Jan. 9, 2001
Bulldogs to Face No. 18 Missouri Western Women on the Hardwood
THE GAME: Truman State University Bulldogs (Mid-America Intercollegiate
Athletics Association/NCAA Division II) vs. Missouri Western State College
Lady Griffons (NCAA DII/MIAA)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2001/5:30 pm
LOCATION: St. Joseph, Mo.
ARENA (CAPACITY): MWSC Fieldhouse (3,750)
BROADCAST: KRES 104.7 FM in Moberly, Mo., Sports Director Brad Boyer will do play-by-play, with commentary from Kevin White, Truman Assistant Director of Athletics. The pregame show begins approximately 15 minutes before the game.
The campus station, KTRM 88.7, is tentatively scheduled to also broadcast the Jan. 20 & 27 and Feb. 10 games.
TEAM LINE: Live KRES broadcast by calling 1-800-846-4700. Access Code: 6350
TRUMAN PROBABLE STARTERS
10-Jessy Fletcher, Jr., G/F, 5-11 (10.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg)
24-Annie Westhoff, G/F, 6-0, Fr. (8.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
35-Jennifer Perkins, Jr., C/F, 6-1 (15.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
13-Robyn Gerber, Jr., G, 5-8 (8.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
11-Tessa Thurman, Jr., G, 5-6 (7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
MISSOURI WESTERN PROBABLE STARTERS
12-Krista Small, F, 6-1, Jr. (10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
30-Rebecca Patton, F, 6-0, Jr. (10.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
32-Danielle Kneib, C, 6-1, Sr. (13.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
10-Annie Heithoff, G, 5-8, Sr (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
23-Lakesha Jones, G, 5-10, Jr. (14.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
TRUMAN (6-5 overall, 1-2 in the MIAA): The Truman women lost their first MIAA road game yesterday at Washburn, 63-52. The Bulldogs opened the MIAA campaign at home with a 65-56 loss to Central Missouri but followed that with their only conference win to date, a 91-74 victory over Missouri Southern.
The 'Dogs completed the non-conference and 2000 portion of their schedule on a three-game win-streak and were 3-1 during the month of December.
The three-game skein began with a 73-51 win over Mt. Mercy, before going undefeated on the road to close out non-conference action. The Bulldogs' away wins were at Rockhurst in a rematch on Dec. 15 57-44, followed by a trip to Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 17 where Truman beat the Mavericks, 80-68.
The 'Dogs opened the 2000-01 campaign with a 73-71 loss to Tampa (Fla.) in the Quincy (Ill.) Tournament, before registering their first win over the host, 50-48. Truman won its first home encounter 99-66 against St. Joseph's (Ind.), but then hit a two-game slide, falling to Rockhurst 58-56 in Kirksville and Concordia University, St. Paul (Minn.) 66-65 in a neutral site game at Rockhurst.
ABOUT THE GRIFFONS (7-3 overall, 1-2 in the MIAA): The Missouri Western women are ranked 18th in the nation this week, but lost to No. 4 Emporia State 78-68 at home on Monday night. The Lady Griffons also lost at Pittsburg State 74-72 in their MIAA opener and tallied a win over Central Missouri 74-67 to leave them at 1-2 in the league.
MWSC rattled off three wins over Dubuque 73-37, Kentucky State 81-39 and Northern State (S.D.) 81-76 in overtime to begin its season. The Lady Griffons suffered their first loss to Nebraska-Kearney 75-74 on Nov. 25, but again put together a string of three wins against Barry (Fla.) 81-57, Lynn (Fla.) 76-59 and Benedictine (Kan.) 86-45 before beginning the conference slate.
They are led by junior guard Lakesha Jones with 14.3 points a game and who currently ranks eighth among conference scoring leaders. However, three other Lady Griffons are scoring in double figures and rank among the MIAA's top 20 point-producers. Senior center Danielle Kneib (13.2 ppg) is 11th in conference scoring, while junior forward Krista Small (10.8 ppg) is 18th and junior forward Rebecca Patton (10.3 ppg) is 20th.
Kneib leads the team and is eighth in the MIAA with 7.4 rebounds a game, and is first in league blocked shots (2.20 bpg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.531). Jones is eighth in the conference in field goal percentage (.472) and three point field goals made (1.70 pg), and sixth in three point field goal percentage (.405) and seventh in steals (2.50 pg).
Small is fifth in league three-point field goal percentage (.419) and seventh in three point field goals made (1.80 pg), while senior guard Annie Heithoff is ninth in assists (3.80 pg), seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.52) and second in steals (3.40 pg).
Kneib led Missouri Western with 18 points and six rebounds at Emporia, and Jones and Small had 14 and 13 points, respectively. The Lady Griffons were behind just 29-27 at the half and shot better from the field (25-of-63 to 23-of-44) and out-rebounded the Lady Hornets (30 to38), as well as committed fewer turnovers (26 to 18) for the game. However ESU shot 52.3 for the game and was 28-of-37 from the line with just 16 fouls, while Missouri Western ended up shooting 39.7 for the game, was 13-of-18 from the charity stripe and committed 26 fouls.
SERIES RECORDS: Missouri Westerns leads the series with Truman, 30-12. However, Truman won the last meeting on Feb. 9, 2000, 58-54 in St. Joseph. Missouri Western had won the first meeting of the 1999-2000 season on Jan. 12 in Kirksville, 59-62. The Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing streak to the Lady Griffons with a 78-68 win in the semi-final game of the South Central Region Tournament on March 5, 1999.
THE COACHES: Bulldog Head Coach John Sloop is in his first season as a collegiate head coach, but served five years as the assistant coach for the Truman men's team.
Dave Slifer is in his sixth season at Missouri Western and is 116-45 during that time, but is 296-75 in 12 years as a collegiate head coach. He is 7-3 in games with Truman.
BULLDOGS IN THE MIAA: Junior center/forward Jennifer Perkins (Fort Dodge, Iowa/St. Edmund) is fourth in the conference with 16.3 points a game, and is fifth in rebounding (7.7 rpg), sixth in field goal percentage (.547) and third in MIAA blocked shots (1.27 pg).
Sophomore forward/center Jennifer Fisher (Fordland, Mo./Marshfield) is 19th in MIAA scoring (10.6 ppg), third in rebounding (9.2 rpg), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.447), tied for 10th with Tessa Thurman in three-point field made (1.55 pg) and is fourth in blocked shots (1.18 pg).
Junior guard/forward Jessy Fletcher (Atlanta, Mo.) is ninth in rebounding (7.3 pg) and tied for 10th in blocked shots (0.73 pg).
Junior guard Tessa Thurman (Atlanta, Mo./John Woods CC) is 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.274) and is tied for 10th in three-point field goals made (1.55 pg).
Freshman guard Keagan Thalin (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) has made her first appearance among MIAA statistical leaders, coming in ninth this week in free throw percentage with a team-leading .757.
TRUMAN vs. WASHBURN : Jennifer Perkins had a career-high and team season-best with 26 points, going 10-of-15 from the field and 6-of-8 from the line, while also blocking three shots, moving into third-place on the Bulldogs' career blocked shots list with 43. She began all scoring with a jumper in the first minute of action, but that was the only lead the Bulldogs had as the Lady Blues responded with an 8-0, going ahead for the remainder of the game.
WU closed the first period with a 9-0 run building its lead to 18 with a minute to go. Perkins cut the WU margin to 16 with a two-pointer to end the half and leave the score at 35-19 in Washburn's favor.
Perkins put the Bulldogs on the board first in the second half and rattled off six straight points, but could not stop the Lady Blues who expanded their lead to 20 by the 17-minute mark.
Behind by 18 at 15:14, Perkins sparked an 8-0 run for the 'Dogs with a jumper, rejecting two WU shots during the run.
Washburn answered again though, scoring eight points to one for Truman to push the Lady Blues' lead back to 17 with 8:29 to go. Fletcher hit a pair of free throws at 4:48, giving the Bulldogs hope by beginning a 9-2 run that left Truman down by nine with 1:17 left to play. However, the run and all scoring by the 'Dogs ended with a layup by freshman guard/forward Annie Westhoff (Webster Groves, Mo.). A layup by WU ended all point-production and left the Lady Blues the winners, 63-52.
BITS ON THE BULLDOGS
40-Jennifer Fisher: Had a career high with 25 points and five three-pointers vs. St. Joseph's (Ind.) on Nov. 24 ... leads the team in rebounding with 9.1 a game (100) ... scored in double figures in seven games this year, including four double-doubles ... best rebounding game was vs. Rockhurst when she grabbed 13 boards ... already ranks fifth on the Truman career blocked shots list with 36 ... started the first five games of the season, but has led the team off the bench the last five contests ... led the 'Dogs with 15 points vs. CMSU ... tied for the team-lead with 32 assists ... her 5-of-5 performance from long range in the St. Joseph's contest ties her with one other individual in the MIAA for the best single-game percentage (1.000) from beyond the arc so far this season ... has sank her last 11 free throws.
10-Jessy Fletcher: John Wood Community College Transfer ... has started every game and scored in double figures six times with two double-doubles ... best game was vs. St. Joseph's with 15 points and 14 rebounds, both of which are her senior college career highs ... third on the team with 9.8 points a gam.
13-Robyn Gerber: A full-time starter this season at point guard, she is fourth in scoring on the team with 9.1 points a game ... has five games this year with double-digit scoring ... led the team with 15 points in Truman's first MIAA win over Missouri Southern on Jan. 6 and with 12 points in the team's first victory of the year at Quincy (Ill.) ... is tied for the team season-high with six assists in the first Rockhurst encounter on Nov. 28 and is tied for first on the squad for the year with 32 ... had the game-winning assist in the 50-48 win over Quincy.
30-Carrie Guenzler: Saw action in the St. Joseph's and Mt. Mercy games ... attempted one three-pointer vs. Mt. Mercy.
14-Jennifer McDonnell: In three games this year, she has had one four and one turnover after walking on in the fall.
35-Jennifer Perkins: The teams leading scorer (16.3 ppg), Perkins has charted nine games with double-digit scoring, including four 20-plus efforts .... had a career-high and team season best with 26 points at Washburn on Monday ... has two double-doubles for the year in the games vs. Rockhurst (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Central Missouri (15 points, 12 rebounds) ... has led the team in scoring in seven contest so far this year ... is currently in the 16th spot on the Bulldog career scoring leaders list with 728 points ... is third on the Truman list for career blocked shots with 43 ... had a team season-high with 10 field goals vs. Concordia and Washburn ... scored the game-winning bucket in the teams first win in 2000-01 vs. Quincy.
Keagan Thalin: She has come off the bench in every game to average 4.8 points and leads the team from the line, making 28-of-37 (.757) ... had her first double-digit scoring game vs. Nebraska-Omaha with 13 points and charted her second vs. Missouri Southern with 10 points ... charted career highs with four assists vs. MSSC and with 11-of-14 performance from the charity stripe vs. Nebraska-Omaha ... was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line against Missouri Southern ... her 11 free throws vs. UNO ties for second in the MIAA for most in a single-game this year .... she has hit her last 10 free throws dating back to the last minute of the UNO game.
11-Tessa Thurman: John Wood Community College Transfer ... the No. 2 guard, she has started every contest this season and is tied for the team lead with 17 long range buckets ... had a career high 14 points in the season-opener against Tampa and vs. Mt. Mercy ... also scored 11 points in the St. Joseph's and Missouri Southern contests to account for all of her double-digit scoring games this year ... made four treys against Tampa.
23-Emily Turnbull: A reserve point guard, Turnbull has played in every game, charting 15 assists and averaging 2.4 points a game ... she is 13-of-20 from the charity stripe ... had career highs with seven points vs. Missouri Southern and four assists vs. Concordia, St. Paul.
12-Erin Tweedy: A bench contributor, Tweedy has played in three games, charting one rebound.
24-Annie Westhoff: Garnered a starting role in the last six games ... fifth in team scoring with 7.9 points a game ... had double-digit scoring efforts in three games, including her first double-double with career highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds vs. St. Joseph's ... also had two blocked shots vs. St. Joseph's ... she is fourth on the team in rebounding with 5.4 a game ... led the team with four steals vs. Mt. Mercy.
Ashlea Wood: Has come off the bench in 10 games this year and scored 13 points ... had a career-high with six points vs. St. Joseph's ... was 3-for-3 from the free throw line vs. Mt. Mercy.
Truman at Missouri Western: 1-12-00: The Bulldogs took a 34-21 lead at the half, but saw that dwindle with 6:12 left to play as the Lady Griffons went on an 18-0 run. With a 1:23 remaining in the game, the Bulldogs missed three free throws, a layup, two jumpers and two threes to seal their fate.
In the second half, Truman was 6-of-32 (.188) from the field and shot just .276 for the game. Missouri Western was .422 from the field overall and hit nine three-pointers.
Truman vs. Missouri Western on Feb. 9, 2000: Besides two brief leads in the early going, the Bulldogs trailed Missouri Western until the last 2:15 of the game when Megan Kahn hit a jumper to tie the score at 53. The Lady Griffons made a free throw next, giving them their final 54 points of the game. Kreuser hit all five free throws in the remaining 43 seconds, giving Truman a 58-54 win over MWSC.
The 'Dogs were down 36-30 at intermission and quickly fell behind by 13 points by 17:49 in the second period. Kreuser began cutting into the 13-point margin with a jumper at 15:51 that sparked a 11-3 run for the Bulldogs, cutting the Lady Griffon's lead to three. MWSC expanded its lead back to six with 6:15 left to play only to see Truman go on its game-winning 13-3 run in the closing minutes.