JOPLIN, MO. -- The Truman men’s basketball team had the No. 14 and MIAA-leading Missouri Southern Lions on the ropes for more than 35 minutes, but a late 12-2 run by the MSSU Lions held off a Bulldog upset bid in an 83-70 final score from the Leggett and Platt Center.
Senior Ethan Freeman (Urbandale, Iowa, Urbandale) recorded his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds, for the Bulldogs (5-11, 3-9 MIAA), who return to Pershing Arena on Wednesday (Jan. 26) night for a 7:30 pm tilt with Pittsburg State.
The Bulldogs came out blistering in the opening 20 minutes, getting three triples from both Tom Norton (Bloomington, Ill., Bloomington Catholic) and Isaac Gardner (Washington, Iowa, Washington) along with 15 first-half boards by Freeman to carry a 38-27 lead into the break. Truman never trailed in the first half against MSSU (15-1, 11- MIAA) and was tied just once, at 2-2, before going on a 17-4 run to open a 19-6 advantage with 11:07 on the clock. The lead stayed between nine and 12 points the rest of the first half.
However, the Lions applied pressure to start the second half and quickly erased Truman’s lead, drawing even at 42-42 on a Keane Thomann jumper with 13:43 to play in the game. An Alex Henderson (Willard, Mo., Willard) three-pointer put Truman back on top right away, and the Bulldogs maintained their edge for five more minutes, leading 57-55 with 8:45 left on the clock.
It was then Missouri Southern’s turn to lead, holding slim margins until the Bulldogs evened the score at 63 apiece at the final media timeout. But, back-to-back three-pointers by Jason Adams and Skyler Bowlin gave the Lions a six-point lead which they would not relinquish on the way to the 83-70 final. Missed shots and quick buckets by MSSU helped swell a three-point lead with 1:38 to play into the 13-point margin.
Freeman was one of four Bulldogs in double-figures, as Norton’s 14 points in 26 minutes off the bench led the way for the purple and white. Vesko Filchev (Plovdiv, Bulgaria, GPCHE) added 11 – also off the bench – and Henderson reached double-figures for the 13th time this season by pouring in ten.
The 18 rebounds by Freeman marked not only a new career-high, breaking his previous mark of 17 against Quincy earlier this season, but also set a new standard in the MIAA this season. The conference’s leading rebounder overall and defensively is now averaging 9.4 rebounds per game to go with 11.9 points per outing.
Despite both teams shooting 46% from the floor, the Bulldogs were done in by 20 turnovers to just four by the Lions as well as the disparity at the free throw line where Truman went 13-of-19 to Missouri Southern’s 26-of-39. The ’Dogs out-boarded MSSU, 40-29, and hit nine three-pointers on 18 attempts.
Adams and Bowlin dropped 17 points apiece for MSSU.
(Courtesy Truman State Athletics Department)
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