Men's Basketball 1/27/2012 9:42:00 AM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: vs. Emporia State

Emporia State (8-10, 4-8 MIAA) @ Truman (5-14, 3-9 MIAA)

Saturday, Jan. 28; 3:00 pm
Pershing Arena; Kirksville, Mo.

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.sidearmstats.com/truman/mbball/index.htm

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
Two teams looking for a key MIAA victory will square off in Pershing Arena on Saturday afternoon, as the Truman men's basketball team (5-14, 3-9 MIAA) will host Emporia State (8-10, 4-8) at 3:00 pm on Truman Basketball Alumni Day.

Both the Bulldogs and Hornets are coming off Wednesday night losses, with Truman falling 73-56 at Pittsburg State and ESU dropping a 72-66 home decision to Missouri Western. It will be the first road game in two weeks for the Hornets, while Truman is in the midst of a stretch of four out of five within the Pershing Arena confines.

The two squads sit just one game apart with eight games to play in the MIAA 2011-2012 regular season, with ESU holding onto the No. 8 spot – one game behind Southwest Baptist and two ahead of both Truman and Lincoln. The Bulldogs and Blue Tigers are tied for ninth, one game ahead of Missouri Western.

Earlier this season, the two teams battled to a 60-59 ESU decision on Dec. 17 in Emporia, as the Hornets pulled through at the last possible instant with a buzzer-beating layup by Chris Simmons. ESU leads the all-time series 27-13, including a 12-6 edge in Kirksville, while running off nine straight victories dating back to an 88-75 Truman win on March 1, 2007 in the MIAA tournament.

Members from that squad will join others on Saturday in Pershing as part of Basketball Alumni Day, which begins with an Alumni Game at 10:30 am. A handful of previous Bulldogs are scheduled to play in the game, including multiple members of the last two NCAA tournament teams.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 12.2 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer both overall and in MIAA (13.5) games. He is also second on the squad in rebounding at 4.4/game (5.3 in MIAA-only) and is 67-for-93 (72%) from the line with three 20+-point games.
·       Junior Tom Norton ranks second on the squad at 11.4 points per game as one of three players in double-figures. He has made 48 triples this season and is 43-for-52 (83%) from the free throw line.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He has started all 19 games and leads the squad with 14 blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 9.6 ppg and is the team's assist leader (52).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 40 triples and is averaging 8.3 points per game.
·       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.
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He is fourth on the squad with 16 triples.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has played in all but one game and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (32). 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 3.3 points and 3.7 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 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in ten minutes per game. He is shooting 57% from the floor.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 5-14 (3-9 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 42.4% from the field as a team, including a 34.3% (131-for-382) mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line nearly 22 times per game. Truman is connecting at a 67.0% (278-for-415) 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 95 total starts in the 18 games this season, 56 (59%) have been made by freshmen and 69 (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 177 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 78 career blocks puts him 4^th all-time at Truman, trailing Nick Certa (2004-08; 82) for third.

Scouting the Hornets:
Emporia State (8-10, 4-8 MIAA) comes to Pershing having lost four straight, most recently behind three straight home losses to Fort Hays State, Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western. Since the team's one-point win against the 'Dogs earlier this season, the team is just 1-7 with its lone win coming at home against Lincoln on Jan. 11.

Tola Lawal, who scored 27 off the bench in the earlier meeting between these two squads on Dec. 17, is the team's leading offensive producers at 13.1 ppg. Chris Sights is the only other regular in double-figures at 11.3 points per game for an ESU squad that is shooting 44% from the floor, 37% from three-point range and 69% from the free throw line.

The Hornets are just 1-5 in true road games this season, including a 1-4 mark in MIAA games. Their lone road win came at Missouri Western on Dec. 3.

Shaun Vandiver is in his first season at the helm in Emporia.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs have two MIAA games next week, beginning with a Wednesday (Feb. 1) night home battle with Washburn before traveling to Southwest Baptist on Saturday (Feb. 4) afternoon.

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