Following a win in Evansville, Indiana, last week, the Truman women’s basketball team looked to add more wins to its 11-6 record. The Bulldogs collected two GLVC victories against the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Maryville University. The two-game home stand brings the ‘Dogs into a stretch of four games on the road.
Although the first quarter of the game against UMSL ended with the two teams tied, the ‘Dogs finished the first half with the lead, 37-31. Following a second-half comeback by the Tritons, the game went into overtime, where the Bulldogs took the win with a final score of 78-73.
Redshirt senior center Michalina Tomczak, who shot 7-9 and scored 16 points on the night, says the team’s success mainly can be attributed to its determination. Tomczak says for a team to win, perseverance is important throughout the game, even when the team loses the lead. She says it was this kind of determination that helped Truman pull through during overtime.
“UMSL was a grind,” Tomczak says. “They’re a really good team, and they battled throughout the entire game. I feel like all of us knew we could win that game, and that perseverance allowed us to take the win.”
Against Maryville, Truman took an early lead and extended it to 43-20 at halftime. The ‘Dogs carried that lead for an 80-60 win. Truman made 29 of its 61 shots from the field for a season-high 80 points. Junior center Cassidy Clark says the team’s positive energy led to its success against the Saints. Clark, who shot 4-4 for 9 points Saturday, says maintaining that positive energy on the road will be key to future victories. She says a strong defensive presence also will go a long way toward helping the Bulldogs win.
“We’re really good defensively,” Clark says. “We really bite down. We don’t like to get scored on — nobody does — so we try our best to keep our opponents around 60 points a game. I think that’s what helps us win.”
The Bulldogs now have a conference record of 7-2, the third-best record in the GLVC West, behind Drury University and Quincy University. Truman will play Missouri S&T 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, in Rolla, Missouri, followed by No. 18 Drury at 1p.m. Saturday in Springfield, Missouri.
For the complete story about the recent Bulldog victories, pick up a copy of the Index or click here to read online on Issuu.