaged 6.3 points in each. Standefer scored a season and career-high 15 points in the January 30^th game against Rockhurst and has made 12-of-28 three-point attempts. 
 
Truman State is in the top three in the conference scoring at 72.2 points per game but in the bottom three in points allowed in conference games at 72.6 per night.
 
Up Next:
Two important home games are on the schedule next week with both Maryville and Missouri-St. Louis. It will be the only meeting between these teams and both are inside the top eight with winning percentages above .600 entering play.