Bulldogs fall 71-59 at Western Illinois

The men's basketball team hung around for a while but could not pull off the upset as the Bulldogs fell 71-59 at Western Illinois University on Wednesday night.

The face-off against the Div. I opponent was Truman's first in the regular season since the team lost to Southeast Missouri State University 59-56 in its first away game of 2005.

After a win Monday against Culver-Stockton College, freshman guard Tom Norton said a win against Western was not out of reach if the team followed the same pattern.

"Get up, push the ball, crash the boards hard, and just make effort a key emphasis and hopefully things turn out good for us," Norton said.

Despite an 11-2 run to start the game by the Leathernecks, the 'Dogs proved their confidence was not misplaced. The Bulldogs shot just 35.8 from the field and had just eight chances at the charity stripe, yet managed to stay in the game.

Led by sophomore center Vesko Filchev's 18 points and Norton's 17, Truman cut the lead to just five with 18:43 left in the second half and cut it to single digits in the waning minutes. Before the game head coach Jack Schrader said he expected a tough match-up, but all he wanted his players to think about was playing hard throughout the game.

"I just want us to play with the energy and aggressiveness that we did [on Monday]," Schrader said. "That's all we're worried about right now. Really simple, so all we have to worry about is energy and being aggressive."

The narrow road loss to a Div. I team in 2005 was the start of a 20-9 season that eventually led to an NCAA tournament berth for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs controlled the pace and caught fire from beyond the arc to earn an 86-68 win against Culver-Stockton College in its home opener.

The 'Dogs had production up-and-down their lineup. Every player on the roster tallied at least one score, and four players finished in double digits. Junior forward Mark Misiewicz led the charge. He went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc en route to 16 points. Misiewicz said he realized the need to step up now that he is an upperclassman.

"It's a big junior class, and the first two years we were kind of - you know, you don't really have the burden on your shoulders, but now it's our time, it's our team," Misiewicz said. "With only [Matt Taylor] being the lone senior, you know it's up to all of us, but I think there's more emphasis with the juniors."

Fellow junior forward Ethan Freeman, the Bulldogs' second leading scorer in 2008-09, played a big role in the win as well. He came off the bench and chipped in 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.

The upperclassmen, however, were not the sole contributors as Norton added 11 points of his own, nine of which came from beyond the arc. Filchev balanced the attack with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Bulldogs wanted a fast start and they did just that. The team jumped out to a 25-8 lead in the first 10 minutes and never looked back.

Right before halftime, Truman got a fastbreak, but instead of attempting to drive past the defender, Norton took a step back and buried a three to give the 'Dogs a 50-19 lead.

"It's a lot of confidence," Norton said. "I looked for guidance from the older guys, but we all have to trust in each other so hopefully we can put it together and go on a run."

During the second half, the Wildcats improved by 20 percent and knocked down nine treys to cut into the 31 point deficit. The Bulldogs shot less than 50 percent in the second half, and Truman secured the 18-point win.

Schrader encouraged his team to have some fun in the game and said the team ran a "shoot-before-we-turn-it-over" offense. The team shot 50 percent from the floor and recorded just 14 turnovers, only two of which came in the first half.

"They're certain they're working really hard, and I'm trying to find a way that's compatible with what they do, and also help us to make us successful in the conference," Schrader said. "And so this was a step in the right direction."