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Game Preview:
Two teams looking to snap two-game winless streaks will clash on Sunday at the Truman women's basketball team will face #14 Emporia State University at 1:00 p.m. from Emporia's W.L. White Auditorium.
The Lady Hornets used an 11-1 run in the second half to defeat the Bulldogs back on December 18th by a 65-53 margin. Breanna Daniels led Truman with 17 points while Megan Sharpe added a then-career high 12 points but Emporia's Alli Volkens proved to be the difference maker. Volkens scored 16 points, had 10 rebounds and swatted four shots as the Lady Hornets won their fifth straight over the Bulldogs.
Truman is coming off a tough night against Pittsburg State in which they watched the Gorillas drop in a season-high 13 three-pointers and struggled from the foul line shooting just 45% in a 70-58 loss. It was the lowest free throw percentage by the Bulldogs since a 2006 game against Northwest Missouri in which the 'Dogs made just 8-of-18 (44.4%). Truman went from first in conference only free throw shooting to 11th with the 11-of-24 performance.
In addition to the free throw shooting, the reliable Truman bench scored just eight points, compared to the 30 by the Gorillas. The Bulldogs came into the game averaging 21 points per game from the reserves.
Emporia State is also looking to reverse course after dropping their last two games and an un-Hornet like four of their last six games. The defending national champions saw a 16-point lead evaporate on Wednesday night as the Missouri Western Griffons scored 30 of the next 35 points en route to a 78-71 win at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Volkens scored 24 points for the Lady Hornets and added 16 rebounds in the loss and was 14-of-16 from the foul line. The Lady Hornets grabbed 14 more rebounds but shot just 20% in the final 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs come into the game averaging 61 points per game and holding teams to 62.1 per contest while the Lady Hornets average 72.8 offensively and give up 64.4.
The key for Truman will be to limit Alli Volkens (17.1 ppg) while also forcing Emporia turnovers as the Lady Hornets are a negative 3.5 this season in turnover margin. The Bulldogs need to get the offense rolling early as they have been struggling since the midterm break by being outscored by 63 points in the first half. During that seven-game span, the Bulldogs have shot just 31% while the opponents have shot over 45% from the field.
The game will also feature two of the top freshmen in the league in Truman's Nicole Gloor and Emporia's Kelsey Balcom. Gloor leads the team in field goal percentage at 48% while averaging 9.2 points per game in over 20 minutes per game. Balcom is averaging 11.1 points per game while pulling down 6.3 rebounds in just over 25.6 minutes per game.
A win by the Bulldogs would…
- Even their conference record to 7-7 and their overall record to 9-9.
- Keep the Bulldogs in at least seventh place in the MIAA standings and possibly a half game back of Missouri Western (vs. Washburn on Saturday) and a full game back of both Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State.
- Give the Bulldogs six road wins overall and five in the conference which would be the most since the 1999-2000 season (7-5). The five conference wins would equal the total road wins by the program over the last six seasons.
- Give the Bulldogs nine wins on the season and seven in league play. The nine wins would be just two fewer than last year's total of 11 with eight games left on the schedule and the seven conference wins would be the most since the 2007-08 season (7-11).
- Snap a five-game streak loosing streak to the Lady Hornets and be the first road win in Emporia since Feb. 12, 1994 (17 games).
- Be the first win by the Bulldogs over a WBCA Top 25 team since the 2007-08 Bulldogs knocked off the Lady Hornets at the MIAA postseason tournament on March 6 (77-70).
A win by the Lady Hornets would…
- Give the Lady Hornets their seventh home win of the season to just one loss and sixth home win in conference play.
- Keep Emporia State at least two games back of conference leader Northwest Missouri (at Fort Hays St.) and one back of second place Washburn (vs. Missouri Western). The Lady Hornets are currently 9-4 in league play.
- Potentially drop the Bulldogs into a three-way tie with Central Missouri (at Pittsburg St.) and Fort Hays State (vs. Northwest Missouri) for seventh place. Truman would currently hold the tie breaker with the Jennies and Tigers with road victories over both during the first half of the season. The Bulldogs will host Fort Hays State on Feb. 10th and Central on Feb. 26th.
About the Bulldogs:
Truman has lost their last two games and is led in scoring by junior forward Breanna Daniels with 13.9 points per game. Daniels leads Truman in shots taken with 245 this season, three-pointers made and attempted with 30 out of 83 and shoots nearly 85% from the foul line.
Daniels has the high point mark of the season for the Bulldogs with 26 in the second game of the season against Nova-Southeastern (Fla.). She has been in double-figures in scoring in 16 of the 17 games and the team's scoring leader in 12.
Sophomore guard Becka McHenry averaged 13 points last week while scoring a career-high 22 in the Bulldogs thrilling comeback against the University of Central Missouri. McHenry is second on the team in shots taken with 124 and is hitting 42.7% from the field. McHenry is averaging 7.1 points per game and 3.5 boards per contest. The guard has missed on both of their three-point attempts.
Senior guard Amy Galey is among the conference leaders in assists at 4.2 per game and has the team's best three-point shooting percentage but not enough attempts to qualify for any rankings. Galey has made 15-of-36 triples for a 41.7% mark while also pulling down 4.7 rebounds per game. She is fourth in the conference in minutes played per game at 34.3. Galey has been a staple in the Bulldog starting line-up as she has started all 44 games of her Bulldog career.
Sophomore Jennifer Conway is the team's leading rebounder at 5.4 per game and has 20 blocked shots. She set a career high with 14 rebounds against Northwest and set a new highmark in points scored with 16 against Pittsburg State last time out. Since Dec. 29th, Conway has more than doubled her points per game average to 6.9.
Sophomore Megan Sharpe is second on the team in offensive rebounds with 27 despite playing in four fewer games due to her being an two-time All-American for the Bulldog Volleyball program. Sharpe is shooting 43% from the field in 16.5 minutes per game and while making starts in seven games.
Senior Malorie Kiecker has made one start in 11 games this season. For her career, she has played in 80 games and has averaged 6.2 points per game. She is the only four-year player for the Bulldogs on the roster.
Sophomore Jenny Dorman has come off the bench in 15 games this season and knocked down eight of her 22 three-point shots. Her season-high is eight points against Lincoln this season.
Senior Cassie Hunt averaged three points per game and nearly two rebounds before leaving a game on Jan. 8th against Northwest Missouri with an injury. Hunt was shooting 60% from the field in just over five minutes per game with a Truman career high of 12 points against Nova Southeastern (Fla.). She was a transfer from North Central Missouri College.
Bulldog Newcomers:
Junior Erin Glogovsky joined the Bulldogs this season after a two-year stint at the University of Illinois-Springfield. In 17 games this season, Glogovsky is shooting 45% from the field while pulling down 46 rebounds. She recorded her Truman high of nine points in a victory over Southwest Baptist in December.
Freshman Nicole Gloor is second on the team in scoring at 9.2 points per game while shooting 48% from the field. Gloor has seven double-digit games this season including a season-high 22 against Maryville University during non-conference play.
Freshman Kayla Klopfenstein has appeared in 14 games this season and started three. She has scored a season-high six points in both the season opener against Barry University (Fla.) and against Lincoln University. Six of her seven made field goals have been from behind the arc.
Freshman Kaitlin Stump has played in eight games this season for the Bulldogs and has just three-points in 37 minutes. Stump logged a season-high nine minutes in a Bulldog non-conference victory over Maryville University and had a key five minute span as the Bulldogs railed for 13 down against Lincoln University on Jan. 15th.
Freshman Bianca Szafarowicz has appeared in all 17 games and averages just over 16 minutes per game while making eight starts. Szarfarowicz scored a season-high 10 points against Nova Southeastern (Fla.). She has scored points 15 of the 17 games played and is shooting 42% from the field.
Truman On The Road:
Truman is 5-3 overall on the road this season and has matched the highest win total since the 2000-01 season. The most road wins in a season is eight set on three different occasions (1978-79, 1990-91 and 1998-99. The Bulldogs matched a program best four-game road winning streak from Dec. 4 through Jan. 3 this season. The Bulldogs four conference road wins are the most since the 1999-00 season.
The Bulldogs are 4-2 in conference road games. Truman shoots 45% from the field while their opponents have shot just 40%. Behind the arc, the Bulldogs have made just 17 three-pointers for a 27% average. Nicole Gloor leads the team in road games with an 11.3 ppg mark while Breanna Daniels is second at 11 points per game.
Bulldogs At Home:
The women are 3-5 in games played in Pershing Arena this season. Breanna Daniels leads the team with 14.3 points per game and Nicole Gloor adding 9.5 a contest. Jennifer Conway averages 6.9 rebounds a game and as a team, Truman is a plus 4.1 in rebounding margin.
Shooting, the Bulldogs shoot only 36% from the field in home games and 34% beyond the arc.
Around the MIAA:
Northwest Missouri avenged their only two conference losses with back-to-back wins over Emporia State and Washburn to take over as the top team in the MIAA. The Bearcats hold a one game lead over the Lady Blues and have a two game cushion over Emporia State with nine league games left.
Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State are tied for fourth with identical 8-5 records, however the Lions currently hold the tie break with a win over Pitt State in the first half and will meet the Gorillas again on Feb. 9th.
Missouri Western knocked off Emporia State on Wednesday and sits alone in sixth place with a 7-5 record, they are a half game back of Southern and Pitt with still a make-up against Southwest Baptist on the schedule due to weather.
Central has tied Truman in seventh with two straight wins after the Bulldogs dealt the Jennies a crushing 78-74 overtime loss at home last Wednesday night. Those two schools will meet in the regular season finale in Kirksville on Feb. 26th.
Fort Hays State and Southwest Baptist are currently on the outside looking in with the Tigers at 5-8 and the Bearcats at 4-8. FHSU won at Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday night to keep their playoff chances alive while the Bearcats downed the Lincoln Blue Tigers at home Tuesday night.
Of Truman's remaining nine games, four are at home and five are on the road counting the Emporia State game. All four remaining home games are against team's currently tied or below the Bulldogs in the standings.
Bulldog Tip-Ins:
- In conference only statistics, the Bulldogs are second in scoring defense (62.2), and second in rebounding defense (35.1/g).
- Breanna Daniels is ranked in five overall MIAA stat categories. She is tied for tenth in scoring (13.9/g), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (36.1%), tied for ninth in three-pointers made (1.8/g) and tenth in minutes played at 33.0/g. In conference only stats, Daniels is 13th in scoring (12.4/g).
- Amy Galey is fifth in assists per game at 4.2/g, eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.3) and fourth in minutes played at 34.3. In conference only contests, she is sixth in assists (4.1/g), eighth in the assist/turnover ratio (1.4) and fourth in minutes played (35.1/g).
- Jennifer Conway is ninth in blocks per game at 1.2/g and eighth in conference stats at 1.2/g.
- Becka McHenry is tenth in conference only stats with 1.5 steals per game.
- The Bulldogs have the highest single-game field goal percentage so far this season. Truman shot 60.9% (28-of-26) against Southwest Baptist on Dec. 7th. Truman also registered the best three-point shooting by percentage that game with a five of eight performance for 62.5%.
- Truman has posted the most field goal attempts than any team in the MIAA in a single game with 87 against Northwest Missouri and also the most rebounds by a conference team this season with 60 against the Bearcats, 27 on the offensive end.
· Truman is averaging 61.0 points per game, last season the Bulldogs averaged 61.6.
· Other key stat comparisons from this year to last year include:
o FG% .404 from .403
o 3FG% .323 from .356
o FT% .710 from .779
· Breanna Daniels leads the team with 16, 10-point plus games this season and has 48 for her career. She is the active leading scorer with 822 points and has been the team's leading scorer in 12 of the 17 games.
· Seven different Bulldogs have been single-game leaders in rebounding with Jennifer Conway leading the way with six games with the most boards.
· Three Bulldogs have recorded double-doubles this season with two coming from Jennifer Conway and one apiece from Amy Galey and Megan Sharpe. Galey's was the only one that was for 10 assists and not rebounds.
· The Bulldog bench has averaged 21 points per game compared to the opposion's 14.6 per game. The eight points by the bench against Pitts State on Wednesday night was a season low while the season high was 50 against Maryville and 33 against Missouri Southern in conference.
Up Next:
Truman will return to the sunflower state on Wednesday night with a date against the Washburn Lady Blues. Washburn snapped the Bulldogs season-long four-game winning streak with a 57-51 setback on Dec. 11th in Pershing Arena. Washburn hosts Missouri Western on Saturday before tipping off against the Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
