Feb. 4, 2010
Full Notes (PDF)
With just six games remaining in the 2009-2010 regular season, the Truman women’s basketball team (7-14, 2-12 MIAA) is set to embark on its most important road trip of the season – a three-game, three-state stretch that kicks off Saturday afternoon at Southwest Baptist (Mo.) University (5-15, 3-10) in Bolivar, Mo., at 1:30 p.m.
Truman will be playing its first non-ranked opponent for the first time in three games, as the Bulldogs hosted the MIAA’s two top-15 teams in each of the past two contests. A strong defensive effort on Wednesday night was one-upped by the 13th-ranked Washburn Lady Blues, as Truman came up short in a 50-38 offensive struggle for both teams. The Bulldogs had Washburn on the ropes, trailing by just a bucket with 4:49 to play in the game, but an 11-1 run encompassing the rest of the game by the visiting Lady Blues silenced any whisperings of a Bulldog upset. Sophomore Breanna Daniels put together her seventh straight 10+ point performance, leading the ‘Dogs with 11.
On the season, Daniels is the team’s leading scorer at 12.1 points per game, while senior Sarah Seberger (4.8 rebounds) and junior Amy Galey (4.3 assists) sit atop their respective team categories.
Earlier this season, the Bulldogs and SBU Bearcats engaged in a shootout in Pershing Arena, with SBU coming out on top, 77-73. The game saw 15 lead changes, 24 combined made three-pointers and both teams shooting at or above 50% up until the final possession. Daniels again led the Bulldogs, this time with 21 points, while three other players added double-figures.
The win marked the first conference win of the season for SBU, and the Bearcats remained with one MIAA victory until this past week. The squad is currently on a two-game win streak, winning by five at home against Missouri Southern last Saturday before blasting Pittsburg State on the road Wednesday night by 20.
SBU continues to live and die by the long ball, as the Bearcats have attempted 49% of their field goals from beyond the arc. In three of the five team wins this season, SBU has connected for at least ten three-pointers, including 14 against the Bulldogs earlier this season and 15 against PSU on Wednesday.
Truman is shooting 40% as a team on the season and remains the conference’s top free-throw shooting team at 76%. The ‘Dogs are 2-7 on the road this season, while SBU is 2-9 at home, including a 1-6 mark in conference play.
Broadcast Info:
Brad Boyer, Hank Janssen and Tyler Madsen will call the action on Saturday afternoon from John Q. Hammons Court on 104.7 FM KRES (Moberly, Mo.). They will hit the airwaves at 1:10 p.m.
Fans can also listen online by visiting www.centralmoinfo.com and clicking on the “Local Sports Broadcasts” link in the upper left part of the page. From there, click on the “104.7 KRES” button to catch the Bulldogs in action.
A video Webcast will be available for a small fee through http://b2tv.com.
Series Info:
Southwest Baptist leads the all-time series, 30-12, though the series has been balanced as of late with the Bulldogs winning five of the past 12 meetings dating back through the 2004-2005 season. There has not been a season-sweep in the series since the 2003-2004 season when the Bearcats accomplished the task.
The two teams have played 20 times in Bolivar, with SBU compiling a 14-6 record. Truman has won two of the past five seasons at SBU, both by double-digits.
Meet the Coaches:
Michael Smith is in his second season as the head coach of the Bulldog basketball program following stints at Arkansas-Little Rock (assistant coach), Moberly Area Community College (head coach) and Angelo State (assistant coach). As a head coach at the Div. II level, he has a 15-33 career record (all accumulated at Truman) and is 117-67 in his fifth season overall as a head coach.
He is assisted by Taira Roth, who is also in her second season at Truman after spending one season at Lake Superior (Mich.) State as an assistant. Roth is no stranger to the MIAA, as she played at Missouri Western from 2001-2004 and was a graduate assistant at Central Missouri from 2004-2006.
J.C. Carter is in his second season at the helm of the Southwest Baptist program and has compiled a 13-35 record.
Smith is 1-2 all-time against SBU, while Carter is 2-1 all-time against Truman.
MIAA Tourney Outlook:
With just six games left on the docket in the 2010 regular season, the Bulldog hopes of reaching Kansas City continue to dwindle, as the elimination number has reached four. The elimination number is computed by adding the number of wins by the current 8th-seed and number of losses by Truman needed before it is mathematically impossible for the ‘Dogs to qualify for the MIAA post-season tournament. The tournament will once again be held at Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium on March 4th-7th.
Missouri Southern continues to hold on to the eighth and final spot with a 5-8 conference mark, while Nebraska-Omaha sits one spot ahead of them at 6-7 in MIAA play. Currently on the outside looking in are Missouri Western (5-9), SBU (3-10) and Truman (2-12).
The Bulldogs have games remaining with MWSU, SBU and UNO from that mix, as well as Fort Hays State (3rd; 8-5), Central Missouri (t-4th; 8-6) and Northwest Missouri (6th; 7-7). Truman is finished with the top two teams, Emporia State (12-2) and Washburn (11-3), as well as Pittsburg State (t-4th; 8-6) and MSSU.
Truman missed the tournament last season as well after reaching the semifinals as the No. 7 seed in 2008.
A Look at the Last Seven:
Truman is 1-6, averaging 54.6 points per game while giving up 65.6 points per game defensively.
Sophomore forward Breanna Daniels has been the top offensive threat, averaging 12.6 points per game on 41% shooting. She has hit 13 three-pointers and also added 4.1 rebounds per game in the stretch.
As a team, the Bulldogs are shooting 36% from the field and 33% from long-range. Their opponents are connecting at a 43% clip overall and 43% from deep.
Truman has hit 81-of-106 (76%) free throws and has been better than its opposition, who is at 69.7%.
Manning the Boards:
This season, Truman is 0-12 when losing the rebounding battle and was out-rebounded by SBU, 34-23, in the earlier meeting between the two teams.
On the year, the Bulldogs are being out-rebounded by just two per game, while SBU’s spread-attack leaves them more vulnerable on the glass, as the Bearcats have a -7.0 rebounding margin.
Returner Success vs. SBU:
Two returners – sophomore Breanna Daniels and senior Laura Joya – have had significant success against the Bearcats, as Daniels is averaging 19.0 points per game against SBU while shooting 56% from the field with five three-pointers, while Joya is also averaging double-figures at 11.3 points in six career games. She has also blistered the Bearcats from the field, connecting at a 58% clip.
The five returners on the squad from last year’s team have combined to average nearly 45 points per game and 17 rebounds per game against the Bearcats for their careers.
Career Marks on the Horizon:
- Sophomore Breanna Daniels needs just 12 more points to reach 500 and 16 more rebounds to reach 200.
- Senior Laura Joya needs 26 more points to reach 750 and five more games played to reach 100.
- Junior Malorie Kiecker needs 27 more points to reach 500 and 10 more rebounds to reach 200.
Starting Lineup Stalwarts:
Junior guard Amy Galey and sophomore Breanna Daniels are the only two players to have started in all 21 games this season.
Daniels has now started in 36 games as Bulldog, second-most among active players.
Galey Doing It All From The Point:
Junior Amy Galey continues to serve the ‘Dogs in all facets of the game, leading both the team and ranking second in the MIAA in assists with 4.3 per game. She also is second on the squad in minutes played (30.0) and ranks third in both scoring (7.1) and rebounding (4.0). In addition, her 4.4 rebounds per game in conference play gives her the highest average on the squad.
She has had six games this season with six or more assists, including nearly becoming the first Bulldog to record 10 assists in a contest since 1998 when she distributed nine against Pittsburg State on Dec. 2. She holds three of the five highest assist marks recorded last decade for the program and is giving out 4.5 helpers per game in conference-only action.
The 5-foot-6 guard transferred to Truman this season after playing two seasons at Highland CC where she was a third-team all-American and a two-time all-conference pick. She is from Excelsior Springs, Mo., and attended Excelsior Springs HS.
Knocking Down the Freebies:
The Bulldogs continue to assume the role of the conference’s top free throw shooting team at 76.1% (232-for-305) on the season.
The Bulldogs are 152-for-196 (77.6%) in conference-only affairs and sits just .05 back of Fort Hays State for the top mark in MIAA-only play.
Up Next:
Truman continues its three-game, three-state road trip with its longest trek of the season, as the Bulldogs head to Hays, Kan., to take on Fort Hays State on Thursday, Feb. 11 before swinging through Omaha, Neb., on the way home to battle Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday, Feb. 13.