JAN. 4, 2001

Men's Basketball Team Hosts Missouri Southern on Saturday,
Travels To Washburn on Monday

THE GAME: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Missouri Southern State College Lions (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II)
DATE: Sat., Jan. 6
TIME: 3:30 p.m. (CST)
LOCATION: Kirksville, Mo.
ARENA (CAPACITY): Pershing Arena (2,600)

THE GAME: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Washburn University Ichabods (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II)
DATE: Mon., Jan. 8
TIME: 7:30 p.m. (CST)
LOCATION: Topeka, Kan.
ARENA (CAPACITY): Lee Arena (4,298)

BROADCAST: KRES 104.7 FM, Moberly, Mo., Brad Boyer, play-by-play and Hank Janssen, commentary. The pregame show begins about 20 minutes before the game

TEAM LINE: Live KRES broadcast by calling 1-800-846-4700. Access Code: 6350. Charges must be billed to a credit card.

HARRY GALLATIN DAY COMING UP: On Saturday, Jan. 20, Truman State University will retire the No. 44 jersey worn by former Bulldog legend and NBA All-Star Harry Gallatin. The 'Dogs will be taking on Emporia State University (Kan.) with a 3:30 p.m. tipoff.

TRUMAN'S 2000-01 RECORD: 4-5, 0-1 MIAA
MISSOURI SOUTHERN'S 2000-01 RECORD: 8-3, 1-0 MIAA
WASHBURN'S 2000-01 RECORD: 7-2, 0-1 MIAA

TRUMAN PROBABLE STARTERS
3-Mike Peterson, Sr., G, 5-11, 176 (12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
4-Aaron Mueller, Fr., G, 5-10, 170 (3.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
25-Scott Coykendall, Jr., F, 6-4, 210 (12.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
35-Brian Brown, Sr., F, 6-6, 216 (16.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
40-Matt Beran, Fr., F, 6-6, 215 (5.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg)

MISSOURI SOUTHERN PROBABLE STARTERS
14-Eddin Santiago, Jr., G, 6-1, 167 (7.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
20-Terry Shumpert, Jr., G, 6-2, 173 (15.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
23-Carlos Escalera, So., G, 6-3, 180 (19.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
30-Leo Gomes, Sr., F, 6-5, 205 (10.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
40-Willard Winn, Jr., F, 6-6, 200 (8.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

WASHBURN PROBABLE STARTERS
3-B.J. Ross, Sr., G, 5-11, 190 (5.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
12-Shannon Kruger, Jr., G, 5-10, 170 (8.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
15-Randolph Williams, Sr., G, 6-2, 180 (12.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
33-Eric Carter, Sr., F, 6-9, 220 (16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
52-Ewan Auguste, Sr., C, 6-8, 220 (14.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg)

TRUMAN: The Bulldogs will be looking for their first MIAA victory of the season when they host Missouri Southern on Saturday in a matchup of two teams that have experienced the NCAA Division II Final Four over the past two years. On Monday, Truman begins a three-game road trip that will take the squad to Topeka, Kan., St. Joseph, Mo. and finally on to Bolivar, Mo.

After having their three-game winning streak snapped less than a week ago, the 'Dogs have lost two in a row, including Wednesday's 81-67 MIAA setback to Central Missouri in the conference opener.

In non-conference action, Truman picked up wins over Hannibal-LaGrange, Westminster, Monmouth (Ill.) and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The team's losses came at the hands of Southeast Missouri, Lincoln, Drury and Missouri-St. Louis.

TRUMAN VS. CENTRAL MISSOURI (jan. 3): Five Bulldogs scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as Truman fell 81-67 to Central Missouri in Wednesday's conference opener for both teams.

The Bulldogs got out to a sluggish start as they managed just eight points in the first 10 minutes of the game. But Truman heated up and went on a 16-8 run to close the gap to nine points, 33-24, with just over two minutes remaining. After CMSU held on for a 40-26 halftime lead, the 'Dogs began the second half on an 11-2 spurt and cut the lead down to five. However, that was as close as the 'Dogs could get as the Mules held on for the win.

Senior guard Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa) finished with 17 points to lead the Bulldogs, who dropped only their second home game this season. Junior guard Nathan Owen (Cape Girardeau, Mo./Southeast Missouri State) and senior forward Brian Brown (Centralia, Mo.) finished with 12 points apiece. Junior forward Scott Coykendall (Elmwood, Ill./Spoon River JC) added 11 points and freshman Matt Beran (Victor, Iowa/HLV-Victor), making his first collegiate start, tallied 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for his second career double-double.

ABOUT THE LIONS (8-3, 1-0): Missouri Southern opened its MIAA schedule on Wednesday night with an 83-73 home win over Washburn (Kan.). The win marked MSSC's sixth consecutive win after the squad began with a 2-3 start.

Sophomore guard Carlos Escalera averages a team-high 19.5 points, which ranks second in the MIAA. Two other Lions are in double digits as well; junior Terry Shumpert averages 15.1 points and senior Leo Gomes 10.6. Shumpert ranks ninth in the league's scoring race, while Gomes' team-high 7.6 rebounds is fifth in the conference.

Junior guard Eddin Santiago tops the MIAA in assists (6.8 pg) and assist-turnover ratio (3.95) and ranks second in steals (3.18 pg). Escalera is also third in free throw percentage (.833), sixth in steals (2.36 pg) and fourth in three-pointers made (2.36 pg). Gomes is fourth in steals (2.55 pg) and sixth in blocked shots (1.09 pg). Junior Willard Winn ranks fourth in the league in blocked shots.

Southern opened the season with wins over Ozark Christian (137-36) and Midwestern State (Texas) (74-62) before dropping three straight to Southern Indiana (81-72), Northeastern State (Okla.) (63-55) and Lincoln (88-85). The Lions have since bounced back with victories over Oakland City (86-54), Arkansas Tech (104-72), Metropolitan (P.R.) (76-73), Clark Atlanta (69-64), Fairmont State (66-57) and Washburn.

ABOUT THE ICHABODS (7-2, 0-1): Washburn got out to an 0-1 start in MIAA action thanks to its loss at Missouri Southern on Wednesday night. But the preseason conference favorite is 5-0 at home this season and enters Monday's game with the 'Dogs after a Saturday game at Southwest Baptist. WU has actually played 10 games this year, but is awaiting word from the NCAA on whether it must count a loss to Division I Kansas earlier this season.

Based on statistics from nine games (excluding KU), four Ichabods average double figures in the scoring column, led by senior Eric Carter at 16 points per game. Senior Ewan Auguste, the reigning MIAA MVP, averages 14.6 points to go with a team-best 6.3 rebounds (10th in MIAA). Senior Randolph Williams and sophomore Ryan Murphy round out WU's double-digit scorers, averagign 12.2 and 10.3 points, respectively.

The Ichabods are one of the MIAA's best shooting clubs, as witnessed by their No. 1 ranking in field goal percentage (.481) and three-point field goal percentage (.383).

Auguste is third in the league with a .621 field goal percentage, while Carter is eighth at .515. Murphy is fifth in free throw percentage (.805), and junior guard Shannon Kruger is fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.450) Carter stands ninth in three-point percentage (.392) and threes made per game (2.00). Auguste also ranks ninth in blocks (0.90 pg) and Kruger second in assist-turnover ratio (2.50).

The Ichabods have victories this season over Evangel (106-90), Friends (93-57), Rockhurst (95-75), Newman (78-69), Missouri-St. Louis (65-53), Lincoln (94-86) and Benedictine (88-63). Excluding their KU loss (99-56), WU's other defeat came at the hands of Western Washington (72-70) in Las Vegas.

COACHES RECORDS: Bulldog head coach Jack Schrader is in his sixth season at Truman and has a record of 77-72 for a winning percentage of .517. He is 4-6 versus Missouri Southern and 5-5 against Washburn.

Robert Corn is in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach, with each year spent at Missouri Southern. He has a career mark of 171-146 (.539)

Bob Chipman, in his 22nd year as a head coach, has coached every year at Washburn. He has a career record of 491-176 (.736).

SERIES INFORMATION WITH MSSC:
Record: Series tied 10-10
Games at Kirksville, Mo.: Truman leads 7-4.
Games at Joplin, Mo.: MSSC leads 5-2.
Neutral Site Games: Series tied 1-1.
Last Meeting: Feb. 5, 2000, at Kirksville.
Last Truman Win: 74-71, Feb. 22, 1999, at Kirksville.
Last MSSC Win: 68-62, Feb. 5, 2000, at Kirksville
Most Points by Truman: 97 (107-97, 3OT), Jan. 27, 1996, at Kirksville.
Most Points by MSSC: 107 (107-97, 3OT), Jan. 26, 1996, at Kirksville.
Largest Truman Win: +14 (87-73), Jan. 15, 1994, at Kirksville.
Largest MSSC Win: +25 (86-61), Jan. 18, 1992, at Joplin.
Current Streak: MSSC won 2.
Last Truman win at Joplin: 64-61, Feb. 14, 1998.
Last MSSC win at Kirksville: 68-62, Feb. 5, 2000

SERIES INFORMATION WITH WASHBURN:
RECORD: Washburn leads 19-13
Games at Kirksville, Mo.: Truman leads 10-5
Games at Topeka, Kan.: WU leads 14-2
Neutral Site Games: Truman leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Jan. 31, 2000, at Topeka
Last Truman Win: 78-73, Jan. 3, 2000, at Kirksville
Last WU Win: 70-48, Jan. 31, 2000, at Topeka
Most Points by Truman: 86 (86-83), Dec. 4, 1976, at Topeka
Most Points by WU: 102 (102-82), Dec. 3, 1983, at Topeka
Largest Truman Win: +12 (57-45), Dec. 1, 1973 at Kirksville
Largest WU Win: +41 (93-52), Feb. 3, 1997 at Topeka
Current Streak: WU won 1
Last Truman win at Topeka: 67-65, Feb. 1, 1999
Last Washburn win at Kirksville: 72-69, Jan. 10, 1998

INJURY REPORT: Freshman guard Eric Delaney (Marceline, Mo.) is day-to-day after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Sophomore forward Eric Wade (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North) is out indefinitely after sustaining minor injuries in a car accident. Sophomore center Adam Glosier (St. Charles, Mo./U.S. Military Academy) will likely miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD: With a 4-2 start at home this season, the 'Dogs are 38-11 at home dating back to the start of the 1997-98 season, including a 21-2 mark in non-conference home games.

GLASSWORK: The Bulldogs have out-rebounded seven of their first nine opponents and rank second in the MIAA in defensive rebounds (26.22 pg). The 'Dogs average 37.9 boards per game, compared to 32.6 for their opponents. And on the offensive glass, Truman has surpassed its foes to the tune of 105-68. Three Bulldogs currently average more than six rebounds a game, including Brown's team-leading mark of 7.6 boards. Beran averages 6.6 per game, while Coykendall pulls in 6.2. All three rank in the top 11 for the conference. Truman ranks among the top four in four of the five rebounding categories in the MIAA.

BULLDOGS AMONG CAREER LEADERS: On Wednesday night, Brown closed to within 11 points of becoming the 18th member of Truman's 1,000-point club and is 28 points away from tying Steve Liford in 17th on the Bulldogs' all-time scoring list.

Brown also moved up a spot to 23rd on the career rebounding chart, as his eight boards on Wednesday gave him 431 for his career. In career assists, Brown's team-high five versus Central Missouri puts him at 135 for his career and moved him up to 25th place on that chart. He also stands ninth in career free throws with 230, just five back of eighth place.

Peterson climbed to within 29 three-pointers of tying fifth-place Jason Ramthun (164 treys made) on the career three-pointers list. In addition, he's 17th in career free throws (171) and 20th in career assists (164). Peterson also has 742 career points.

BULLDOGS IN THE MIAA (Through games of Jan. 3): In the latest MIAA team statistics report, the Bulldogs ranked second in rebounding defense (32.6 rpg allowed), rebounding margin (+5.3 rpg) and defensive rebounds (26.22 pg), and were third in scoring defense (66.9 ppg allowed) and assist-turnover ratio (1.04).

Individually, Truman boasts three of the league's top 11 rebounders, as Brown (7.6 rpg) ranks sixth, followed by Beran (6.6) in ninth and Coykendall (6.2) in 11th.

Brown also ranks seventh in scoring (16.1 ppg) and field goal percentage (.529) and 10th in blocks (0.89 pg).

Coykendall, who averages 12.8 points, is No. 20 on the scoring chart and ninth in field goal percentage (.479).

Beran teams with Brown to give the 'Dogs two of the MIAA's top 10 shot blockers, as he stands fifth in blocked shots (1.11 pg).

Peterson averages 2.44 steals, good enough for fifth in that category. He's also sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.442) and tied for seventh in threes made (2.11 pg).

MIAA Standings

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