Final Test Awaits Truman Women Before Heading To Islands

Truman Women's Basketball Notes (December 14-18, 2015)
Twitter: @TrumanAthletics || @TrumanStateWBB || #BewareofDog || @TrumanGameday

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Game #10: Truman (6-3) vs. #23 Quincy (7-0)
When: Monday, December 14, 2015 || 5:30 p.m.
Where: Kirksville, Mo. || Pershing Arena
Live Stats || Live Stats (Media) || Live Video (GLVCSN) || Live Audio (KRES)
2015-16 Stats: Truman | Quincy

Game #11: Truman (6-3) vs. Hawaii Pacific (4-4)
When: Thursday, December 17, 2015 || 4:00 p.m (CT)
Where: Honolulu, Hi. || St. Francis High School
Live Stats || Live Video
2015-16 Stats: Truman | Hawaii Pacific

Game #12: Truman (6-3) vs. Southern Wesleyan (3-4)
When: Friday, December 18, 2015 || 7:00 p.m (CT)
Where: Honolulu, Hi. || St. Francis High School
Live Stats || Live Video (TBD)
2015-16 Stats: Truman | Southern Wesleyan

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The last "Final" of Finals Week will be a showdown between the Truman Women's Basketball team and #23 Quincy University on Monday night in Pershing Arena. It will be the first of two games with the Lady Hawks and will tip off at 5:30 p.m.

Following the #FurvsFeathers battle, the team will hop across the Pacific Ocean for the Oahu Christmas Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Bulldogs will take on Hawaii Pacific on Thursday and Southern Wesleyan (S.C.) on Friday.

Truman is third in the NCAA Division II in scoring defense this season. The Bulldogs have limited opponents to 50.0 points per game and have kept the opposition under 60 points in eight of nine games played. The 2012-13 team holds the school record for scoring defense at 57.1 points allowed per game and had 16 total games holding opponents to under 60 points.

A big part of the defensive success has come via the blocked shot. Senior Michalina Tomczak is tops in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and seventh in Division II in blocked shots with 23 this season. Tomczak is averaging 2.56 blocks per game and will tie former Bulldog Sarah Sommer with five more blocks for fourth all-time in Truman history.

Truman is second in the league in defensive rebounds per game at 27.7 and third in rebounding margin at +8.4. Opponents are averaging 9.2 offensive rebounds per game against the Bulldogs while shooting 35% from the field (ranked second) and 25% from three (ranked fourth).

In addition to blocks, Tomczak leads the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.3/g). She is joined by senior Courtney Strait among the top 30 in the GLVC in scoring. Tomczak is 18^th in scoring while Strait, averaging 10.0 points per game is 30^th. Tomczak has been in double-figure scoring in the past six games with a high of 19 with 11 rebounds against Upper Iowa on November 25.

Senior Kasey Gassensmith (6.6 ppg/2.3 rpg) and sophomore Rachel Steinhoff (7.2 ppg/3.3 apg) are the other two Truman starters that have been introduced in all nine thus far. Gassensmith is shooting 40% from the field while Steinhoff has a 2.00 assist/turnover ratio, good for sixth in the GLVC and 61^st nationally.

As a team, Truman is shooting 42% overall and 27% from three. At the line, the Bulldogs have gotten to the charity stripe 164 times and have hit 124 (75.6%). They are averaging 63.9 points per game. The Bulldogs are getting to the line on average 18 times per game while their opponents are shooting five less free throws per game.

#TSUvsQU (Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score)
Truman has won five of the last seven meetings with the Quincy Lady Hawks since the 2011 season. Three of those games, all wins, have been played in Kirksville.

The two teams split last year's GLVC games with Truman winning 75-65 on December 6, 2014 while the Hawks won 63-51 in the regular season finale in Quincy on February 26. In game one, Truman erased an eight-point QU lead early in the second half and outscored the Lady Hawks 44-28 in the final 20 minutes to win by 10. Six Truman players, led by Allie Norton's 16, finished in double figures for the Bulldogs and as a team shot 50% from the field despite going 7-of-22 (31.8%) from three. Maggie Cunningham was 7-of-11 from the field for 15 points for the Lady Hawks.

Game two saw Quincy take a one-point lead into the locker room then outscore the Bulldogs by 11 in the second half 34-23. Neither team shot above 40% overall for the game but Anika Webster and Cunningham led QU with 15 points apiece. Michalina Tomczak had 14 points for Truman and Courtney Strait added 13.

Quincy entered the WBCA/USA Today Top 25 poll this week and are number 23 after a 7-0 start. They will host Robert Morris-Peoria on Saturday afternoon prior to the game with the Bulldogs. Quincy is averaging 71 points per game offensively while hitting 44.5% of their shots and 6.4 three-pointers per game. Maggie Cunningham leads the Lady Hawks at 13.1 points per game while also dishing out 4.5 assists per contest. She has made 39-of-40 free throw attempts this season. Quincy won their two prior GLVC games over William Jewell and Rockhurst, both at home. They defeated the Cardinals 76-64 then needed a running layup by Cunningham to down the Rockhurst Hawks 67-66 last Saturday.

#BulldogsAloha
Surf, sand sun and basketball will be on the agenda following Monday night's game as Truman plays in Hawaii for the first time since 2007. That year, the Bulldogs had a successful trip as they earned a pair of wins an 88-55 win over Hawaii Pacific and a 75-52 victory over Shaw (N.C.).

Hawaii Pacific will be the opponent in the first game of the classic on Thursday. The Sharks are 4-4 this season and are coming off a 25-5 record and NCAA Tournament berth a season ago. Breanna Mackenzie leads Hawaii Pacific at 16.5 points per game and is joined in double figures by Brianne Yasukochi at 11.8.
The team hits nearly 40% of their three-point attempts and is averaging 68.8 points per game.

Southern Wesleyan is making their transition to Division II this year and are 3-4 overall. Aneysa Williams leads the Warriors in scoring at 11.6 per outing. SWU was 9-22 last year. This will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and Warriors.

Truman Last Two Games:
Rockhurst 56 Truman 55 (Box Score) –A see-saw affair had Rockhurst holding on for a one-point victory in the conference opener against the Bulldogs. Truman raced out to a nine-point lead in the first quarter but then trailed by seven with six minutes left to play. The Bulldogs chipped away but could not overtake the Hawks down the stretch. Freshman Brooke Bailey led the Bulldogs with a season-high 13 points.

Truman 61, William Jewell 54 (Box Score) – Brooke Bailey beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter to end a Cardinal 9-0 run and Truman held on for the conference win on the road. Rachel Steinhoff scored a career-high 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Michalina Tomczak added 10 points and four blocks. Truman led by 12 when Jewell hit three consecutive threes in the third quarter before Bailey hit the halfcourt shot to stop the barrage. Courtney Strait buried a triple to start the fourth quarter to restore order as both teams struggled in the fourth quarter going a combine 6-of-29 (20.6%) from the field.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will be off until a non-conference game against conference member Missouri-St. Louis on January 2^nd. The Tritons will return to Kirksville for a conference game on January 21^st.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Allie Norton: G; 5' 6"; Senior

#02 Brooke Bailey: G; 5' 6"; Redshirt Freshman

#30 Kasey Gassensmith: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#32 Rachel Steinhoff: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#23 Courtney Strait: G; 5' 10"; Senior

#44 Michalina Tomczak: C; 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

#12 Allie Norton
: 5' 6"; Senior
: G

#02 Brooke Bailey
: 5' 6"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#30 Kasey Gassensmith
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#32 Rachel Steinhoff
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

#23 Courtney Strait
: 5' 10"; Senior
: G

#44 Michalina Tomczak
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior
: C