KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — Truman State dropped a 84-67 decision to the University of Indianapolis Thursday evening at Pershing Arena, falling to 12-15 on the season and 9-10 in GLVC play.
The Bulldogs found themselves in an early hole after a pair of quick turnovers, but responded with contributions from throughout the roster. Quientan McCafferty got Truman State on the board with a pair of free throws, and Julian Brown's three-pointer off a Jahki Parrinello assist pulled the Bulldogs back within six. Ja'Vion Byers gave the home crowd something to cheer about midway through the half, drilling back-to-back three-pointers to trim the deficit to seven at 20-27.
Emmanuel Byrd brought energy off the bench, battling on the glass and finishing a tip-in dunk after chasing down his own miss, and Brennan Lovette knocked down a three-pointer to keep Truman State within striking distance. Brown added a fast-break layup late, and Drew Kingery buried a three to make it a 13-point game with under two minutes left, but Indianapolis closed out the half on a 5-0 run to take a 46-31 lead into the break.
The Bulldogs came out determined in the second half and chipped away at the deficit. Troy Anderson hit a three off a McCafferty assist, Justin Duff followed with a fast-break three off an Anderson feed, and consecutive baskets from Parrinello and Kingery pulled Truman State within 13 at 44-57, their best stretch of the game.
The Greyhounds pushed the lead back out, but Truman State kept competing. Byrd threw down a fast-break dunk, Brown hit a three off a Duff assist, and Parrinello drove in for a pull-up layup to keep the Bulldogs in the fight into the final minutes. Brown added one more three-pointer in the closing seconds, and Duff capped the scoring with a driving layup and a free throw to make the final 84-67.
Truman State's bench outscored Indianapolis' reserves 27-14 on the night, and the Bulldogs connected on 12-of-22 attempts from three-point range, a 54.5 percent clip that stands as one of their better shooting performances of the season.
Team Statistics
| Category |
TSU |
UIndy |
| FG% |
46.3% (25-54) |
50.8% (31-61) |
| 3PT% |
54.5% (12-22) |
47.1% (8-17) |
| FT% |
62.5% (5-8) |
63.6% (14-22) |
| Rebounds |
27 |
38 |
| Assists |
16 |
9 |
| Turnovers |
17 |
9 |
| Points from Turnovers |
8 |
18 |
| Points in Paint |
26 |
38 |
| Fast Break Points |
10 |
9 |
| Bench Points |
27 |
14 |
| Second Chance Points |
6 |
9 |
Statistical Leaders
Points: Julian Brown 13, Emmanuel Byrd 10, Jahki Parrinello 9, Drew Kingery 8, Justin Duff 6, Brennan Lovette 6, Ja'Vion Byers 6, Troy Anderson 5, Quientan McCafferty 4
Rebounds: Emmanuel Byrd 7, Julian Brown 5, Justin Duff 4
Assists: Jahki Parrinello 3, Troy Anderson 3, Justin Duff 2, Quientan McCafferty 2
3PT Made: Julian Brown 3-5, Brennan Lovette 2-2, Drew Kingery 2-4, Ja'Vion Byers 2-3
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will look to keep their postseason hopes alive in their final regular season game against William Jewell on Saturday at 3:00 PM. Currently, the Bulldogs are ranked eigth in the point system used to determine the GLVC tournament participants and seeding.
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