Carlson Cracks 1,000 as Bulldogs Rout Bearcats

FINAL: Truman 91, McKendree 60 || Box Scores (HTML | XML | PDF)
2013-14 Schedule || 2013-14 Season Stats || Career Stats (active players)

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - Senior forward Mike Carlson became the 26^th member of Truman's 1,000 point club, and junior guards Seth Jackson and Reed Mells combined for 39 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, as the Bulldog men's basketball team trounced McKendree 91-60 on Saturday afternoon in Pershing Arena.

The Bulldogs (10-3, 3-2 GLVC) never trailed against the Bearcats (6-5, 0-3 GLVC), with a three-pointer by Mells at the 16:37 mark of the opening half giving Truman the lead for good at 9-6. The margin would stay within single digits for seven more minutes, but a lay-up by redshirt freshman Connor Erickson pushed the Truman lead to 26-15 with 9:23 to go in the opening half. From there, the Bulldogs kept a double-figure distance from McKendree, who mustered only a 32% shooting effort against a stout Truman defense.

Meanwhile, Carlson made history in the second half, when, at the 12:42 mark, he cut into the paint and knocked home his eighth and ninth points of the afternoon to reach the 1,000 point mark for his career. He joins 25 other Bulldogs in 94 seasons of men's basketball to reach that plateau – finishing the game with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 26 minutes.

Mells took home top billing on the afternoon by hitting 9-of-13 shots – including three triples – for 21 points, while also adding a game-high six assists next to five rebounds and four assists. Backcourt mate Jackson scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half, finishing with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double behind an 8-of-13 shooting effort. Sophomore Andrew Vander Zwaag drained five three-pointers to round out Truman's double-figure scorers with 15 points.

Erickson added nine points, four rebounds and a game-high four blocks in 17 minutes off the bench for Truman. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs held the Bearcats' top scorer entering the game – guard Clinton Happe – to just eight points and just a 1-of-7 shooting afternoon.

For the game, Truman shot 53% from the field, including 18-of-30 (60%) in the second half. The team hit a dozen three-pointers en route to a 44% mark and added a season-high 13 steals. The Bulldogs committed a mere five turnovers alongside 21 assists while turning 16 Bearcat miscues into 20 points on the offensive end.

The Bulldogs – who matched last season's wins total in just the first 13 games of this season – return to action on Thursday (Jan. 16) night to host Missouri-St. Louis. The Tritons (9-4, 3-2 GLVC) suffered a pair of home losses to Lewis and UW-Parkside this weekend and sit alongside Truman in a tie for second place in the GLVC West – one game back of division-leading Drury.

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