Men's Basketball Notes: at Pittsburg State

TRUMAN (5-13, 3-8 MIAA) @ Pittsburg State (11-7, 7-4 MIAA)

Wednesday, Jan. 25; 7:30 pm
John Lance Arena; Pittsburg, Kan.

Audio: 104.7 FM – KRES (Moberly, Mo.); Also streamed online at CentralMOInfo.com
Video: http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=295
Live Stats: http://www.pittstategorillas.com/live/basketball/XLIVE.HTM

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
Coming off a pair of hard-fought home losses against two of the top three MIAA teams last week, the Truman men's basketball team will look to pick up a season sweep of the Pittsburg State Gorillas on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm in Pittsburg, Kansas.

The Bulldogs (5-13, 3-8 MIAA) shot 51% from the floor and had three players in double-figures to down Pitt State (11-7, 7-4 MIAA) 66-57 in the first meeting between the squads earlier this season. From that point, the two teams have been part of the same story but playing different characters, as Truman has dropped five games in league play by six or less points whereas Pitt has gone 4-0 in such games this year.

On Saturday, Truman put then-No. 16 Missouri Southern against the ropes, leading with less than two minutes to play before the visiting Lions escaped Pershing Arena with an 80-74 victory. Junior guard Tom Norton led all Bulldogs with a career-best 29 points behind eight triples.

Meanwhile, Pitt State snapped a two-game skid on Saturday with a 69-67 win at Missouri Western behind 19 points apiece by Andra Bailey and JaVon McGee. The Gorillas forced 22 Griffon turnovers in a game that featured poor free throw shooting (24-for-43 combined) and an overall lack of defensive rebounding (28 combined offensive rebounds).

Wednesday night will mark the 44^th all-time meeting between the two schools, with PSU holding a 32-11 advantage. The Gorillas have a 17-3 lead in games played in Pittsburg and have won five of the last eight.

Senior Vesko Filchev is averaging 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in six career games against PSU, with Norton checking in at 7.6 points and six total triples in five career games.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 12.3 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer both overall and in MIAA (13.5) games. He is also tied for the team's rebounding lead at 4.6/game (5.6 in MIAA-only) and is 61-for-84 (73%) from the line with three 20+-point games.
·       Junior Tom Norton ranks second on the squad at 11.6 points per game as one of three players in double-figures. He has made 45 triples this season and is 43-for-52 (83%) from the free throw line.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He has started all 18 games and leads the squad with 13 blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 9.8 ppg and is the team's assist leader (47).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 36 triples and is averaging 7.8 points per game.
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. He is fourth on the squad with 16 triples.
·       Freshman Patrick Burmester has started 13 games and is averaging 4.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg. He also has 12 blocks and is shooting 51% from the floor.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has played in all but one game and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (30). He logged career-highs in points (14) and rebounds (11) at MWSU on Jan. 11.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has earned five starts this season and is averaging 3.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He has averaged one point and rebound more per game in MIAA play.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in ten games overall, averaging 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in ten minutes per game. He is shooting 57% from the floor.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 5-13 (3-8 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 42.5% from the field as a team, including a 34.5% (123-for-357) mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line more than 22 times per game, for a total of 12 additional attempts than their opponents on the year. Truman is connecting at a 67.5% (268-for-397) mark on the year.
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, led by Jackson's team-high seven times.
·       Truman has had eight 20-point scoring outings this season, led by Tom Norton's 29 against Missouri Southern, his 27 at Grand View and Seth Jackson's 25 against Central Christian. The guards are the only players to surpass 20 points in a game at least twice.
·       Of 90 total starts in the 18 games this season, 54 (60%) have been made by freshmen and 66 (73%) have been made by newcomers overall (Hicks + freshmen).
·       Norton's eight three-pointers against Missouri Southern were the most by any Bulldog since Steve Schieppe hit eight against Quincy on Jan. 14, 1989. Only two players (Schieppe vs. UCM on Feb. 3, 1988 and Elvind Gronli vs. Quincy on Dec. 17, 1988) have ever hit nine in a game in school history.

Career Check:
·       Tom Norton has hit 174 career three-pointers, putting him 6^th all-time at Truman. He trails Andy Guethle (1996-2000; 186) for 5^th.
·       Norton's career FT percentage of .862 is currently the program-best, leading both Scott Matthews (1993-94) and Mike Peterson (1987-89) at the top at .848.
·       Vesko Filchev's 77 career blocks puts him tied for 4^th all-time at Truman. He is tied with Erik Hansen (1982-87) and trails Nick Certa (2004-08; 82) for 3^rd.

Scouting the Gorillas:
Pittsburg State (11-7, 7-4 MIAA) enters Wednesday night having snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday at Missouri Western with a 69-67 victory. Prior to its back-to-back losses to Fort Hays State and Northeastern State, the Gorillas had won four in a row, including home wins against Missouri Southern and Washburn.

JaVon McGee (12.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) is one of three players in double-figures, joined by Eric Ray (12.0 ppg; 54 assists) and Andra Bailey (11.7 ppg; 8.6 rpg). The Gorillas are shooting 44% from the floor, 31% from three-point range and 71% from the free throw line.

PSU is 6-3 at home this season, including a 3-2 mark in MIAA games.

Kevin Muff is in his second season at the helm in Pittsburg and is joined by assistant coach and former Bulldog guard Matt Brock on the sideline.

Up Next:
Truman returns to Pershing Arena for two straight, beginning this Saturday at 3:00 pm against Emporia State.

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