The 5-0 Truman Bulldogs will head south to face the 4-2 Missouri Southern Lions in the 2011-12 tipoff of conference play in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Joplin.
The two teams split last year’s meetings with each winning on their home court.
The Bulldogs are 5-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season and for only the third time in the program’s 40 year history following a pair of wins against members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference last week.
Truman defeated #24 Quincy University 79-69 to pick up their first win over a ranked opponent since 2008 last Tuesday then traveled to Kansas City for a 62-46 win over Rockhurst University.
Four Truman starters are averaging over 10 points per game during the non-conference portion of the schedule with junior Jennifer Conway leading the way at 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.
Senior Breanna Daniels and freshman Allie Norton are averaging 11.2 points and junior guard Becka McHenry has dropped in 10.6 per game.
Daniels is closing in on 1,000 points for her career as she is within 10 entering this week’s games.
The Lions are 4-2 after picking up a 74-68 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday.
Haley Weathers scored a career-high 23 points in the win as she torched the net from long ranging hitting seven of 10 three-point attempts.
Returning third-team all-MIAA forward Erin Rice and junior guard Kelby Fritz, are leading the Lions in scoring at 11 points per game.
This is the sixth straight year that the Bulldogs and Lions will open up MIAA play against each other and it will be the first time that a conference game in the MIAA will be played in the month of November.
Truman won last year’s opener in Kirksville 71-58 behind 16 points from Breanna Daniels while the Lions won 64-40 in Joplin with former Southern all-conference standout Jasmine Lovejoy scoring 19 in the win.
Truman Non-Conference Recap:
The Bulldogs posted a 5-0 record in non-conference play this season with one game remaining (Feb. 11 at McKendree (Ill.)).
Truman averaged 80 points per game and had a +27.2 scoring margin.
They shot 45% from the field including 40% from beyond the arc and made over seven three-pointers per game
.Truman also averaged 17 assists and just 12 turnovers in the five non-conference games.
The Bulldogs are 15-8 in non-conference games under Coach Michael Smith.
Courtesy Truman State University
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