JAN. 25, 2001

Truman Men's Basketball Set to Host Pittsburg State on Saturday

The Game: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Pittsburg State University Gorillas (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II)
Date/Time: Sat., Jan. 27, 3:30 p.m. (CST)
Location: Kirksville, Mo.
Arena (Cap.): Pershing Arena (2,600)

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.

TRUMAN PROBABLE STARTERS
3-Mike Peterson, Sr., G, 5-11, 176 (11.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
11-Jiri Mikl, So., F, 6-6, 182 (5.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
25-Scott Coykendall, Jr., F, 6-4, 210 (13.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
35-Brian Brown, Sr., F, 6-6, 216 (14.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
40-Matt Beran, Fr., F, 6-6, 215 (4.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg)

PITTSBURG STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
21-Brandon Pate, Sr., G, 5-11, 170 (12.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
24-Ryan Odaffer, G, Fr., 6-0, 170 (8.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
33-Max Ruark, G/F, Jr., 6-6, 195 (8.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
20-Dan Stanley, F, Jr., 6-5, 215 (16.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
10-Jai Pradia, F/C, Jr., 6-7, 225 (11.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

Truman (6-10, 2-6 MIAA): Truman broke a two-game skid on Wednesday night with a 59-45 win at Missouri-Rolla and are just two games back of fifth place in the current MIAA standings.

The 'Dogs have won two of their last four in conference play, including a 68-58 win over then-No. 5 Northwest Missouri on Jan. 17. Truman has been on the verge of two more upsets in MIAA action, falling by a combined four points to Missouri Southern and Washburn (Kan.).

Three Bulldogs average double figures in the scoring column, led by senior forward Brian Brown (Centralia, Mo.) who averages a team-best 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Brown began the week ranked in the MIAA top 10 in rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots, and was just outside the top 10 in scoring.

Junior forward Scott Coykendall (Elmwood, Ill./Spoon River College) is second on the team at 13.3 points, followed by senior guard Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa) at 11.8 points per game.

But the hottest player is currently sophomore Jiri Mikl (Ostrava, Czech Republic/University Laboratory HS-Urbana, Ill.). Mikl connected on a team- and career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's win at UMR for his first collegiate double-double. Mikl is averaging 10.1 points in his last eight games, compared with 1.8 in the first eight.

Overall, Truman has won three of the last four meetings with PSU and the last two games at Pershing Arena.

About the Gorillas (13-5, 6-2 MIAA): Pittsburg State is currently one of the hottest teams in the MIAA, having one five consecutive games, including a 78-61 home victory on Wednesday against Emporia State (Kan.). The Gorillas have won 13 of their last 15 games, since an 0-3 start to the season.

Junior forward Dan Stanley leads the PSU attack, averaging 16.9 points per game for fifth in the MIAA. Two others average double digits for the Gorillas, senior guard Brandon Pate (12.9 ppg) and junior center Jai Pradia (11.7 ppg). Pate and Pradia are averaging 14.3 and 14.1 points in MIAA games, while Stanley has held steady at 16.8 points.

Junior forward Max Ruark (8.3 ppg) is PSU's top rebounder at 6.4 boards per game to rank 10th among MIAA leaders. The 6-7 Pradia, who ranks second in the league in blocked shots (1.72 pg), is close behind at 5.8 caroms per game.

Pate is the fireplug to the Gorilla squad. He ranks fourth in the conference in assists (4.67 pg), sixth in steals (2.06 pg) and seventh in assist-turnover ratio (1.42). He's also 19th in scoring and eighth in free throw percentage (.800).

Freshman guard Ryan Odaffer (8.0 ppg) is second in the MIAA with a three-point field goal percentage of 45.6 percent (26-of-57).

As a team, the Gorillas are one of the conference's best shooting teams, connecting on 47.7 percent of their shots.

PSU's five game-tear includes impressive home wins over Washburn (77-64) and Missouri Southern (72-62). The Gorillas, who rank fifth in the South Central Region, are the lone team to knock off conference-leading MSSC. They also have wins this year over Drury (93-55) and Northeastern State (Okla.) (64-62), two teams in the top 10 for the region. Pittsburg has also dodged a couple of bullets, having earned a 64-61 conference-opening home victory over Missouri Western and a 68-67 road win at Missouri-Rolla, which followed an 1-2 start in league play for the Gorillas.

Coaches Records: Bulldog head coach Jack Schrader is in his sixth season at Truman and has a record of 79-77 for a winning percentage of .506. He is 3-6 versus PSU.

Gene Iba is in his sixth year at Pittsburg State and the 21st of his collegiate head coaching career. At PSU, he has compiled a record of 115-51 (.693). For his career, Iba is 341-254 (.573).

SERIES INFORMATION WITH PITTSBURG STATE:
Record: Pittsburg State leads 13-7
Games at Kirksville, Mo.: Pittsburg leads 7-4
Games at Pittsburg, Kan.: Pittsburg leads 5-2
Neutral Site Games: Series tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 26, 2000, at Kirksville
Last Truman Win: 86-64, Feb. 26, 2000, at Kirksville
Last PSU Win: 74-58, Jan. 29, 2000, at Pittsburg
Most Points by Truman: 91 (91-74), Jan. 2, 1975, at Springfield, Mo.
Most Points by PSU: 93 (93-64), Jan. 3, 1998, at Kirksville
Largest Truman Win: +22 (86-64), Feb. 26, 2000, at Kirksville
Largest PSU Win: +29 (93-64), Jan. 3, 1998, at Kirksville
Current Streak: Truman won 1
Last Truman win at Pittsburg: 76-74, Feb. 24, 1999
Last PSU win at Kirksville: 93-64, Jan. 3, 1998

Bulldogs in the MIAA (Through games of Jan. 25): Truman continues to lead the MIAA in defensive rebounds (26.63 pg) and is ranked in the top four in five other categories. The 'Dogs are second in scoring defense (66.1 ppg allowed) and field goal defense (.417). They're third in rebounding margin (+3.2) and fourth in rebounding defense (33.2 rpg allowed) and blocked shots (2.94 pg).

Individually, senior forward Brian Brown (Centralia, Mo.) ranks in the top 10 in three categories. He's sixth in blocked shots (1.00 pg), seventh in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and ninth in field goal percentage (.489). Brown also stands 11th in scoring with an average of 14.8 points per game.

Senior guard Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa) has moved among the leaders in free throw percentage, ranking second with a mark of .870. He's also sixth in three point field goal percentage (.408), eighth three-pointers made (1.94 pg) and seventh in steals (1.69).

Others ranked among conference leaders are junior forward Scott Coykendall (Elmwood, Ill./Spoon River College), who is 17th in scoring (13.3 ppg), and freshman forward Matt Beran (Victor, Iowa/HLV-Victor), who is seventh in blocked shots (0.94 pg) and tied for 14th in rebounding (5.7 rpg).

Truman vs. Missouri-Rolla (Jan. 24): After putting up just 19 points in the first half and trailing by seven at halftime, the Truman Bulldogs turned the tables on the Miners.

Truman erupted for 40 points after the break and held Missouri-Rolla to 19 second-half points in a 59-45 Bulldog road win Wednesday night.

Sophomore Jiri Mikl (Ostrava, Czech Republic/University Laboratory HS-Urbana, Ill.) tallied career-highs with 22 points and 10 rebounds as the 'Dogs won for the sixth straight time over UMR. Mikl, who made a team season-high six three-pointers on nine attempts, sparked Truman onto a 12-2 second-half opening run by hitting two threes in the first 1:33 after the half. That gave the Bulldogs a 31-28 lead that would stand for the remainder of the game.

Eighteen of Mikl's 22 points came in the second half. Brown finished the game with 16 points and Peterson added 14. Coykendall tallied seven points, with all of those coming after halftime.

UMR was led by Kasim Withers, who scored 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.

The Miners took the lead midway through the first half on the strength of a 12-4 spurt that wiped out an early 9-7 Truman lead. UMR went on to a 26-19 halftime advantage.

The 45 points allowed by the 'Dogs was the fewest they've given up all season. UMR shot 32.7 percent from the field, the lowest percentage by a Bulldog opponent this year.

Bulldogs Among Career Leaders: Brown remains 14th in among Truman's all-time scoring leaders with 1,081 points after moving from 16th to 14th on the list Monday night. He needs 35 points to surpass Jack Beck for 13th on the career list. With 473 career rebounds Brown is three short of catching Justin Matthews and joining the top 20 in that category. Brown also ranks seventh on the career free throws list with 257 (eight behind sixth-place Brian Basich), and is 23rd in career assists with 150. He also took over sole possession of sixth place on the Bulldogs' career blocked shots list with 56, snapping a tie with Greg Gordon. With 13 more blocks, he'll tie Rick Rigsbee for fifth place.

Peterson remains sixth in career three-pointers with 147, which is 17 behind fifth-place Jason Ramthun. He's up to 13th in career free throws with 191, as he passed Steve Schieppe on Wednesday. Peterson remains 20th in career assists with 177, but has closed to within 10 of 19th-place Justin Matthews. Peterson is also 180 points shy of joining the 1,000-point club.

Injury Report: Sophomore center Adam Glosier (St. Charles, Mo./U.S. Military Academy) will likely miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Freshman guard Eric Delaney (Marceline, Mo.) remains out indefinitely with an ankle injury.

BITS ON THE BULLDOGS:

5-Peter Aydt: A junior guard, Aydt had a career-high seven points in Truman's loss to Lincoln ... with 28 points on the season, has already surpassed his point total last year (16) ... has played in 14 of the 16 games with nine starts ... ranks sixth on the team in assists ... led the team in assists versus Hannibal-LaGrange and Drury.

40-Matt Beran: A freshman forward, Beran tallied a career- and team season-high four blocked shots in Truman's win over SIU-Edwardsville ... with just three more blocks, he'll have more than any Bulldog in a single season since 1994-95 (Steve Horton, 78) ... has played in every game, including four starts ... ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg), tied for third in assists (32, 2.0 apg) and sixth in scoring (77 points, 4.8 ppg) ... has two double-doubles on the year ... his first came in the Bulldogs' win over Hannibal-LaGrange when he charted 10 points and 10 rebounds ... his second, also a 10-point, 10-rebound effort, came in his first career start, versus Central Missouri ... had a team season-high and career-high five assists in the loss to Lincoln ... is tied for sixth in the MIAA in blocked shots and tied for ninth in rebounding.

35-Brian Brown: A senior forward, Brown is the team's scoring and rebounding leader with averages of 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game ... leads team in assists (35, 2.19 pg) ... leads team with 16 blocked shots and is second in steals (14) ... has played in all 16 games, starting each ... has played in every game since the beginning of the 1998-99 season, a total of 76 contests ... currently 14th all-time at Truman in scoring (1,081 points) ... is seventh all-time in free throws made and 21st in rebounding ... has scored in double figures in 14 of 16 games this year, including three games with 20 or more points ... has three double-doubles on the season ... matched his career-high and set a team season-high with 28 points in the loss to Lincoln ... also had a team season-high in field goals with 10 vs. LU ... ranked 11th in the MIAA in scoring, sixth in rebounding, ninth in in field goal percentage and tied for sixth in blocked shots.

52-Dusty Bruner: A junior center, Bruner went a perfect 2-of-2 at the foul line and grabbed two rebounds in the win over Hannibal-LaGrange, his only action of the season.

25-Scott Coykendall: A junior transfer from Spoon River College in Canton, Ill., Coykendall ranks second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.5 rpg) ... has scored in double figures in 12 of 16 games this year, including four efforts of 20 or more points ... tallied his first senior college career double-double with career-highs in points (23) and rebounds (13) in a win over Monmouth (Ill.) ... matched his career-high in points last week versus Emporia ... had a team-season-high streak of double-figure scoring games snapped at 11 on Monday night ... is 15th in the MIAA in scoring and eighth in free throw percentage (.779) ... among the squad's top free throw shooters and has connected on 44 of his last 55 attempts at the stripe ... shooting 79.6 percent (39-of-49) at the foul line in MIAA games ... has hit 13-of-33 three-point attempts (.394) ... fifth on team with 26 assists ... leads team with 35 offensive rebounds ... has led the team in scoring seven times this season and in rebounding four times.

A.J. Crum: A junior forward, Crum has yet to see any playing time with the Bulldog varsity squad this year.

14-Eric Delaney: Delaney has seen action in three games this year, but has missed time of late due to an ankle injury ... freshman guard is tied for team lead with two steals in the exhibition game versus Southeast Missouri ... scored his lone point of the year in the Bulldogs' win over Hannibal-LaGrange ... had two rebounds in each of the wins over SIU-Edwardsville and Westminster.

00-Bill Farr: Scored his only two points in his only game of the season, the win over SIU-Edwardsville ... a redshirt freshman forward.

15-Torre Finley: Played in 10 games, averaging 6.9 minutes an outing ... has seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal ... scored three-points in the win over Hannibal-LaGrange ... walk-on guard who moved up to the varsity from the junior varsity squad.

Adam Glosier: A sophomore center, Glosier started and played 20 minutes in the 'Dogs exhibition loss to Southeast Missouri ... he scored five points and had three rebounds and a steal ... is likely lost for the rest of the year with an injured posterior cruciate ligament in his knee ... transfer from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point).

32-Cory Long: Long's has played in two varsity games this season, seeing a total of four minutes of action ... Played briefly versus SIU-Edwardsville and had a three-minute stint versus Quincy (Ill.) ... a walk-on guard, playing primarily with the junior varsity.

50-Dan Mailath: Mailath had a career-high five points in Truman's win over Hannibal-LaGrange ... has played in seven of the 15 games this year, collecting his first two career starts ... has 11 points, eight rebounds two assists and a block in 35 minutes of action this year ... a junior center.

Bret Maxwell: Maxwell played briefly in Truman's win over Hannibal-LaGrange, his only playing time of the year ... a walk-on forward, playing mostly with the junior varsity.

11-Jiri Mikl: Mikl had a career day at Missouri-Rolla on Wednesday, establishing career-highs in points (22), field goals (8), attempts (13), three-pointers (6), three-point attempts (9) and rebounds (10) ... came on strong early in the MIAA season and has played in all 16 games this year ... leads team in field goal percentage (.508, 33-of-65) ... has connected on 19 of his 36 three-point attempts ... averaging 5.9 points and 3.0 rebounds ... has scored in double figures in four of the last seven games ... had a perfect night from the field vs. WU, hitting 5-of-5 field goals, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 at the stripe for 13 points ... has scored 81 points in his last eight games (10.1 ppg), compared with 14 in the first eight (1.8 ppg) ... shooting 56.5 percent from the field in MIAA games (26-of-46) ... has hit 17-of-18 free throws as a Bulldog, including all 10 attempts this year ... has hit at least one three-pointer in six of the eight MIAA games.

4-Aaron Mueller: A freshman guard, Mueller averages 13.3 minutes per game off the bench ... has played in all 16 games with one start ... is a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line ... had a career-high eight points in the win over Hannibal-LaGrange and matched it on Saturday versus Emporia ... logged a career-best three steals versus Westminster ... averaging 2.9 points and 1.0 rebounds with eight assists and five steals on the year ... has hit 10 three-pointers.

20-Nathan Owen: A junior guard, Owen has started 10 of the team's 16 games and ranks fourth in scoring ... tied for third on team with 32 assists (2.0 pg) ... has eight double-figure scoring games this year, including two career-high 14-point performances (versus Westminster and SIU-Edwardsville) ... connected on a career-high four of eight three-point goals versus Central Missouri ... has hit at least one three-pointer in five of the eight MIAA games ... redshirt junior who sat out 1999-00 after transferring from Southeast Missouri State

3-Mike Peterson: Ranks third on the team in scoring and leads the team with 27 steals ... Senior guard shooting 43.7 percent from the field, including 40.8 percent from the three-point line ... Shooting 87 (40-of-46) percent from the foul line this year ... a career 86 percent (191-of-223) free throw shooter ... has hit on 88 percent (176-of-200) of his charity tosses since his freshman year ... has 33 assists to rank second on the team ... leads team in minutes, averaging 34.3 per game ... charted career-highs with 27 points and eight field goals in the 'Dogs' win over SIU-Edwardsville ... has reached double figures in 11 games this season, including two with 20 or more points ... finished with a game-high 20 points in Truman's upset win over NWMSU ... had a career-high nine rebounds in the loss to Drury ... comes in seventh in the MIAA in steals, three-point field goal percentage and threes made ... ranks fourth on the team in rebounding ... is sixth all-time at Truman in career three-point goals ... also 13th in career free throws and 20th in career assists (177).

42-Eric Wade: Has played in 12 games this season ... logged his first career start in the loss to Drury ... had a career-high seven points in the loss to Lincoln ... reached career highs in blocks (3) and rebounds (10) versus Quincy (Ill.) ... has five blocks this year ... averaging 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 points in eight minutes per game ... has played in 20 career games.

Truman @ Pittsburg State (Jan. 29, 2000): In a game predominantly controlled by Pittsburg State, the Bulldogs dropped their fifth straight conference road game on Jan. 29, 2000, losing 74-58 to the Gorillas.

Truman trailed 41-31 at the half and fell behind by 12 to start the second half. However, the 'Dogs used a 12-4 run to close to within four near the midway point of the second stanza. Truman stayed within seven of PSU until a three-pointer from Cory Parker made it 57-54 with 6:03 to play. That's when the Gorillas went on a 17-4 run to close out the game.

Truman trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, despite holding the Gorillas' leading scorer, Brandon Pate, to just seven first half points on 2-of-13 shooting.

Jason Ramthun led the 'Dogs with 17 points and Parker charted 16 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Jason Reinberg ended with 10 points. Pate led all scorers, finishing with 15 second-half points for a total of 22 for the game.

Truman shot 35.4 percent from the field for the game, including 25 percent in the second half. The Bulldogs' 58 points and 17 field goals marked season lows in both categories.

Pittsburg State @ Truman (Feb. 26, 2000): The Bulldogs continued to roll toward the conference tournament on Feb. 26, 2000 when they posted an 86-64 victory over the Pittsburg State University (Kan.) Gorillas. It was Truman's largest win ever versus PSU, surpassing a 91-74 win accomplished in 1975. And the victory not only avenged a prior loss this season to Pitt, it allowed the 'Dogs to move up in the seeding for the conference tournament, thanks to Emporia State's overtime win over Central Missouri also on Feb. 26.

Parker treated fans to his 39th career double-double and eighth this season in the Senior Day victory. He grabbed 17 rebounds, one off of his career high, to go with his 19 points.

Ramthun led the way with 20 points, while Peterson chipped in 16. Reinberg added 12 points and nine rebounds as the 'Dogs won for the third time in the last four meetings with Pittsburg.

Truman took the lead for good late in the first half when Ramthun connected on two of three free throws. After Pittsburg State closed to within 37-36 39 seconds into the second half, the Bulldogs went on an 18-3 run over the next five minutes to widen the margin to 55-39.

The 'Dogs used an 11-0 spurt later in the half to extend the lead to their biggest of the game, 26 points.

For the game, Truman outrebounded the Gorillas 51-33.

MIAA Standings

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