Game Preview:

The Truman Women's Basketball team will exorcise a past demon on Saturday as they travel to Washburn (Kan.) University for a 1:30 p.m. MIAA conference game in Topeka. The Bulldogs enter the match-up with a 7-1 overall record and 2-1 in league play while the #15 Lady Blues are 9-2 and 2-0 in the conference.

Truman comes into the contest following Wednesday night's 79-54 victory over Southwest Baptist in which four players scored in double-figures led by Becka McHenry's 18 points and 10 assists. Freshman Allie Norton scored all of her 13 points in the first half to help break the game open and Breanna Daniels closed the period with 10 straight to shut the door on the Bearcats.

McHenry (14.1ppg) is averaging 20 points in three conference games, while also dishing out 42 assists and shooting 48% from the field from her guard position. Fellow junior Jennifer Conway is second on the squad at 13 points per game and leading in rebounding at 7.6 per contest. Norton (11.8/g) has been the team's top three-point shooter with 23 made in 49 attempts (46%) and is second on the team in assists with 28. Daniels, the team's leading scorer from a season ago, is averaging 10.5 points on 41% shooting and 39% from beyond the arc.

The Bulldog offense (77.5 ppg) is averaging nearly 15 points more per game than a season ago with the balanced scoring from the starters but will have to contend with a defense in Washburn that is allowing a shade under 50 points per game (49.8).

Meanwhile it is status quo for the Lady Blues as they find themselves once again ranked in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and atop the preseason polls for the MIAA. The Lady Blues got a double-double from Stevi Schultz and downed previously unbeaten Fort Hays State on the road Wednesday night 67-60. Schultz scored 12 and pulled down 13 rebounds as Coach Ron McHenry notched career win 299.

Ebonie Williams and Schultz lead the Lady Blues by each averaging a dozen points per game. Washburn is second in the MIAA in three-pointers made per contest at over eight a game while Truman is 10^th in opponent three-point field goal percentage (36.9%).

The Series:

Last season, Truman held the lead at the half in both games but Washburn was able to prevail 57-51 in Kirksville and 62-53 in Topeka to extend their winning streak to 18-games over Truman.

In the first match-up, Cassie Lombardino scored 29 of the Lady Blues 57 points but it was the eight minute scoring drought in the second half by the Bulldogs that gave Washburn the win. In Topeka, the Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points in the second half but Schultz scored all 19 of her points in the final seven minutes to lift Washburn to their 24^th straight win in Topeka against the Bulldogs.

Bulldogs Fast Start:

This is the fifth time the Truman program has started the season with a 7-1 record. The last was the 2007-08 season. Only two other times has a Bulldog women's basketball team been 8-1, those years were 1998-99 and 2007-08.

Bulldogs Fast Start (Part II):

Truman has had the lead at the half in six of the first eight games this season and have outscored opponents in the first 20 minutes 302-209 (+93).

Bulldogs In The Polls:

Truman received three votes in the WBCA/USA Today Division II Top 25 poll this week, up from two a week ago. It is the first time they had garnered some votes since Jan. 15, 2008 when they picked up votes in two consecutive weekly surveys.  The team also received votes in the Dec. 14, 2004 poll.

From Dec. 8, 1998 through Feb. 22, 2000, with the exception of one poll, the Bulldogs either received votes or were ranked nationally, a span of 21 polls. The highest ranking achieved was 14^th on Jan. 25, 1999.

The WBCA/USA Today Division II poll is released each Tuesday during the season.

Surpassing A Grand:

With 13 points against Pittsburg State, senior Breanna Daniels became the 16^th Truman women's basketball player to eclipse 1,000 points for a career and first since Georgia Mueller did so in 2009.

Daniels has started 76 of 89 games played during her Bulldog career and is shooting nearly 40% from the field with 120 made three pointers. Her single-game high in points is 27 against Northwest Missouri on Feb. 17, 2010.  She is averaging 11.5 points per game.

Daniels is third all-time in Truman history in made three-pointers (120), fourth in three-pointers attempted (350), eighth in free throw percentage (.786) and 10^th in field goals (394), field goals attempted (991) and games started (76).

Notable Conference Rankings:

Truman is ranked in the top five in 15 categories tracked by the MIAA. The team's highest ranking is second in three-point field goal percentage (43.1%) and turnover margin (+5.8). The Bulldogs are fourth in scoring offense (77.5), scoring defense (56.5) and margin of victory (+21.0) while third in free throw percentage (74.1%).

Individually, the four Bulldogs in double-figures in scoring are ranked in the top 30. Becka McHenry (14.1) is eighth, Jennifer Conway (13.0) is 12^th, Allie Norton (11.8) is 19^th and Breanna Daniels (10.5) is 29^th.

McHenry is second in assists per game at 5.3 while also being ranked in steals (1.4/T13^th), free throw percentage (76.0%-11^th) and assist/turnover ratio (1.9/4^th).

Norton is tied for seventh in assists (3.5/g), eighth in three-point field goal percentage (46.9%) and third in three-pointers per game (2.9/g).

Jennifer Conway is ninth in rebounding (7.6/g), 10^th in field goal percentage (51.3%), free throw percentage (78.6%) and is also ranked in blocks (15^th), offensive rebounds (9th) and defensive rebounds (11^th).

Daniels is 15^th in rebounds per game (6.6) and seventh in defensive rebounds (5.4/g).

Bianca Szafarowicz is 14^th in offensive rebounds per game at 2.5/g.

Nicole Gloor is tied for 13^th with McHenry in steals at 1.4 per game.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:

·         Truman is averaging 77.5 points and shooting 44% from the field, 43% from the arc and 74% from the line. Last season the team averaged 62.7 points shooting 39% from the field, 33% from beyond the arc and 66% from the free throw line.

·         The Bulldogs are winning the battle of the board. Truman is grabbing 41 per night while giving up just 31.9.

·         Three Bulldogs have topped 20 points this season. Becka McHenry and Nicole Gloor had single-game highs of 22 with McHenry's coming against Missouri Southern and Gloor's against Pittsburg State. McHenry also had 20 against Pittsburg State and Jennifer Conway scored 20 against William Penn.

·         Truman has had five different players through eight games lead them in scoring. McHenry has four games while Conway, Daniels, Gloor and Jenny Dorman each have one game.

·         Four Bulldogs have each recorded double-doubles through eight games. Jennifer Conway has two while Breanna Daniels, Allie Norton and Becka McHenry have one apiece. Three Bulldogs recorded double-doubles last season with five coming from Jennifer Conway and one apiece from Amy Galey and Megan Sharpe.

Up Next:

The Bulldogs will take on the other perennial MIAA heavyweight when they travel next Saturday to Emporia State University. Tip time from White Auditorium is slated for 2:30 p.m. and will be the final game in the 2011 calendar year.