FEB. 26, 2001
Men's Basketball Team Opens MIAA Tournament at No. 7 Washburn
The MIAA Tournament Game: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Washburn University Ichabods (MIAA/NCAA-II)
Date/Time: Mon., Feb. 26, 7 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.
TRUMAN PROBABLE STARTERS
3-Mike Peterson, Sr., G, 5-11, 176 (9.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
4-Aaron Mueller, Fr., G, 5-10, 170 (3.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
20-Nathan Owen, Jr., G, 6-2, 205 (8.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
25-Scott Coykendall, Jr., F, 6-4, 210 (12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
35-Brian Brown, Sr., F, 6-6, 216 (14.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
WASHBURN PROBABLE STARTERS
3-B.J. Ross, Sr., G, 5-11, 190 (4.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
12-Shannon Kruger, Jr., G, 5-10, 170 (6.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
15-Randolph Williams, Sr., G, 6-2, 180 (13.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
33-Eric Carter, Sr., F, 6-9, 220 (11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
52-Ewan Auguste, Sr., C, 6-8, 220 (14.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
Truman (7-19, 3-15 MIAA): The Bulldogs managed to get into the conference postseason tournament despite taking a 94-81 loss in Saturday's season finale at Pittsburg State (Kan.), thanks to losses by both Missouri-Rolla and Emporia State (Kan.). In the end, Truman's upset win in January over Northwest Missouri State, coupled with the season splits over both UMR and ESU, proved to be the deciding factor as the Bulldogs owned the tiebreaker over both the Miners and Hornets.
Though they ended the season with a 3-15 MIAA record, the 'Dogs showed flashes of solid play throughout the season. Truman suffered five losses in MIAA action this season by five points or less, and most all were against upper-echelon teams. Twice, Washburn, the MIAA's regular season champ, handed Truman two-point losses. The 'Dogs also dropped a two-point decision to Missouri Southern, a four-point defeat to Central Missouri and fell by five to Missouri Western.
'Dogs in MIAA Postseason Tournament: The Bulldogs will be making their fifth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament and ninth in the last 11 seasons. The 'Dogs have two postseason tournament championships, having last won it in 1998-99. Truman also won the initial conference tourney, in 1980-81. The Bulldogs have met Washburn twice in the conference tournament, in 1994-95 and 1997-98. On both occasions, Truman came up short, losing 74-64 in 1995 and 63-52 in 1998.
Washburn (22-4, 15-3 MIAA): The Ichabods enter the tournament after a 93-75 victory on Saturday over Missouri-Rolla. With that win, Washburn clinched the outright MIAA regular season championship and earned the top seed for this week's conference tourney. Washburn is ranked No. 1 in the South Central Region and seventh in this week's NABC/Division II Bulletin top 25.
Four Washburn players, including three starters, average double figures in scoring. Senior center Ewan Auguste, last year's conference MVP, paces the Ichabods awith his 14.8 points per game and 7.4 rebounds a game, which rank ninth and fifth in the MIAA, respectively. Senior forward Randolph Williams averages 13.8 points (16th in the MIAA) while senior forward Eric Carter scores 11.0 per game. Sophomore Ryan Murphy, the Ichabods' sixth man, averages 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, marks which rank 19th and 15th in the league, respectively.
Auguste is 13th in NCAA-II and the MIAA leader with a .627 field goal percentage.
Washburn has used only two starting lineups all season, with junior guard Shannon Kruger having missed one start, giving way to Melvin Ware. Auguste, Williams, Carter and guard B.J. Ross have started each game for WU.
Kruger (6.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg) leads the Ichabods in assists (83, 3.19 pg) and steals (32) and has been solid from outside, connecting on 45.3 percent of his three-pointers, a figure that ranks second in the conference.
In NCAA Division II, the Ichabods rank sixth in field goal percentage (.505), ninth in rebounding margin (+8.6 rpg) and 13th in three-point field goal percentage (.405). The lead the MIAA in each of those categories, and also rank No. 1 in the conference in rebounding offense (37.1 rpg), rebounding defense (28.5 rpg allowed), assist-turnover ratio (1.48) and three-pointers made per game (7.35).
In Saturday's win over UMR, the Ichabods were led by Auguste's 22 points, while Murphy and Carter added 16 and 15, respectively. WU shot 55.6 percent for the game and outrebounded UMR 38-25.
Coaches Records: Bulldog head coach Jack Schrader is in his sixth season at Truman and has a career record of 80-86. (.482) He is 5-7 versus Washburn.
Bob Chipman is in his 22nd year of collegiate coaching with every year spent at Washburn. He has a record of 506-177 (.741).
SERIES RECORD WITH WU: Washburn leads 21-13.
Games at Kirksville, Mo.: Truman leads 10-6
Games at Topeka, Kan.: WU leads 15-2
Neutral Site Games: Truman leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 5, 2001 at Kirksville
Last Truman Win: 78-73, Jan. 3, 2000, at Kirksville
Last WU Win: 71-69, Feb. 5, 2001, at Kirksville
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 3
Last Truman win at Topeka: 67-65, Feb. 1, 1999
Last Washburn win at Kirksville: 71-69, Feb. 5, 2001 at Kirksville
Nate's Coming Around: Junior guard Nathan Owen (Cape Girardeau, Mo./Southeast Missouri State) is averaging 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in his last two games. He has twice rewritten his career highs over that span, starting out with a career high 17 points and eight rebounds vs. Missouri-Rolla on Feb. 21 and following up with a career-best 25 points and six three-pointers vs. Pittsburg State (Kan.) on Feb. 24.
Bulldogs in the MIAA (Through games of Feb. 24): Truman comes in as the MIAA leader in defensive rebounds (25.96 pg). The 'Dogs are also second in field goal defense (.426) and third in scoring defense (68.7 ppg allowed).
Individually, senior Brian Brown (Centralia, Mo.) ranks 11th in scoring (14.5 ppg), and seventh in rebounding (6.8 rpg). He's also fifth in blocks (1.04 pg).
Senior Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa) is ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.387). Junior forward Scott Coykendall (Elmwood, Ill./Spoon River College) is 14th in rebounding (5.5 rpg).
Truman vs. Pittsburg State (Feb. 24): Junior Nathan Owen scored seven of Truman's first 14 points as the 'Dogs got out to an early 14-10 lead. But, despite Owen finishing with a career-high 25 points, the Bulldogs would fall by a 94-81 margin to Pittsburg State.
After Truman opened its 14-10 lead, PSU used a 9-0 run to go in front to stay. Two Owen three-pointers got the Gorilla lead down to two points twice near the midpoint of the half. However, PSU raced to a 45-30 halftime lead.
Owen scored 16 points in the first half.
The second half saw Pittsburg start on an 11-4 rally to increase the margin to 22 points, the largest deficit Truman would face in the contest. The 'Dogs managed to claw back to within 13 points with three minutes to go, but could get no closer.
With Owen's 25 points leading the 'Dogs, sophomore Jiri Mikl (Ostrava, Czech Republic/University Laboratory HS-Urbana, Ill.) added 14 points as he connected on 4-of-5 from three-point range. Brown added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Bulldogs Among Career Leaders: Brown's 12 points on Saturday moved him into the career top 10 in scoring at Truman with 1,221 career points. His eight rebounds moved him into a 15th place tie with Lee Smith, with 541 career boards. In career blocks, Brown has 67 and is threatening to take over the No. 5 spot, but needs two more swats to catch fifth-place Rick Rigsbee. Brown also ranks fourth in career free throws (295) and 21st in career assists (163). Brown is just the seventh player in school history to have 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
With five more three-point goals, Peterson will catch Jason Ramthun in fifth place on the all-time three-pointers list. Elsewhere on the career charts, Peterson is eighth in steals (101), 16th in free throws made (195) and 17th in assists (200).
BITS ON THE BULLDOGS:
5-Peter Aydt (Elgin, Ill./St. Edwards): A senior 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 21 of the 26 games with 11 starts ... leads team with an assist-turnover ratio of 2.83 ... led the team in assists versus Hannibal-LaGrange and Drury ... matched career high in points when he scored seven in 12 minutes vs. PSU.
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 (4.6 rpg), fifth in assists (40, 1.54 apg) and sixth in scoring (101 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 ... 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 (48, 1.85 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 (19 ... has played in all 26 games, starting each ... has played in every game since the beginning of the 1998-99 season, a total of 86 straight contests ... is up to 10th all-time at Truman in career scoring (1,221 points) ... is fourth all-time in free throws made (295) and tied for 15th in rebounding (541) ... has scored in double figures in 21 of 26 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 11th in the MIAA in scoring, seventh in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots (1.04 pg).
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 (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg) ... has scored in double figures in 17 of 26 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 72.5 percent of his attempts at the stripe ... third on team with 47 assists (1.81 apg) ... leads team with 49 offensive rebounds ... has led the team in scoring eight times this season and in rebounding eight times ... one of three players to start every game this year ... ranks 14th in the MIAA in rebounding.
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.
15-Torre Finley (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield): Played in 20 games with four starts, averaging 12.9 minutes an outing ... has 63 points (3.2 ppg), 34 rebounds (1.7 rpg), 12 assists, six steals and two blocks ... collected his first career start on Feb. 5, 2001 vs. Washburn (Kan.) ... has 56 points in his last 10 games (5.6 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 five varsity games this season, seeing a total of 12 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 12 of the 26 games this year, collecting his first two career starts ... has 22 points, 20 rebounds (11 offensive), three assists, two steals and two blocks in 66 minutes of action this year ... went 4-of-6 at the foul line vs. MSSC and grabbed three offensive boards ... also had three ofensive caroms, and scored four points in three minutes in the last UMR game ... a junior center.
11-Jiri Mikl (Ostrava, Czech Republic/University Laboratory HS-Urbana, Ill.): Is averaging 9.1 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 26 games this year with 11 starts ... has 10 double-figure scoring efforts this season ... has made good on 49.3 percent (37-75) of his three-point attempts ... shooting a team-best 51.8 percent from the field in MIAA games, and 49.6 percent overall ... has hit on 51.5 percent (35-68) 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) in the first meeting this year with Missouri-Rolla ... hit at least one three-pointer in 13 of the 18 conference games ... has 11 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 14.2 minutes per game off the bench ... averaging 5.3 points in his last five games ... has played in all 26 games with three starts ... is a perfect 16-of-16 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 80 points (3.1 ppg) and 26 rebounds (1.0 rpg) with 22 assists and seven steals on the year ... has hit 16 three-pointers ... one of six Bulldogs to have played in every game ... has been the top bench scorer in five games this year.
00-Jeff Nepple (Carroll, Iowa): Has seen action in three games this season, scoring five points with one rebound and two blocked shots in seven minutes of play ... 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 ... had his first career field goal in his only attempt of the year in the final moments vs. Missouri-Rolla on 2-21-01 ... had a career-best three points and a blocked shot vs. PSU on 2-24-01 ... 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 averaging 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in his last two games ... has started 13 games and has played in 22 of the squad's 26 contests ... returned for the last SBU game after missing four games with back trouble ... ranks fourth in scoring (8.2 ppg) ... fourth on team with 45 assists (2.05 pg) ... had a career-high five assists vs. Emporia on 2/17/01 ... has 10 double-figure scoring games this year, including a career-high 25 points vs Pittsburg State (Kan.) on 2-24-01 ... ... had a then career-high 17 points vs. Missouri-Rolla (2-21-01) ... also had a career-best eight rebounds in that game ... scored 14 points each vs. 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 nine of the 14 MIAA games in which he has played ... redshirt junior who sat out 1999-00 after transferring from Division I Southeast Missouri State.
3-Mike Peterson (Mason City, Iowa): Ranks third on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and leads the team with 33 steals (1.27 pg) ... Senior guard shooting 40.8 percent from the field, and 38.7 percent from the three-point line ... Shooting 83 percent (44-53) from the foul line this year ... a career 84.8 percent (195-230) free throw shooter ... has hit on 87 percent (180-of-207) of his charity tosses since his freshman year ... has 56 assists (2.16 apg) to lead the team ... leads team in minutes, averaging 33.5 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 ninth in the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage ... ranks fourth on the team in rebounding (3.7 rpg) ... is sixth all-time at Truman in career three-point goals and eighth in steals (101) ... also 16th in career free throws and 17th in career assists (200).
42-Eric Wade (Lee's Summit, Mo./North): Has played in 20 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 37 points (1.9 ppg), 39 rebounds (2.0 rpg), eight assists and two steals on the year ... averages 7.8 minutes per game ... has played in 28 career games.
Truman vs. Washburn (Feb. 5): The Bulldogs outscored Washburn 31-17 over the final 10:26 of the game, but came up just short on Feb. 5, 2001, as the 11th-ranked Ichabods escaped Pershing Arena with a 71-69 win. Ewan Auguste put back a Randolph Williams miss at the buzzer to snap a 69-69 tie and beat the Bulldogs.
Truman trailed by 16 points, 54-38, with 10:26 remaining after Washburn opened the second half on a 21-6 run to reach its largest lead of the contest. That's when the 'Dogs started their comeback. Coykendall hit a jumper to spark Truman on a 9-2 run that cut the deficit to nine points, 56-47, with 7:22 to go. But WU kept the Bulldogs at arm's length over the next three minutes, and led by nine after a Shannon Kruger three-pointer with 4:33 to play.
A three-pointer by Peterson kicked off a 15-6 Bulldog run, and Peterson capped the rally when he drove to the hoop and scored on a layup with 3.9 seconds remaining. That tied the score at 69-69 and overtime looked to be a very real possibility.
But on the ensuing inbounds play, Washburn threw the ball beyond halfcourt, where Williams picked it up and drove in to attempt a mid-range jumper. The shot caromed off the rim and fell into the waiting hands of Auguste, who put the shot back as time expired.
Truman's magnificent rally, which saw it connect on nine of its final 11 shots and eight of 10 free throws, fell just short.
Peterson, who scored each of his 11 second-half points in the final 7:22, finished with 19 points to lead four Bulldogs in double figures. Mikl tallied 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Brown and Coykendall added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Finley added eight points as the 'Dogs managed just one point off the bench.
For the game, Truman shot a season-high 55.8 percent from the floor, including 52.6 percent from three-point range (10-of-19).
Truman @ Washburn (JAN. 8, 2001): The Bulldogs led 63-57 with 4:58 to play, but couldn't hold on, as then-No. 21 Washburn rallied for a 75-73 win over Truman on Jan. 8, 2001. It marked the 'Dogs second two-point loss in as many games as they came off a 75-73 loss to MSSC two days prior.
After the Ichabods led 38-36 at halftime, Truman took its first lead since midway through the first half when Coykendall hit two free throws with 16:17 to play. WU reclaimed the lead seconds later, and went up by four with 11:57 to go. Jiri Mikl connected on a three-pointer that trimmed the lead to one and keyed the 'Dogs on a 16-6 run, which would ultimately extend the margin to 63-57 with 4:58 to play. But the Bulldogs couldn't hold on, as Washburn outscored Truman 18-10 over the final 4:58.
Two Coykendall free throws tied the score at 68 with 1:28 to go, but the Ichabods hit five of their last six free throws. Truman had a chance for the win in the waning seconds, but Coykendall's three-point attempt was off the mark.
Coykendall finished with 20 points to lead five Bulldogs in double-figures. Mikl matched his career high with 13 points, while Brown and Nathan Owen each added 11. Peterson ended with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Beran charted six rebounds and two blocks.
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