The first test of 2011 will be a big one for the Truman men’s basketball team, as the Bulldogs are tasked with hitting the road to face No. 9 Fort Hays (Kan.) State on Monday, Jan. 3.
Truman and FHSU will tip-off in Gross Memorial Coliseum at 7:30 pm.
Truman (3-6, 1-4 MIAA) will try to shake off its final game of 2010 – a 74-71 overtime loss at home against Emporia (Kan.) State – which saw the Bulldogs hold a 19-point second-half lead.
Senior guard Alex Henderson led three players in double-figures, but the Bulldogs went just 7-for-25 from three-point range for the game, including an 0-for-3 mark in overtime, to come up just short against the Hornets.
Meanwhile, the 9th-ranked Tigers (10-1, 4-1 MIAA) are coming off just the opposite in their 2010 finale, getting a three-pointer by Corbin Kuntzsch with four seconds to play to overcome Northwest Missouri on the road, 71-68.
Fort Hays is a perfect 5-0 at home this season, where they boast a 32 point per game margin of victory.
Monday’s showdown will mark just the 11th all-time meeting between Truman and the Tigers, with FHSU holding a 7-3 edge.
Fort Hays swept last year’s season series and has won five straight dating back to the 2007-2008 season, when the Bulldogs handed FHSU a 60-48 setback in Hays.
Under head coach Jack Schrader (since 1995), the Bulldogs are 3-5, with all games coming since the Tigers joined the MIAA prior to the 2006-2007 season.
Truman won the first three MIAA meetings, including two straight in western Kansas.
Courtesy Truman State University
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKTVO