Men's Basketball 2/6/2012 2:21:00 PM Tyler Madsen, Truman Athletics

Men's Basketball Notes: at Fort Hays State

TRUMAN (6-16, 4-11 MIAA) @ Fort Hays State (14-6, 8-6 MIAA)

Wednesday, Feb. 8; 7:30 pm
Gross Memorial Coliseum; Hays, 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://web.fhsu.edu/athletics/livestats/mbasketball/xlive.htm

PDF Notes

Game Preview:
The two most distant MIAA schools by mileage will meet on Wednesday night, as the Truman men's basketball team heads to the plains of western Kansas for a 7:30 pm tipoff on the campus of Fort Hays (Kan.) State University.

With five games to play in the 2011-12 MIAA regular season, it will be an all-out sprint for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament between the Bulldogs, Emporia State, Lincoln and Missouri Western. Currently, the ESU Hornets hold the final spot at 4-10 in league play, with Truman (4-11), Lincoln (3-11) and MoWest (2-13) all clamoring to crack the eight-team field.

The Bulldogs (6-16 overall) will be out to snap a sweep last week that saw the squad average just 47 points in two games. Truman scored 45 in a 21-point home loss to Washburn on Feb. 1 before scoring just 49 in a 19-point loss at Southwest Baptist on Saturday. However, the 'Dogs have kept the defensive pressure up, holding each of the past three opponents to 70 points or less.

FHSU (14-6, 8-6 MIAA) will try to punch its ticket to Kansas City on Wednesday night as, with a win, the Tigers will wrap up a postseason berth. After a three-game stumble in early January, the Tigers have won four of their last six, despite a 79-67 loss at Washburn on Saturday.

Earlier this season, the then-9^th ranked Tigers held off the Bulldogs 63-58 on Jan. 2 in Pershing Arena. Truman was paced by 23 points from freshman Seth Jackson and 16 from junior EJ Hicks in a game that saw the Bulldogs shoot just 31% from the floor. Truman led by as five in the first half and crept to within four with three minutes to play but could not draw even before falling by five.

Fort Hays has won the last eight matches in the series to build a 10-3 all-time. Truman's last win in the series came in Hays on Jan. 9, 2008 in a 60-48 victory. Truman has lost three straight road games, while FHSU is 8-3 (3-3 MIAA) at home this season.

A Fast Check of the Regulars:
·       Freshman Seth Jackson, at 11.6 ppg overall, is the team's leading scorer both overall and in MIAA (12.4) games. He is also third on the squad in rebounding at 4.3/game (4.9 in MIAA-only) and has three 20+-point games.
·       Junior Tom Norton ranks second on the squad at 11.0 points per game as one of three players in double-figures. He has made 54 triples this season and is 50-for-60 (83%) from the free throw line.
·       Redshirt freshman Mike Carlson is averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He is the only Bulldog to have started all 22 games and leads the squad with 17 blocks.
·       Junior transfer EJ Hicks is averaging 8.9 ppg and is the team's assist leader (58).
·       Sophomore Isaac Gardner has made 49 triples and is averaging 8.5 points per game.
·       Freshman Andrew Vander Zwaag has played in all but two games this season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He is fourth on the squad with 18 triples.
·       Sophomore Marek Bush has started the last six games and is the team-leader on the offensive glass (34). He is tied for the team-high in rebounds (4.5/gm) and is shooting 49% from the field.
·       Freshman Tyler Anderson has earned five starts and is averaging 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
·       Senior Vesko Filchev has played in 14 games, averaging 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game. He is shooting 58% from the floor.
·       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.

Bulldog Tip-Ins:
·       The Bulldogs are 6-16 (4-11 MIAA) in 2011-12 after going 7-19 (5-17) last year.
·       Truman is shooting 41.5% from the field as a team, including a 34.1% mark from three-point range.
·       The 'Dogs are getting to the free throw line more than 22 times per game, connecting at a 66.7% mark on the year.
·       Against ESU on Jan. 28, the Bulldogs hit 34 free throws (5^th most in school history; most since 1/18/88 vs. QU; 36) and took 48 attempts (4^th most in school history; most since 2/22/97 vs. Lincoln; 49).
·       The Bulldogs have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, led by Jackson's team-high eight 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 110 total starts in the 22 games this season, 62 (56%) have been made by freshmen and 78 (71%) have been made by newcomers overall (Hicks + freshmen).

Career Check:
·       Tom Norton has hit 183 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) who are currently at the top (.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 Tigers:
Fort Hays State (14-6. 8-6 MIAA) comes into Wednesday night sitting fifth in the MIAA, 1.5 games back of fourth-place Missouri Southern and a half-game ahead of both Pittsburg State and Southwest Baptist. The Tigers need a win on Wednesday night against Truman to clinch an MIAA postseason berth.

The Tigers are scoring nearly 70 points per game behind four players in double-figures. Karron McKenzie, after scoring 12 points in the teams' earlier meeting in Pershing Arena, leads the Tigers at 11.2 ppg, while three others fall in the ten point range. As a team, FHSU is shooting 45% from the floor, 35% from three-point range and 70% from the free throw line.

Mark Johnson is in his 11^th season at the school, having posted a career mark of 221-95.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will be idle for four nights before returning to action on Monday, Feb. 13 for a nonconference tilt with Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.). Tipoff from Pershing Arena is set for 7:00 pm.

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