During Winter Break, Truman State University men’s basketball recorded a record of 4-2, including an overtime win against Benedict College. At the end of break, the men now sit at 13-4 overall. On the women’s side, Truman exits the break with an 8-8 record overall, going 3-3 over the last month. With their “break” behind them, Truman’s basketball teams move forward to a weekend in St. Louis against Maryville University and University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Previewing the weekend in St. Louis, Senior Forward Billy Daniel says keeping a defensive focus and fighting for rebounds will be crucial because many opposing teams have a size advantage.
“Maryville and UMSL are two good teams that will challenge us,” Daniel says. “Winning on the road is difficult against any team in the GLVC, so we need to focus and get prepared for next week. UMSL has some size and plays inside-out well, so we will have to figure out how to counter that. Maryville plays a motion offense that requires you to really lock in on defense, so focus will be the key for this week.”
Earlier in the year, women’s basketball lost to UMSL, so on Saturday, the ‘Dogs will be looking for payback. Head Coach Amy Eagan says in the last game against UMSL, the Bulldogs had trouble defending one-on-one penetration in the guard position and hope to improve in that respect. Eagan says the key to winning will be putting together a complete game, offensively and defensively.
Junior forward Kennedy Martin says the team needs to remember to stay relaxed and confident on offense and take on defense one possession at a time.
“Every team in the GLVC is good,” Martin says. “Any team can win on any given night. Since we are playing on these teams’ home courts this week, we have to go out there with more confidence and energy. It’s easy to have that confidence when you’re playing on your home court — it’s more of a challenge when you’re playing on the road.”
The men’s and women’s teams will play against UMSL Saturday, January 21.