FEB. 20, 2001

Men's Basketball Celebrates Senior Night vs. Missouri-Rolla on Wednesday

The Senior Night Game: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. University of Missouri-Rolla Miners (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II)
Date/Time: Wed., Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. (CST)
Location: Kirksville, Mo.
Arena (Capacity): 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.

Campus radio station KTRM, 88.7 FM will also broadcast Wednesday's home finale with UMR.

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

MIAA SAAC Food Drive: The MIAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, in cooperation with the Truman Captains' Round Table, will sponsor a food drive to benefit the Kirksville Salvation Army. Fans who bring one non-perishable food item to Wednesday's men's or women's basketball games will gain free admission. Also, from Feb. 10-24, Truman student-athletes will be collecting canned food items door-to-door throughout the community. A drop-off point will be located at Pershing Arena on the campus of Truman State University for those wishing to make a donation.

TRUMAN PROBABLE STARTERS
3-Mike Peterson, Sr., G, 5-11, 176 (10.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
4-Aaron Mueller, Fr., G, 5-10, 170 (2.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
20-Nathan Owen, Jr., G, 6-2, 205 (7.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
25-Scott Coykendall, Jr., F, 6-4, 210 (12.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
35-Brian Brown, Sr., F, 6-6, 216 (14.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg)

MISSOURI-ROLLA PROBABLE STARTERS
10-Brad Fischer, Fr., G, 6-2, 175 (6.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
11-Kasim Withers, Sr., G, 6-0, 175 (20.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
40-Ben Wood, Sr., G, 6-5, 205 (7.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
33-Bob Tebbe, Jr., F, 6-6, 205 (9.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
44-Brian Westre, Fr., C, 6-8, 230 (19.5 ppg, 9.7 rpg)

Truman (7-17, 3-13 MIAA): The conference tournament doesn't technically begin until next week, but the Bulldogs' postseason essentially began on Saturday. Needing a win to stay alive in the race for the final postseason tournament berth, Truman earned a 62-58 road victory at Emporia State (Kan.). The win puts the 'Dogs in a tie with ESU for the eighth spot in the standings, but Truman has a tiebreaker over the Hornets thanks to its win earlier this season over Northwest Missouri State.

A Bulldog win on Wednesday over Missouri-Rolla, and an Emporia loss to Pittsburg State (Kan.), would clinch Truman's fifth consecutive MIAA postseason tournament berth.

But Missouri-Rolla is hoping to get back in the running for that final postseason slot as well. Truman holds a potential tiebreaker over the Miners as well.

Truman closes its regular season schedule with a road date at Pittsburg State on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Emporia will host Central Missouri State, while Washburn (Kan.) visits UMR.

The Bulldogs, which snapped a seven-game skid with the win over ESU, will celebrate Senior Night on Wednesday, honoring guards Peter Aydt (Elgin, Ill./St. Edwards) and Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa) and forward Brian Brown (Centralia, Mo.). Aydt is a junior in terms of eligibility, but will graduate in May and won't return to the team next year.

Brown in Exclusive Company: Senior forward Brian Brown (Centralia, Mo.) is just the seventh Bulldog since 1958 (when Truman's rebounding records began) to have accumulated 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for a career. He joins an exclusive list that includes Cory Parker (1995-00) with 1,835 points and 955 rebounds, David Winslow (1977-81) with 1,447 points and 996 rebounds, Jason Reinberg (1996-00) with 1,429 points and 915 rebounds, Larry Swift (1958-61) with 1,329 points and 821 rebounds), Claude Wilson (1967-71) with 1,058 points and 635 rebounds and Lou Gregory (1969-73) with 1,049 points and 764 rebounds.

Got Mikl?: Sophomore Jiri Mikl (Ostrava, Czech Republic/University Laboratory HS-Urbana, Ill.) has scored 150 of his 166 points this season in MIAA games. He has reached double figures in scoring in six of the last nine games and is averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds over that span.

Missouri-Rolla (4-20, 2-14 MIAA): The Miners enter Wednesday's game looking to break a 14-game losing skid, which has seen the team fall from 2-0 in MIAA action, to its current 2-14 standing.

UMR comes in off of a 93-84 loss on Saturday at Northwest Missouri. The Miners were led by senior guard Kasim Withers, who had 32 points, while junior Bob Tebbe and freshman Brian Westre added 20 and 18 points, respectively.

Withers (20.1 ppg) and Westre (19.5 ppg) not only lead the Miners in scoring, they also rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the conference race. UMR also has the league's top two rebounders in Westre (9.7 rpg) and Tebbe (7.8 rpg). No other school at any level of NCAA basketball can make such a claim as the week begins.

Of late, UMR has had players hovering near the 30-point mark. Westre put up a career-high 32 in the Miners' 79-73 loss to Missouri Western last Wednesday, and Withers charted 30 vs. Truman last month. Withers had 29 points at Pittsburg State and 26 vs. Missouri Southern, while Westre charted 26 vs. Southwest Baptist.

Withers also ranks second in the league in three-pointers made per game (2.83), third in free throw percentage (.817), fourth in assists (4.78 pg) and 10th in steals (1.39 pg). Westre is also No. 2 in blocked shots (1.83 pg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.518).

As a team, UMR is second in the MIAA in free throw percentage (.725) and is fifth in threes made (6.88 pg) and blocked shots (2.79 pg).

Coaches Records: Bulldog head coach Jack Schrader is in his sixth season at Truman and has a career record of 80-84. (.488) He is 7-4 versus Missouri-Rolla.

Dale Martin is in the 13th year of his career with each season spent at Missouri-Rolla. He has compiled a record of 172-196 (.467).

Series Record with UMR: Truman leads 87-42
Games at Kirksville, Mo.: Truman leads 54-15
Games at Rolla, Mo.: Truman leads 29-26
Neutral Site Games: Truman leads 4-1
Last Meeting: Jan. 24, 2001 at Rolla
Last Truman Win: 59-45, Jan. 24, 2001 at Rolla
Last UMR Win: 63-61, Jan. 12, 1998 at Kirksville
Most Points by Truman: 112 (112-85), Jan. 28, 1964, at Kirksville
Most Points by UMR: 98 (98-90), Jan. 31, 1972, at Rolla
Largest Truman Win: +41 (92-51), Jan. 25, 1957 at Kirksville
Largest UMR Win: +24 (69-45), Feb. 8, 1997 at Kirksville
Current Streak: Truman won 6
Last Truman win at Rolla: 59-45, Jan. 24, 2001
Last UMR win at Kirksville: 63-61, Jan. 12, 1998

Bulldogs in the MIAA (Through games of Feb. 18): Truman comes in as the MIAA leader in defensive rebounds (25.54 pg). The 'Dogs are also second in field goal defense (.426) and third in scoring defense (67.0 ppg allowed), and blocked shots (2.92 pg).

Individually, Brown ranks in a ninth-place tie in scoring (14.5 ppg), seventh in rebounding (6.8 rpg). He's also fifth in blocks (1.13 pg) and 10th with a field goal percentage of .471

Also in blocked shots, freshman forward Matt Beran (Victor, Iowa/HLV-Victor) ranks tied for ninth (0.63 pg).

Senior Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa) is seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.398) and 10th in threes made per game (1.79).

Truman vs. Emporia State (Feb. 17): After squandering an 18-point second-half lead, the Bulldogs held on for a 62-58 win over Emporia State (Kan.) on Saturday.

Truman led 28-24 at halftime and came out red-hot in the second half as two three-pointers apiece from Peterson and freshman guard Aaron Mueller (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North) highlighted a 22-8 Bulldog run that ultimately put the team up 50-32. Truman hit nine of its first 11 shots of the half, including 5-of-6 from three-point range.

But with the 'Dogs up 58-40 with 5:34 to go, the Hornets put together a 16-0 run that got them within 58-56 with 28 seconds to play. After two free throws by junior Scott Coykendall (Elmwood, Ill./Spoon River College) made it a four-point margin, ESU got back within a bucket with 17 seconds left, but could get no closer.

Truman trailed early in the game, but took the lead for good with 6:08 to play in the first half when Peterson buried a three-pointer that was followed by seven straight points from Brown.

Brown charted a game-high 22 points ­­ 15 in the first half ­­ and nine rebounds to lead the 'Dogs, who ended a seven-game skid. Coykendall added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Peterson tallied 11 points.

Emporia connected on just one of 13 three-point attempts.

Bulldogs Among Career Leaders: Brown has closed to within 20 points of joining the top 10 in career scoring, as he now has 1,192 points. Just the 18th Bulldog to collect 500 career rebounds, he's moved to within five rebounds of tying Scott Bobysud for 16th all-time. Brown (67 blocked shots) is within two rebounds of tying Rick Rigsbee for fifth in career blocked shots. Brown has also moved up to fourth in career free throws with 288 for his career. He joins former teammates Cory Parker and Jason Reinberg in the top four of that category. Brown is also tied for 21st in career assists (161).

Peterson is tied for 17th in career assists (197), and is also just five three-pointers away from fifth place. He also ranks eighth in steals (99) and 16th in career free throws (194). Peterson is 121 points short of 1,000 for his career.

BITS ON THE BULLDOGS:

5-Peter Aydt (Elgin, Ill./St. Edwards): A junior guard, Aydt had a career-high seven points versus Lincoln and matched the total with seven points, all in the second half versus PSU ... with 36 points on the season, has surpassed his previous career total (23) ... has played in 19 of the 24 games with 10 starts ... leads team with an assist-turnover ratio of 2.67 ... led the team in assists versus Hannibal-LaGrange and Drury ... matched career high in points when he scored seven in 12 minutes vs. PSU ... will graduate in May and will be honored on Senior Day.

40-Matt Beran (Victor, Iowa/HLV-Victor): A freshman forward, Beran tallied a career- and team season-high four blocked shots in Truman's win over SIU-Edwardsville ... one of six players to have played in each game ... has seven starts ... ranks third on the team in rebounding (4.7 rpg), fifth in assists (39, 1.63 apg) and sixth in scoring (94 points, 3.9 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 ... tied a team season-high and set a career-high with five assists in the loss to Lincoln ... tied for ninth in the MIAA in blocks (0.63 pg) ... has been the top bench scorer in six games this year.

35-Brian Brown (Centralia, Mo.): A senior forward, Brown is just the seventh player in school history to have 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds ... the team's scoring and rebounding leader this year with averages of 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game ... had a streak of 21 straight free throws before missing once in the last SBU game ... second on team in assists (46, 1.92 pg) ... leads team with 27 blocked shots, which ranks 11th on the school's single-season list (since 1978-79) and is more than any player since 1994-95 ... is second on the team in steals (17) ... has played in all 24 games, starting each ... has played in every game since the beginning of the 1998-99 season, a total of 84 straight contests ... is up to 11th all-time at Truman in career scoring (1,192 points) and is 20 points away from joining the Truman career top 10 in scoring ... moved up to fourth all-time in free throws made (288) and is 17th in rebounding (525) ... has scored in double figures in 19 of 24 games this year, including five 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 ... had 27 points vs. SBU ... also had a team season-high in field goals with 10 vs. LU ... ranks tied for ninth in the MIAA in scoring, seventh in rebounding, fifth in blocked shots (1.13 pg) and 10th in field goal percentage (.471).

52-Dusty Bruner (Galesburg, Ill.): 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 (Elmwood, Ill./Spoon River College): A junior transfer from Spoon River College in Canton, Ill., Coykendall ranks second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg) ... has scored in double figures in 17 of 24 games this year, including five efforts of 20 or more points ... his last 20-plus outing came on Feb. 7 when he notched a career-best 25 points vs. Missouri Western ... tallied his first senior college career double-double with 23 points and a career-best 13 rebounds in a win over Monmouth (Ill.) ... had a streak of 11 consecutive games with double figure points ... among the squad's top free throw shooters and has connected on 74.3 percent of his attempts at the stripe ... shooting 78.8 percent (67-of-85) at the foul line in MIAA games ... third on team with 45 assists (1.88 apg) ... leads team with 46 offensive rebounds ... has led the team in scoring eight times this season and in rebounding seven times ... one of three players to start every game this year.

14-Eric Delaney (Marceline, Mo.): Delaney will receive a medical redshirt for this season as he has been sidelined for most of the games with an ankle injury ... saw action in three games this year prior to the injury ... 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.

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

15-Torre Finley (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield): Played in 18 games with four starts, averaging 12.9 minutes an outing ... has 60 points (3.3 ppg), 29 rebounds (1.6 rpg), 11 assists, six steals and two blocks ... collected his first career start on Feb. 5, 2001 vs. Washburn (Kan.) ... has 53 points in his last eight games (6.6 ppg) ... had his first collegiate double-figure scoring game with 10 second-half points versus Pittsburg State (Kan.), also had 10 points vs. Missouri Southern ... also had career-highs with five field goals in both games ... walk-on guard who moved up to the varsity and gradually into a part-time starting role from the junior varsity squad.

Adam Glosier (St. Charles, Mo./U.S. Military Academy): A sophomore center, Glosier started and played 20 minutes in the 'Dogs exhibition loss to Southeast Missouri ... will receive a medical redshirt after suffering a knee injury in practice early this season ... he scored five points and had three rebounds and a steal in the exhibition game with SEMO ... transfer from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point).

32-Cory Long (Moberly, Mo.): Long has played in four varsity games this season, seeing a total of 11 minutes of action ... had his first career steal vs. Quincy on 1/22/01 and his first rebound vs. Missouri Southern ... Played briefly versus SIU-Edwardsville, had three-minute stints versus Quincy (Ill.) and Pittsburg State (Kan.) and a four-minute outing against MSSC ... a walk-on guard who started out with the junior varsity.

50-Dan Mailath (Tulsa, Okla./Bishop Kelley): Mailath had a career-high five points in Truman's win over Hannibal-LaGrange ... has played in 10 of the 24 games this year, collecting his first two career starts ... has 16 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 56 minutes of action this year ... went 4-of-6 at the foul line vs. MSSC and grabbed three offensive boards ... a junior center.

Bret Maxwell (Derby, Iowa/Chariton): 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 JV.

11-Jiri Mikl (Ostrava, Czech Republic/University Laboratory HS-Urbana, Ill.): Is averaging 9.4 points per game in MIAA action after averaging just two points in non-conference play ... ranks fifth on the team in scoring (6.9 ppg) ... has played in all 24 games this year with 11 starts ... has scored in double figures in nine of the last 15 games ... has made good on 47.8 percent (33-69) of his three-point attempts ... shooting a team-best 52 percent from the field in MIAA games, and 49.6 percent overall ... has hit on 50 percent (31-62) of his threes in conference play ... a career 91.7 percent free throw shooter (22-24) ... established career highs in points (22), field goals (8), attempts (13), three-pointers (6) and rebounds (10) at Missouri-Rolla last month ... has hit at least one three-pointer in 12 of the 16 conference games ... has 10 career double-digit scoring games ... had a perfect shooting night at Washburn last month, hitting 5-of-5 field goals, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 at the stripe for 13 points.

4-Aaron Mueller (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North): A freshman guard, Mueller averages 13.8 minutes per game off the bench ... has played in all 24 games with two starts ... is a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line ... had a career-high eight points in the win over Hannibal-LaGrange and matched it versus Emporia ... logged a career-best three steals versus Westminster ... has 67 points (2.8 ppg) and 23 rebounds (1.0 rpg) with 17 assists and six steals on the year ... has hit 15 three-pointers ... one of six Bulldogs to have played in every game ... has been the top bench scorer in four games this year.

00-Jeff Nepple (Carroll, Iowa): Saw his first action of the year on Feb. 14, 2001 vs. Northwest Missouri ... Played five minutes in that game, recording one rebound and one blocked shot ... freshman guard who has moved up with the varsity from the junior varsity squad.

20-Nathan Owen (Cape Girardeau, Mo./SE Missouri St.): A junior guard, Owen has started 11 games and has played in 20 of the squad's 24 contests ... returned for the last SBU game after missing four games with back trouble ... ranks fourth in scoring (7.0 ppg) ... fourth on team with 40 assists (2.0 pg) ... had a career-high five assists vs. Emporia on 2/17/01 ... 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 seven of the 12 MIAA games in which he has played ... redshirt junior who sat out 1999-00 after transferring from Southeast Missouri State

3-Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa): Ranks third on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and leads the team with 31 steals (1.29 pg) ... Senior guard shooting 41.5 percent from the field, and 39.8 percent from the three-point line ... Shooting 86 percent (43-50) from the foul line this year ... a career 85.5 percent (194-227) free throw shooter ... has hit on 87.7 percent (179-of-204) of his charity tosses since his freshman year ... has 53 assists (2.21 apg) to lead the team ... leads team in minutes, averaging 33.8 per game ... charted career-highs with 27 points and eight field goals in the 'Dogs' win over SIU-Edwardsville ... has reached double figures in 13 games this season, including two with 20 or more points ... finished with a game-high 20 points in Truman's upset win over NWMSU last month ... had a career-high nine rebounds in the loss to Drury ... comes in seventh in the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage and 10th in threes made (1.79 pg) ... ranks fourth on the team in rebounding (3.9 rpg) ... is sixth all-time at Truman in career three-point goals and eighth in steals (99) ... also 16th in career free throws and tied for 17th in career assists (197).

42-Eric Wade (Lee's Summit, Mo./North): Has played in 18 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 six blocks this year ... has 35 points (1.9 ppg), 38 rebounds (2.1 rpg), eight assists and two steals on the year ... averages 8.2 minutes per game ... has played in 26 career games.

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 in the first meeting this season.

Truman erupted for 40 points after the break and held Missouri-Rolla to 19 second-half points in a 59-45 Bulldog road win on Jan. 24.

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 as each of his six treys came after the break. Brown finished the game with 16 points and Peterson added 14. Coykendall tallied seven points, with all of those coming after halftime, too.

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.

MIAA Standings

Men's Basketball Releases | Men's Basketball | Truman Athletics