With the 2015-16 regular season concluding tonight, Feb. 25, the Truman State men’s basketball team enters its final regular season matchup against Quincy University on a two-game win streak after defeating William Jewell College and Rockhurst University. The team ended its three-game losing streak by winning its season home finale Thursday. The Bulldogs hosted the William Jewell College Cardinals in Pershing Arena, and won with a score of 98-83.
Five Truman players scored more than 10 points, and junior forward Billy Daniel led the team with a career-high 27 points. Daniel landed 11 out of his 13 free throws.
The Bulldogs shot 58 percent from the field and forced 17 turnovers. The team also made 12 of 22 3-point shots. Redshirt senior guard Andrew Vander Zwaag scored 17 points and made four from 3-point range, despite not being able to practice days before the game because of a shoulder injury. Vander Zwaag said he had been feeling discomfort in his left shoulder, but he said he did not notice it during the game.
“We dropped two heartbreakers in a row,” Vander Zwaag said. “We weren’t really locked in at practice, so we lost the third. We just kind of got back into it and really focused on practice to prepare better for this game.”
Head Coach Chris Foster said the team did not do anything different to prepare for this game after losing the last three. He said the team refocused on
fundamentals and getting through the adversity. Foster said he was proud of all the effort players put into practice during the week, and it was good to send the seniors off with a victory during their final regular season home game.
Foster said heading into postseason play, the team really has to battle to get the rebounds it needs to win games.
“They’re all huge when you get to this time of year,” Foster said. “We haven’t talked a ton about the seeding or the standings, and we are just trying to take it one day at a time.”
The Bulldogs found open shots in the field and forced turnovers. Senior guard Cole Myers said the team has to have an aggressive defense because the roster predominantly is composed of guards, so
it’s important to use turnovers to create opportunities on offense.
Truman already has earned a spot in the GLVC tournament, but the team’s seeding is not yet decided. The final game of the regular season will decide where Truman is seeded in the conference tournament.
To read more about men’s basketball, pick up a copy of the Feb. 25 Index or click here to read on Issuu.