The Truman men’s basketball team will play its first Saturday afternoon home game in seven weeks this weekend as it hosts 16th-ranked Missouri Southern in Pershing Arena at 3:00 pm.
The Bulldogs (5-12, 3-7 MIAA) haven’t been home on a Saturday since a Dec. 3 66- 57 victory against Pittsburg State but are in the midst of a stretch with four out of five games at home.
Despite a game-high 22 points from freshman Seth Jackson, Truman dropped a 78-73 decision to Central Missouri on Wednesday night to fall into a tie for ninth-place in the MIAA at 3-7.
The nationally-ranked Lions come in having won three straight to move into a four-way tie for the MIAA lead at 7-3.
Most recently, MSSU picked up an 84-76 home win against Northwest Missouri on Wednesday night behind 31 points from Jason Adams.
Saturday afternoon will mark the 44th all-time meting between the two schools, with MSSU holding a 26-17 lead.
The Lions hold an 11-10 lead in games played in Kirksville and have won nine straight overall.
Truman’s last win in the series came on Jan. 27, 2007 in a 76-68 home win behind 21 points from Nick Certa, 19 points from Banks Estridge and 13 points from Austin Kirby.
Three To watch:
1. avoiding the Big runs. Truman fell victim to a pair of first-half Lion runs that equaled 24-0 last time the teams met, giving the host squad a 29-point halftime lead.
2. Doing work at the Free Throw Line.
The Bulldogs have had four of their seven MIAA losses come by five or fewer points.
Their free throw percentage in those games: 64.6% (51-for-79).
3. minimizing the Turnovers.
The Bulldogs have been taking care of the basketball very well the past five games, averaging just 10.8 giveaways per contest.
Earlier this season, Truman turned it over 25 times at MSSU leading to 34 Lion points.
Courtesy Truman State University
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