The Truman men’s basketball team will look to close out the 2011 calendar year on a positive note this Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Emporia (Kan.) State for a 4:30 pm tip in historic White Auditorium.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 67-54 defeat at Washburn (Kan.) University last Saturday in a game that saw the purple and white fall behind by a dozen at the break.
Despite the loss, Truman still finds itself in the middle of a deep pack at the heart of the MIAA standings, falling in at 2-2 in league play.
Truman will face an Emporia State squad that comes into Saturday’s game with a 6-3 overall record (2-1 MIAA) following a 74-72 overtime victory at home last Saturday against Central Missouri.
ESU has won two straight in MIAA play after opening the conference slate with a five-point loss at league-leading Northwest Missouri.
The Bulldogs and Hornets will be conducting their 40th meeting in the all-time series, with Emporia holding a 26-13 edge dating back to the first meeting in 1992. The Bulldogs are 6-13 all-time in Emporia including four straight losses.
Truman’s last win in White Auditorium came on Feb. 21, 2007 – an 88-78 Bulldog victory in a game that saw Nick Certa drain seven three-pointers on the way to 25 points and five other Bulldogs in double-figures.
Andy Calmes came up just short of a triple-double in the game, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Last season, the two squads played a pair of tight matchups, with ESU beating Truman 74-71 in overtime in Kirksville before handing the Bulldogs a 65-61 setback in Emporia.
Vesko Filchev posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds at ESU and Tom Norton averaged nine points per game as the top Bulldog returners.
Emporia has won the last eight games in the series and 10 of the last 12. Truman’s last win came in the MIAA tournament on March 1, 2007 in Kansas City.
Courtesy Truman State University
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKTVO