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KIRKSVILLE - - The Truman men's basketball team will look to string back-to-back wins together on Wednesday night when the Missouri Western Griffons visit Pershing Arena for a 7:30 pm tipoff.
The Bulldogs (4-8, 2-6 MIAA) opened a three-game homestand with a 73-58 victory against Northwest Missouri on Saturday night – a game which the Bulldogs led for the final 23 minutes after closing the opening half on a 17-2 run. Meanwhile, Missouri Western (6-7, 4-4 MIAA) escaped at Lincoln (Mo.) on Saturday afternoon, outscoring the Blue Tigers, 9-0, over the final 2:22 to earn a 76-73 win.
Truman continues to have success at home, registering a 4-2 record inside Pershing Arena this year, while going 0-6 on the road. The squad is averaging six more points per game at home and is hitting nearly 80% from the free throw line through the first six home games.
Both the Bulldogs and Griffons are coming off recent matches against Nebraska-Omaha and Northwest Missouri, with Truman going 1-1 and MWSU recording an 0-2 mark. Missouri Western, however, has handed No. 6 Fort Hays State its lone loss of the season, a 78-77 setback in St. Joseph on Dec. 11.
Wednesday night will mark the 61st all-time meeting between the programs, with Missouri Western holding a 39-21 lead in the series. The Bulldogs are 12-19 against MWSU in Kirksville but have won two of the last three meetings at home. Missouri Western is currently riding a three-game winning streak.
Under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995), the Bulldogs are 7-23 against the Griffons and 4-11 inside Pershing Arena. MWSU was aided by a 10-game winning streak from 1999-2004 to help build a cushion in the recent history.
Media Information:
104.7 FM KRES is the official radio home of Truman football, men's basketball and women's basketball. Brad Boyer and Hank Janssen will provide coverage throughout the season of Truman basketball on the Moberly-based station.
KRES broadcasts its sports coverage online at centralmoinfo.com. Fans can also watch MIAA games on their computer this season through AmericaOne/B2 Networks for a fee.
Live stats for all Bulldog games throughout the season will be made available via links on the men's basketball schedule page at TrumanBulldogs.com.
About the Bulldogs:
Truman will be trying to close the gap between 10th and sixth and pick up a second straight conference win on Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs sit two games back of a three-way tie at 4-4 through the first eight MIAA games.
Senior forward Ethan Freeman has been the team's hottest player of late, registering 15.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg and 5.0 apg in three games last week to be Truman's nominee for MIAA Athlete of the Week. Senior guard Alex Henderson bounced back from a pair of rough outings to lead the 'Dogs with 19 points against Northwest Missouri and bump his season-long average back to 15.8 ppg. Sophomore guard Tom Norton is the other Bulldog in double-figures, hanging on at 10.1 ppg.
As a unit, the Bulldogs are shooting 43% from the field, 39% from long-range and 70% from the free throw line. Opponents, meanwhile, are at 45% overall, 34% from distance and are hitting 69% of their charity stripe chances.
Freeman leads the MIAA in rebounding at 9.3 per game and is also the team's assist leader, giving out 3.8 per contest. Both he and Henderson have started all 12 games for the 'Dogs this season.
'Dog Bites:
· The Bulldogs are scoring 72.5 points per game through 12 games, while giving up 76.7 ppg. In wins, though, the Bulldogs are topping 80 (82.0) points while stifling opponents to just 60.5 points per game.
· Five players have topped 20 points in a game for Truman this year, led by Alex Henderson's career-high 24 against Culver-Stockton on Nov. 15.
· Ethan Freeman has been setting new career-highs all season, scoring 23 points twice, pulling down 17 rebounds against QU on Nov. 27, and handing out ten assists against Northwest Missouri on Jan. 8. Against NWMSU, he came up three points shy of Truman's first triple-double in 16 years (7p, 15r, 10a) and became the first Bulldog since Banks Estridge in March of 2007 to hand out ten assists.
· Tom Norton and freshman Isaac Gardner have been snipers from long-range, as the duo has combined for 55 three-pointers (54% of team total).
· Norton also continues his ascent into Truman history from the foul line, having hit 67-of-73 (91.8%) total chances in his time at Truman. He hit 31 in a row during his freshman season and is 23-of-26 this year.
· Junior Vesko Filchev picked up his second double-double of the season against WU on Dec. 11, finishing with 13 points and ten rebounds. Filchev has dominated the paint defensively this year, swatting ten shots to lead the 'Dogs and pulling down 5.6 rebounds/game.
Home Cookin':
Through both six home and six road games, the Truman men's basketball team has seen positive splits at home (4-2 record) compared to away from Kirksville (0-6 record). As a team, the 'Dogs are scoring nearly 79 points per game at home compared to just 67 points on the road and are nearly 20% better from the free throw line.
However, the biggest discrepancy comes on the defensive end, where Truman is holding foes to just 68 points and 30% three-point shooting at home versus nearly 86 points and 36% from long-range.
The biggest individual beneficiary from playing at home versus the road has been Alex Henderson, who is averaging just shy of 20 points per game (19.3) at home compared to 11.3 on the road. Ethan Freeman, meanwhile, has put up better numbers on the road, averaging a double-double with 13.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest.
Heading Toward 1,000:
Two Bulldog seniors – Ethan Freeman and Alex Henderson – have a shot to reach 1,000 career points this season. Freeman sits at 856 (9.2 ppg career), while Henderson is tracking right behind him at 839 (9.1 ppg career).
Freeman would need to average 10.3 ppg over his final 14 games, while Henderson needs to record 11.5 ppg to become the 23rd and 24th members of Truman's 1,000-point club.
A Look at the Griffons:
Picked to finish fifth by the media and sixth by the coaches prior to the start of the MIAA season, the Missouri Western Griffons are off to a 6-7 overall start, 4-4 in the MIAA. The Griffons were 2-3 in MIAA play, earning a 92-88 road win at Quincy (Ill.) as the lone non-conference common opponent with Truman.
The Griffons like to get up and down the floor behind an assortment of new transfers this season, as evidenced by their 80.8 scoring average. However, the black and gold have struggled defensively, ranking last in the MIAA in points allowed at 82.5.
P'Allen Stinnett, a Creighton transfer, has made an impact in his only MIAA season, scoring 19.6 ppg, pulling down 4.2 rebounds and hitting 33 three-pointers behind a nearly 50% field goal percentage. Also in double-figures for the Griffs are Jonathan Phelps (18.3 ppg, MIAA-best 48 three-pointers) and Lavonte Douglas (11.8 ppg; four games played).
Missouri Western is the worst team in the league in allowing defensive rebounds, limiting their second-chance opportunities, but are third in three-point percentage and second in three-pointers made (10.5) per game.
The Griffons are coached by Tom Smith, who is in his 23rd season with the program and 36th season overall as a collegiate coach. He has a mark of 423-236 at MWSU and has 593 career victories.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will play one more in Pershing Arena to wrap up a stretch of home games, welcoming conference-newcomer Lincoln (Mo.) (2-10, 0-8 MIAA) on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm.
