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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.

Bulldog Quick Hits:

Truman continues to be led offensively by the six-foot, Willard, Mo.-native Henderson, who checks in at 17.4 ppg.

He has reached double-figures in all nine games this season and sits eighth in the MIAA.

Joining him atop Truman’s scoring chart are senior Ethan Freeman (11.0 ppg) and sophomore Tom Norton (10.8 ppg).

Freeman is also the Bulldogs’ leading rebounder at 8.6 per game, a mark that is good for second in the MIAA, while Norton’s 24 three-pointers are a team-high.

The Bulldogs have utilized the same starting lineup for eight of the nine contests, with Henderson, Freeman and Norton being joined by senior guard Stefan Garrison and junior center Vesko Filchev.

About the ‘Dogs:

 The Bulldogs are scoring 74.8 points per game through nine games, while allowing opponents 77.2 points per game for a -2.4 margin.

 While drawing closer to the midline, that margin has taken its biggest hit since the start of conference play, with Truman at -14.2 through five MIAA games.

 Senior Alex Henderson set a new career-high with 24 points against Culver-Stockton on Nov. 15 and has topped the 20-point mark three times this year.

He is also second in three-point percentage (51.1%), fourth in three-pointers made (2.6/game), and seventh in minutes played.

 Senior Ethan Freeman tied a career-high with 17 rebounds at QU on Nov. 27 and set a new career-best with 23 points against MSSU on Dec. 1.

He also handed out a career-best seven assists against Washburn on Dec. 11. In addition to ranking second in the league in rebounding, he is the league-leader in defensive rebounds (6.3/game) and is ninth in assists (3.4).

·Sophomore guard Tom Norton continues to find his success from long-range, as 24 of his 27 made field goals have been three-pointers.

 He is a career 91.3% foul shooter and hit 31 straight at one point during his freshman year. This season, he is 19-for-22 from the charity stripe.

·Junior Vesko Filchev picked up his second double-double of the season against Washburn on Dec. 11, finishing with 13 points and ten rebounds.

Filchev has dominated the paint defensively this year, swatting nine shots to lead the ’Dogs (sixth in the MIAA) and pulling down 5.9 rebounds/game.

·Freshman Isaac Gardner has been a sniper off the bench, hitting 46% of his three-pointers – good for fifth in the MIAA. Like Norton, almost all of his field goals have been from beyond the arc (18 three-pointers, three two-pointers).

·The Bulldogs top the MIAA in three-point percentage, connecting at a 39.7% clip. Truman also ranks second in defensive rebounds (27.1) and third in three-pointers made (9.4).

Up Next:

The Bulldogs will put true meaning behind the term “road trip”, as the purple and white are set to swing through Omaha, Neb., on the way back to Kirksville for a Wednesday (Jan. 5) meeting with Nebraska-Omaha.

The Mavericks are 5-4 (2-3 MIAA) entering the holiday break and travel to Missouri Western on Sunday (Jan. 2) afternoon.

Courtesy Truman State University