Full Notes (PDF)
Live Stats | KRES Live Audio | AmericaOne/B2 PPV Webcast
KIRKSVILLE - - The Truman men's basketball team returns to Pershing Arena – the site of all five of the team's wins this season – on Wednesday night for a critical MIAA matchup against the Pittsburg State Gorillas at 7:30 pm.
The Bulldogs (5-11, 3-9 MIAA) are beginning to enter must-win territory as the second-half of the MIAA season gets in full swing, as Truman sits three games back of a two-way tie for seventh entering Wednesday night's games. One of those teams, however, are the PSU Gorillas (10-6, 6-6 MIAA), a squad that has dropped three of its last four games and are just 2-4 away from home on the year.
Wednesday marks the 42nd all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Gorillas, with Pitt State holding a 31-10 edge in the series. The Gorillas have swept the season series nine times since the 2000-2001 season, with Truman's lone season sweep coming last year.
All-time in Kirksville, the Bulldogs are 6-13 against Pitt State, including 4-10 under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995). Three of the past eight games in Pershing Arena have gone to overtime, with the 'Dogs going 1-2 in those affairs.
Under Schrader, the Bulldogs are 6-24 against the Gorillas.
Three to Track:
· PSU front line vs. Ethan Freeman – The Gorillas are the MIAA's top boarding squad and 2nd-best offensive rebounding unit, while Freeman is the league's best defensive rebounder.
· Norton/Gardner/Henderson vs. PSU perimeter D – The Bulldogs are second in the league from deep, connecting at 38.3%, while the Gorillas hold foes to just 35% from distance.
· Free Throw Battle – The Bulldogs and Gorillas both rank in the bottom-3 of the MIAA from the free throw line (percentage).
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.
Earlier This Year:
Dec. 4 (PITTSBURG, Kan.) – Four Truman men's basketball players reached double-figures, but a second-half push helped propel Pittsburg State past the Bulldogs, 91-68, on Saturday, Dec. 4, at John Lance Arena.
Truman (2-4, 0-2 MIAA) trailed by nine, 43-34, at the half, and following an Isaac Gardner three-pointer with 15:33 to play in the game, it was all Pitt State (5-1, 1-1 MIAA) from there. The Gorillas rattled off a 20-5 run over the next five minutes to open up a 73-46 lead, its biggest of the day. Pitt's lead would never get larger, but Truman couldn't get the margin under 20 on the way to the 91-68 final tally.
Gardner led all Bulldogs with 13 points off the bench, hitting three three-pointers, while Alex Henderson, Stefan Garrison and Brian Nwelue each added 11. Ethan Freeman pulled down seven rebounds to lead Truman and poured in seven points.
Both teams hovered near the 50% mark from the field, but the Gorillas took 18 more shots after turning Truman over 27 times and pulling down 11 offensive rebounds. The 'Dogs buried eight triples as a unit but hit just 12-of-21 free throws.
PSU put five players in double-figures, led by Courtney Ingram's 17 on 6-of-7 shooting.
'Dog Bites:
· Seniors Alex Henderson (14.5 ppg) and Ethan Freeman (11.9 ppg) lead the Bulldogs offensively. As a team, Truman is shooting 43% from the floor, 38% from three-point range and 68% from the free throw line.
· Freeman is the MIAA's top rebounder at 9.4 per game, as 7.5 of them are coming on the defensive glass.
· The Bulldogs are scoring 70.9 points per game, while giving up 77.1 ppg. In wins, though, the Bulldogs are topping 80 (82.2) points while holding opponents to just 64.2 ppg.
· 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 set a trio of career-highs this year, scoring 23 points twice, pulling down an MIAA- and career-high 18 rebounds against MSSU on Jan. 22, and handing out ten assists against Northwest Missouri on Jan. 8.
· Sophomore guard Tom Norton and freshman Isaac Gardner have been snipers from long-range, as the duo has combined for 74 three-pointers (58% of team total).
· Norton also continues his ascent into Truman history from the stripe, having hit 73-of-80 (91.3%) total chances in his time at Truman. He hit 31 in a row during his freshman season and is 27-of-30 this year.
· Gardner is hitting 47.3% of his three-pointers this year, good for second in the MIAA. He is even better in conference play, up at 48.3%.
· 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 is also averaging 10.2 ppg in conference games.
Career Numbers to Watch:
· Ethan Freeman (900 points) needs to average 10.0 ppg over the final ten games to become the 23rd player in the 1,000-point club.
· Freeman (684 rebounds) is 11th all-time at Truman … next: Bob Young (10th; 690).
· Freeman (234 free throws) … to crack top-10: Andy Calmes (10th; 235).
· Alex Henderson (882 points) needs to average 11.8 ppg over the final ten games to become the 23rd player in the 1,000-point club.
· Henderson (130 3-ptrs) is 10th all-time at Truman … next: Chip Sodemann (9th; 135).
· Henderson (237 assists); Freeman (232 assists) … to crack top-10: Jim Blaydes (10th; 259).
· Henderson (222 free throws) … to crack top-10: Andy Calmes (10th; 235).
· Vesko Filchev (63 blocks) is 9th all-time at Truman … next: Brian Brown (8th; 67).
Free Throw Extravaganza:
Truman has taken 354 free throws (22.1 per game) this season, up from last season's 16.4 per game, and most since the 1999-2000 team's 24.2 attempts per game average.
Avoiding Nail-biting:
Of Truman's 16 games this season, only four have been decided by ten points or less, with the Bulldogs going 2-2 in those contests.
Nine is the Loneliest Number:
The Bulldogs are 3-0 this season when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game. Ten has proven to be the magic number, as Truman is 0-4 when hitting nine but failing to reach the double-figure mark – including the Jan. 22 loss at MSSU.
A Look at the Gorillas:
The Gorillas are tied for 7th in the MIAA at 6-6 and opened the second-half of conference play with a 79-75 win against Missouri Western. PSU holds the only win against MIAA-leader Missouri Southern – a 77-75 road win on Jan. 2.
A balanced group, Pitt State has just two players in double-figures in Eric Ray (12.3) and Eric Marshall (10.0), but the Gorillas get after it on the glass (+8.3 margin) and defensively (9.6 steals/game).
The Gorillas struggle from long-range (4.6 three-pointers/game) and from the stripe (65.8%) – both last in the MIAA.
PSU is coached by Kevin Muff, who is in his first season with the program after 12 years at Cloud County CC, where he won more than 100 games.
Notables vs. the Gorillas:
· In seven career games, Ethan Freeman is averaging 8.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
· Stefan Garrison and Alex Henderson have combined to average more than 16 ppg and shoot nearly 50% from the floor (55% from three).
· Brian Nwelue is shooting nearly 60% from the floor (10-for-17) in four games.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs hit the road for a rare Sunday game, heading to Emporia State this weekend for a 3:00 pm tip at White Auditorium.
