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(AP) -- The Truman women’s basketball team was picked to finish seventh in the MIAA Coaches Poll and ninth in the media poll that was released by the league office on Tuesday as part of the MIAA Media Day.

The Bulldogs will play an exhibition game on Tuesday, Nov. 1st against the University of Missouri at 7:00 p.m. at Mizzou Arena.

The conference coaches’ poll had Truman with 47 points and seventh, nine points behind both Missouri Southern and Northwest Missouri with Washburn grabbing 10 of the 11 first place votes.

Emporia State was second followed by Central Missouri and Pittsburg State.

In the media poll, the Bulldogs were ninth with 52 points.

Michael Smith is in his fourth year at Truman and returns four starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s 12-15 squad.

Smith’s club over the past three seasons have improved each year in overall wins, conference wins and conference road wins culminating last season in their first trip to the MIAA postseason tournament and three All-conference selections, the most in the program in 11 years.

He enters year four with an overall record of 31-50 and had guided the team to back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in a decade.

The team has won more conference games during his tenure than the previous five seasons, capping off with the first 10-win conference season since the 1999-2000 campaign.

Truman finished 12-15 in 2010-11 with a 10-12 MIAA mark and five wins on the road in league play.

Senior-to-be Breanna Daniels led the team in scoring and was a third team all-conference selection while graduate assistant coach, point guard Amy Galey and junior post Jennifer Conway got honorable mention all-league nods.

Daniels averaged 12.9 points per game while freshman standout Nicole Gloor adding 9.1 coming off the bench. Senior Becka McHenry also averaged 8.4 points with 58 assists.

Smith’s 2011 newcomers should add depth to an already strong roster with junior college transfer Rachael Remick (6-1, Forward) and freshmen Allie Norton (5-6, Guard), Allison Wiese (5-9, Guard) Aqua Corpening (5-10, Guard) and Sarah Gaeddert (6-0, Forward) joining the team.

The Bulldogs will open the 2011-12 regular season with four home games starting on Saturday, Nov. 12th against Lindenwood-Belleville.

The MIAA season opens on Nov. 30th at Missouri Southern.

Courtesy Truman State University

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