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KIRKSVILLE - - Meeting for the first time since 2005 and for the first time as MIAA members since the 1998-1999 season, the Truman and Lincoln men's basketball teams will battle in a critical conference matchup on Saturday afternoon in Pershing Arena. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Blue Tigers is set for 3:00 pm.
Both Truman (4-9, 2-7 MIAA) and Lincoln (2-11, 0-9 MIAA) are looking for a key win to help bolster its chances of reaching the MIAA tournament, held in early March at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. The Bulldogs are also trying to wrap up a current three game homestand on a positive note, after splitting the first two with Northwest Missouri (W 73-58, Jan. 8) and Missouri Western (L 78-63, Jan. 12).
On the flip side, the Blue Tigers are still in search of their first conference win, after most recently falling by ten at home to Emporia State on Wednesday (Jan. 12) night.
The 2010-2011 season marks the first year back in the MIAA for Lincoln, who re-entered following an 11-year absence between 1999-2010. The Blue Tigers and Bulldogs, have a history that dates back to 1952, with 77 total games being played in the all-time series. Truman leads the series, 44-33, and boast a 26-10 all-time record in games played in Kirksville.
The Bulldogs have also won seven straight in the series, which includes a pair of forfeited games as part of the 2002-2003 season by LU, dating back to the 2001-2002 season.
Under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995), the Bulldogs are 13-3 against the Blue Tigers and 6-2 inside Pershing Arena. Schrader has posted six and seven game winning streaks against Lincoln.
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 try to pick up a win in the final game of a three game homestand before hitting the road for four of the next five to close out January and start February. The Bulldogs are currently tied for 10th in the MIAA with Northwest Missouri at 2-7 and are two games back of a two-team tie for 8th at 4-5.
A pair of seniors – guard Alex Henderson (15.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 41% 3FG) and forward Ethan Freeman (11.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg) – lead the Bulldogs offensively, as the duo are the only two players to have started each of Truman's 13 games this season.
Sophomore guard Tom Norton (9.7 ppg, 31 3FG) and junior center Vesko Filchev (8.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg) have also been regulars to the starting lineup. Truman as a team is shooting 43.4% from the field, 38.9% from long-range and 69.4% from the free throw line. Opponents, meanwhile, are at 44.9% overall, 34.3% from distance and are hitting 69.5% of their charity stripe chances.
'Dog Bites:
· The Bulldogs are scoring 72.0 points per game through 13 games, while giving up 76.8 ppg. In wins, though, the Bulldogs are topping 80 (82.0) points while stifling opponents to just 60.5 points per game.
· Six 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, and most recently Isaac Gardner's career-high 21 against Missouri Western on Jan. 12.
· 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 60 three-pointers (55% 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.
Starting to Click:
Two freshmen guards – Isaac Gardner and Pat Sodemann – have seen their minutes increase recently, as both see more than 15 minutes per game in the Bulldog backcourt.
Gardner has begun his candidacy for MIAA Freshman of the Year, as he is averaging 8.3 points per game behind a red-hot and MIAA-leading 49.2% three-point percentage. He is also averaging nearly 2.5 made triples per game, and drained four on Saturday, Jan. 12 against Missouri Western.
Sodemann is averaging 4.3 points per game off the bench and has hit 8-of-9 free throws along with six three-pointers. The younger brother of former Bulldog standout, Chip, Sodemann is hitting 49% of his field goals and is averaging an assist per game.
In conference play alone, Gardner is the team's third-leading scorer at 9.7 per game and has upped his three-point shooting to 51% (22-for-43).
Home Cookin':
Through seven home and six road games, the Truman men's basketball team has seen positive splits at home (4-3 record) compared to away from Kirksville (0-6 record). As a team, the 'Dogs are scoring nearly 77 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 69 points and 32% 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 18 points per game (17.9) 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 862 (9.2 ppg career), while Henderson is tracking right behind him at 848 (9.1 ppg career).
Freeman would need to average 10.6 ppg over his final 13 games, while Henderson needs to record 11.7 ppg to become the 23rd and 24th members of Truman's 1,000-point club.
A Look at the Blue Tigers:
Picked to finish last by both the media and coaches prior to the start of the MIAA season, the Lincoln Blue Tigers have yet to pick up an MIAA victory, going 0-9 during their first run-through of conference play. Lincoln hasn't won since a 65-59 road win at Rockhurst (Mo.) on Nov. 29, 2010.
The squad has closed the gap in its recent losses, having dropped single-digit games in four of its last six MIAA affairs. Despite ranking last in the MIAA in scoring margin, assists per game and assist/turnover ratio, the Blue Tigers have taken care of business on the glass, leading the league in total rebounding and offensive rebounds.
Pierre DeClue ranks second in the league in scoring (19.6/game) while logging the most minutes (39.2) of any MIAA player. Daniel Armah sits just one total rebound behind Truman's Ethan Freeman in the rebounding charts, coming in at 8.8 overall. However, Armah and Freeman are masters of their own trade, with Freeman leading the defensive rebounding category and Armah crashing the glass hard on the offensive end, at an MIAA-best rate of 3.9 per night.
The Blue Tigers are coached by John Redmond, who is in his second year with the program and has a mark of 7-33 at the school.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs hit the road in search of their first win this season next week, getting chances at Central Missouri (Wed., Jan. 19; 7:30 pm) and Missouri Southern (Sat., Jan. 22; 3:00 pm).
