Women's Basketball Weekly Notes: vs. William Jewell/at Rockhurst

Truman Women's Basketball Notes (February 4-6, 2016)
Twitter: @TrumanAthletics || @TrumanStateWBB || #BewareofDog || @TrumanGameday

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Game #24: Truman (17-8, 11-4 GLVC) vs. William Jewell (10-16, 5-10 GLVC)
When: Thursday, February 18, 2016 || 5:30 p.m.
Where: Kirksville, Mo. || Gen. John J. Pershing Arena
Live Stats || Live Stats (Media) || Live Video (GLVCSN) || Live Audio (KRES)
2015-16 Stats: Truman || William Jewell || GLVC || NCAA

Game #25: Truman (17-8, 11-4 GLVC) vs. Rockhurst (13-10, 6-9 GLVC)
When: Saturday, February 20, 2016 || 1:00 p.m.
Where: Kansas City, Mo. || Mason-Halplin Fieldhouse
Live Stats || Live Stats (Media) || Live Video (GLVCSN) || Live Audio (KRES)
2015-16 Stats: Truman || Rockhurst || GLVC || NCAA

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The race for playoff positions is up for grabs as Truman returns to "Pod Play" for the rest of the 2016 regular season. The Bulldogs will host William Jewell (Mo.) in the final regular season home game then travel to Kansas City to face the Rockhurst (Mo.) Hawks on Saturday afternoon.

With three games left in the regular season, the Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament and can finish no worse than sixth in the 12-team bracket, assuring a first round home game on February 29. However, the Bulldogs are in a battle for one of the top four spots that would skip the first round home game and advance the team straight to St. Charles for the quarterfinal round.

Truman is tied with Quincy for the fourth and final bye spot in the bracket. Both teams are 11-4 in conference play and both will finish the season with Rockhurst and William Jewell before the showdown in Quincy next Thursday night.

Lewis (15-0, 1^st GLVC East) and Drury (13-2, 1^st GLVC West) are close to securing the top two spots in the league tournament with Bellarmine (12-3, 2^nd GLVC East) currently at number three. Truman and Quincy are tied for fourth and Saint Joseph's (10-4, 3^rd GLVC East) nipping at the heels at sixth.

First up will be the regular season home finale against William Jewell on Thursday night. The Cardinals are 10-16 and 5-10 in the GLVC and have dropped their last three games. The Bulldogs downed WJC 61-54 in the first meeting back in Liberty on December 5. Courtney Strait led Truman with 16 points and Rachel
Steinhoff added 14 while the Cardinals were led by Blair Klostermann's 15 points.

On Saturday, Truman will take the trip down to Kansas City looking to avenge one of their four league losses. Rockhurst fended off the Bulldogs 56-55 in Pershing Arena in the GLVC opener back on December 3. The Bulldogs led by nine late in the first quarter but the Hawks stormed back to lead by seven midway through the fourth and held on for the one-point win. Mary Dineen led Rockhurst with 14 points while the Bulldogs were led by Brooke Bailey's 13 off the bench.

Courtney Strait led Truman last week in splitting a pair of games against GLVC East Division opponents. Strait scored 11 and pulled down 10 rebounds in both games notching back-to-back double-doubles for the second time in her career. The Bulldogs outscored UW-Parkside 31-19 in the second and third quarters to win 65-56 over the Rangers on Thursday night but could not come back from a 18-5 second quarter against #7 Lewis in a 59-51 loss on Saturday.

NCAA Regional Rankings:
The first set of NCAA Midwest Regional rankings will be released on Wednesday, February 17 at NCAA.com. It will be the first of three rankings that will be out prior to the Division II Women's Basketball Tournament Selection Show on March 6.

The top 10 teams consisting of the GLVC, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) will be ranked by defined selection criteria for postseason play. The conference tournament champions of all three leagues receive an automatic qualification to the 8-team regional tournament and five at-large bids will be up for grabs.

The Bulldogs last made the NCAA Tournament in 2014 as champions of the GLVC Postseason Tournament.

In Conference Home Games:
Truman has identical 5-2 records in both conference home and away games this season. In home tilts, the team is averaging 65.1 points per game while allowing 57.3 points and shooting 41% overall, 31% from three and 66% at the foul line.

The team has nearly made as many free throws as their GLVC counterparts have taken in home games. The Bulldogs are 118-of-178 at the line while opponents are 75-of-121.

Individually, Courtney Strait is leading the team in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (7.9) in home GLVC games. Kasey Gassensmith is second in scoring at 10 points per night.

Truman is 20-6 in GLVC Home Games since joining the league.

In Conference Road Games:
The Bulldogs average 60.1 points on offense and 57.3 points on defense in GLVC road games this season. They shoot better from three on the road (37% compared to 31%) and again have made more road free throws than the home teams have attempted (98 made by Truman, 95 attempted by opponents).

The team has a negative rebounding margin in road games (-3.3) but have a positive turnover margin (+1.4).
Strait is the only 'Dog that averages in double-figures at 10.7 per game but Rachel Steinhoff (9.9) and Michalina Tomczak (9.6) help lead the balanced attack.

Finishing Strong:
Truman is 3-2 in their last five games and has averaged 58.2 points offensively. The scoring leaders have been Strait (12.2/g), Cassidy Clark (9.2/g) and Gassensmith (9.0/g).

The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by 24 points in the last four games during the second half.

Again, looking at free throw numbers, Truman has made more (74) than their opponents have taken (71).

The Bulldogs are 15-1 this season when leading at the half and 16-0 when leading after three quarters. On the flip side, they are 0-8 when trailing at the half and 1-8 when trailing after three. The lone win was at Indianapolis when they trailed by three entering the final quarter and won by seven.

In Conference Games:
Truman is 11-4 in the GLVC with three more league games remaining on the schedule. The Bulldogs have reached 10 conference wins in each of the last five seasons and have had a winning record in conference games the past four years. The school record for conference wins is 12 and winning percentage (12-6/.667) was set in 2000, 2013 and 2014.

The four starters all average around 10 points per GLVC game. Courtney Strait leads the group at 11.4 points followed by Rachel Steinhoff (10.0), Kasey Gassensmith (9.5) and Michalina Tomczak (9.3). Truman has averaged 62.8 points while giving up 57.6 points in league games and have shot 40.2% overall, 34.5% from three and 68.5% at the free throw line.

Block Party:
Truman has broken the single-season blocks record and now sit at 109 this season. The previous mark was 103 set in 2007-08. The team is second behind Rockhurst in blocks per game at 4.26.

Michalina Tomczak has accounted for 52 of the 109 blocks this season which is good for second on the single-season block charts. She is 19 back of Georgia Mueller's 2006-07 total of 71 set in 2007-08. Cassidy Clark is second on the team with 22 blocks.

Tomczak is one of three Bulldogs all-time to block 100 shots. She is second overall with 112 blocks and joined Jennifer Perkins (107 from 1998-2002) and Georgia Mueller (195 from 2005-09) in that century club.

The Starting Five:
Michalina Tomczak, Courtney Strait, Rachel Steinhoff and Kasey Gassensmith have started all 25 games this season. Cassidy Clark (10) and Ashley Hartwig (11) have filled the other spot in most of the games played with Hartwig starting nine of the last 10. Tomczak has started 81 games over the past four seasons, Strait has started 54 and Steinhoff has started each of the 52 games she has played in since arriving on the Truman campus as a freshman.

Strait has a slight lead in the scoring race at 10.4 to Tomczak's 10.3 average. The two are separated by four total points this season. Rachel Steinhoff is third in scoring (9.0) followed by Kasey Gassensmith (8.9.)   Clark has averaged 6.8 points and Hartwig 5.8 points. Mackenzie Jerks, Rachel Edmundson and Brooke Bailey are the three freshmen that have played significant minutes this year with each averaging over two points per game. The bench as a whole, has averaged nearly 20 points a night.

Gettin It Done With D:
The Bulldogs are currently on pace to set a new defensive scoring mark. Truman enters the week allowing 54.7 points per game and would be only the second Truman team to have a defensive scoring average under 60 points. The school record is 57.1 points in 28 games played during the 2012-13 campaign.

Truman is eighth in the latest NCAA Division II rankings in scoring defense and leads the GLVC in that category. The Bulldogs have held opponents to under 50 points in 10 games this year. The program benchmark for most games holding an opponent under 50 goes back to the first year 1972-73 when they held the opposing teams to under 50 in 10 of the 15 games played. Truman has had 10 seasons in which they didn't hold anyone under 50 points in a game and another nine, including last year where it occurred just once in a season. In the post shot clock era, the record for holding opponents under 50 is five games set in 2012-13.

Strait Shooter:
Senior Courtney Strait is fourth among NCAA active free throw shooters. Strait's 86.6% from the line trails Lauren Gold of Shippensburg (Pa.), who's career mark is 89.4% is the national leader. She is also among the Division II career leaders in points scored (92nd) and free throws made (44th).

Strait became the 20^th Truman player to score 1,000 career points when she scored 14 in Truman's win over Maryville. She is now 19^th on the scoring chart having passed Sarah Sommer last weekend and is at 1,071 points. She is 20 back of former teammate Nicole Gloor for the 18^th spot on the list.

She became the 25^th player in Truman to play in 100 career games (110) this season and if she plays in the remaining three regular season games, will break the record of 112 games played shared by Carol Jarrard (1978-82) and Allie Norton (2011-15).

Upcoming Strait Milestones:
        Three-Pointers Made: 146 –seventh all-time (Next: 149 Susan Theroff, 152 Angie Gum)
        Three-Pointers Attempted: 427 – fourth all-time (Next : 417 Breanna Daniels, 662 Allie Norton)
        Free Throws Made: 297 – eighth all-time (Next: 316 Kristy Brown)
She is the career leader in free throw shooting percentage at Truman at 86.6%

Quarter Scoring:
Under the new quarter system, put in place this year for Women's Basketball. The Bulldogs are averaging 15.9 points per quarter while allowing 13.6. Truman has scored 20 points or more in a quarter 19 times and has given up 20 in a 10-minute span on 12 occasions. On the flip side, the Bulldogs have not scored 10 points in a quarter nine times and have held opponents less than 10 points in 21 separate quarters.

The most points scored in a single quarter are 29 against Central Christian and 28 by Bellarmine. The fewest points scored was six against Missouri Southern and two by Illinois Springfield.

Last Week's Recap:
Truman 65, Wisconsin-Parkside 56 (Box Score) –The Bulldogs grabbed 14 more rebounds than the Rangers (40-26) and held UWP to only six made field goals between the second and third quarters to pick up their 11^th league victory. Courtney Strait had a double-double, the third of her career, with 11 points and 10 rebounds but it was the Bulldog bench that provided most of the offensive support. Truman's bench, led by Cassidy Clark's 8-of-9 performance was 13-of-18 overall. Clark finished with a season-high 17 points in 19 minutes of action. Brooke Bailey also had a strong game for Truman with seven points, four assists and five steals. Stephanie Furr (20) and Brittney Fair (19) scored 39 of UWP's 56 points. The duo had 14 of the team's 18 made field goals.

Lewis 59, Truman 51 (Box Score) – The Bulldogs raced out to a 9-2 lead over the one-loss and #7-ranked Flyers on Saturday but a cold spell during the second quarter was too much to overcome in the loss. The Bulldogs were 1-of-14 from the field in the second quarter and scored only five points while Lewis tallied 18 to lead by 17 at the half. The Bulldogs clawed back into the game by outscoring Lewis 17-9 in the third quarter and got to within three at 54-51 with 1:27 to play. However, Lewis' all-America candidate Mariyah Brawner-Henley answered with a bucket, block and rebound to secure the win. Brawner-Henley scored 26 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in Lewi's 18^th straight victory. Kasey Gassensmith led Truman with a dozen points and Courtney Strait recorded her second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next:
Depending on the outcomes on Thursday and Saturday by Truman and Quincy, it could set up a winner-take-all showdown with the Lady Hawks in the Gem city next Thursday night. A potential first round bye could be up for grabs when the two travel partners meet at 5:15 p.m. from QU's Pepsi Arena. The Bulldogs defeated the Lady Hawks 65-62 in Kirksville on December 14.

#TSUvsWJC (Previous Box Score)
Truman will be searching for their sixth straight victory over William Jewell and have won all four games played under the GLVC banner since 2014. The Cardinals last victory over the Bulldogs was at a neutral site game in 1988 when WJC won 86-69 in Topeka, Kansas at the Washburn University Thanksgiving Tournament.

In the Cardinals last visit to Pershing Arena on January 22, 2015, senior Allie Norton's buzzer-beater enabled the Bulldogs to down WJC 61-58. Courtney Strait scored 19 points and Michalina Tomczak had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds with four blocks. Hayli Jo Smith scored 18 points for the Cardinals.

Strait has averaged 13.3 points in four games with William Jewell during her career. She has shot 39% from the field (16-of-41) with six three-pointers and 15-of-18 from the foul line. In addition, she had had five assists, two steals and a block.

Michalina Tomczak has recorded nine blocks against the Cardinals in four previous outings. She has averaged eight points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.

In two games Rachel Steinhoff has played against WJC, she has only one assist but has turned the ball over eight times. Her career totals are 123 assists to 105 turnovers and her season marks are 81 dimes to 55 TOs.

The Cardinals are last in the GLVC in Field Goal Percentage (.370) but are second in the league in offensive rebounds (14.38/game) and fourth in three-pointers made (6.58/game).

Maddie Nelson leads the team in scoring at 11.6 per game and 12.3 in GLVC-only games. She has taken the bulk of the Cardinals shots this season with 275 (36.7 FG%) and leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 per night.

As a team, the Cardinals shoot 37% overall, 32% from three and 74% from the free throw line.

The Cardinals are currently on a three-game losing streak with losses at Lewis (65-54) and home losses to Saint Joseph's (69-66) and Indianapolis (56-54) by a total of five points. WJC is 3-7 away from Liberty and 3-4 in road GLVC games.

#TSUvsRU (Previous Box Score)
Rockhurst broke a Truman six-game winning streak over the Hawks with their 56-55 win in Pershing Arena on December 3. The Bulldogs have won the last three played in Kansas City including a 63-52 victory in their last visit on January 23, 2014.

Kasey Gassensmith had 15 points, all off the bench against the Hawks in Truman's last visit to Mason-Halplin Fieldhouse. She was 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in 18 minutes of play.

In four games played, Courtney Strait has averaged 9.5 points against the Hawks with most of the damage coming from the foul line. Strait has shot 29% overall and 16% (3-of-18) from three against Rockhurst but has made 15-of-16 free throw attempts.

The Hawks lead the GLVC in free throw shooting at 76.7%, three-pointers made (9.43) and blocked shots (4.57).

Mary Dineen is third in the conference in scoring with 18.3 points per game mark. She is second in the conference in three-pointers made with 66. Dineen is also third in the league in free throw percentage (.874) and fourth in three-point shooting percentage (.471) with 2.87 triples per game.

Lauren Meyers is 18^th in the conference in scoring at 12 points per night. Along with Haleigh Cindrich, the duo has blocked 64 shots this season and as a team, Rockhurst has tallied 105 blocks.

Point guard Jillian Myers is first in the conference with 72 steals and has dished out 96 assists in 23 games this season.

After starting the year 10-4, the Hawks are 3-6 over their last nine. Rockhurst is 9-4 at home this season but only 2-4 in conference games played at home. Their two wins were by a total of three points, a 60-59 win over Missouri S&T and a 70-68 victory over Indianapolis.

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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

#42 Ashley Hartwig: F; 5' 11"; Sophomore

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

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

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

#01 Mackenzie Jerks: G; 5' 8"; Freshman

#31 Rachel Edmundson: F; 6' 0"; Freshman

#34 Cassidy Clark: C; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#42 Ashley Hartwig
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: F

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

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

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

#01 Mackenzie Jerks
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: G

#31 Rachel Edmundson
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F

#34 Cassidy Clark
: 6' 2"; Junior
: C