Feb.10, 2009 – The middle game of a three-game homestand will be played on Thursday night as the Fort Hays State University Tigers pay their annual visit to Pershing Arena. The Bulldogs and Tigers met back on Jan. 3rd with Fort Hays handing Truman a 69-47 setback.
Truman has lost their last six games after the 81-57 defeat at the hands of #6 Southwest Baptist last Saturday at home. The Bulldogs tried to keep pace with the high-scoring Bearcats and shot 50% in the first half and trailed by just one, but while the ‘Cats improved to shoot 55% in the second half, the ‘Dogs struggled to a 32% field goal percentage.
Ethan Freeman led the Bulldogs in scoring for the fifth time this season with his 11 points, while Patrick Fandja added 10. Nick Kovacevich led the Bearcats with 19 points and Matt Rogers scored 18. Rogers was named the MIAA player of the week this past Monday.
The Tigers are riding their longest winning streak since joining the MIAA two years ago. Fort Hays has won their last seven games and have moved to third place in the conference standings.
The Tigers defeated Washburn on Saturday night at home 68-60. Corbin Kuntzsch made all four three-point attempts and scored a career-high 23 points in the victory.
Kuntzsch averaged 17 points in both the Tigers wins last week and shot 71% (5-of-7) from beyond the arc.
In the first meeting with the Tigers, Truman struggled from the field in the first half making just 6-of-22 shots and fell behind by 11 at halftime. The Tigers then blistered the nets in the second half, shooting 15-of-25 (60%) and outscored Truman by 11 again to win 69-47.
Brian Nwelue led the Truman scorers with 13 points, while Tyrone Evans paced the Tigers with 17.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?:
With the loss on Saturday to Southwest Baptist coupled with Missouri Western’s win over Missouri Southern, the Bulldogs were eliminated from a spot in the MIAA postseason tournament. Truman could finish with six conference wins but would lose out on a tie-break with current eighth place team, Missouri Southern due to the Lions season sweep over the Bulldogs.
The Tigers were seventh in last week’s NCAA South Central Regional poll with the top eight teams selected to participate in the national tournament. Fort Hays is currently a ½ game ahead of Emporia State and Washburn in the standings for third place and two games back of Southwest Baptist and Central for the league’s top spot.
BULLDOGS BITES:
- Senior Banks Estridge is the only Bulldog to average double-figures in scoring. Estridge’s 10.4 points per game leads the team and he is also the leader with 62 assists and 34 steals. He has scored 228 points this year and 913 for his career. He is eighth in the conference in steals (1.55) and also is the team leader in free throw percentage at 77%.
- Sophomore Ethan Freeman is second in scoring at 9.5 points per game and first in rebounding at 5.6 per contest. Freeman has already eclipsed his freshman point total by scoring 210 this year. He is second in assists with 43 and has the team lead in offensive rebounds with 38.
- The Bulldogs have had 13 different starting lineups this season through 21 games. Only one combination (Fandja, Freeman, Estridge, Gabe Landau, Alex Henderson) has started four games together. The group of Vesko Filchev, Brian Nwelue, Brandon Griffin, Freeman, and Estridge have started the last two outings.
- In home conference games, Truman is averaging 60.0 points per game while allowing 67.7 The Bulldogs are shooting 41% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc but they have struggled from the line, shooting just 64%.
- Fandja has led the Bulldogs in scoring during home league games at 12.6 points per game and 6.7 rebounds.
- Opponents are shooting 41% on the Pershing rims 30% from outside and 67% at the free throw line.
- The Bulldogs are 5-0 when leading at the half and 6-4 with scoring over 60 points per game.
- Truman is averaging 62.1 points per game and has a season-high 97 against Central Christian College. The Bulldogs are fourth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 69.4 points per game.
- Three Bulldogs have topped 20 points in a game this season. Patrick Fandja holds the season-high with 23 points against Missouri Western last time out. Fandja also had 22 against Washburn. Banks Estridge’s 21 against UNO and Northwest is third. Ethan Freeman scored 20 against William Woods.
- Fandja and Brandon Griffin have recorded the only double-doubles this season. Fandja had 23 and 11 against Missouri Western and 22 and 11 against Washburn on Dec. 13th while Griffin scored 19 and had 12 rebounds against Central Christian College on Nov. 20th.
SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE:
The Tigers are hoping to finish strong and make the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. Fort Hays was seventh in the NCAA South Central Regional poll last week with the new poll released on Wednesday.
The Tigers are the league’s second best scoring defensive team as they have limited opponents to just 64.4 points per game. They are also first in rebounding margin at +6.8 and are third in offensive rebounds pulling down on average 13.76 a contest.
Tyrone Evans, who was second-team all-MIAA last year as a junior, leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Evans is 12th in the MIAA in scoring, third in three-point field goal percentage (.431) and first in three-pointers made per game (3.43).
Three other Tigers average double-figures in scoring with Terry Jefferies (11.0), Tim Peintner (10.9) and Corbin Kuntzsch (10.5) behind Evans. Peintner is the team’s top rebounder and 5th in the MIAA at 7.1 per game while Jefferies is second in assists per game with 4.67.
COACHES:
Jack Schrader is in his 14th season as head coach of the Bulldogs. He has an overall record of 153-227. Schrader has guided two Bulldog team to the NCAA Division II tournament. The 1998-99 team finished their season at the NCAA Final Four, while the 2005-06 team was a participant in the NCAA South Central regional.
Truman has only had three men’s basketball coaches since 1946, Boyd King (1946-1971), Willard Sims (1971-1995) and Schrader (1996-present). Schrader has twice been named the MIAA and NABC South Central region Coach of the Year.
Coach Schrader picked up his 150th victory of his career as Bulldog head coach in a 97-71 win over Central Christian on Nov. 20th. He is currently third all-time among Truman coaches trailing Boyd King (379 wins) and Williard Sims (310 wins).
Mark Johnson is in his eight season on the sidelines for the Tigers. Johnson has complied a 154-71 record during that span.
SERIES:
This is the eighth meeting between Fort Hays and Truman and the sixth conference game between the two schools. The Tigers, by virtue of the last two wins in the series, lead the Bulldogs 4-3 in games played.
Fort Hays defeated Truman 62-58 in last year’s meeting in Pershing Arena. Truman won the first meeting in Kirksville, 70-59 back in 2007. The Bulldogs last win in the series was in Hays back in 2008, 60-48.
UP NEXT:
Due to the Thursday game, the Bulldogs will turnaround and welcome Nebraska-Omaha just 43 and a half hours later on Saturday afternoon.
It will be the Mavericks first trip to Kirksville as a member of the MIAA and first since Dec. 5, 1992.