SBU BEARCATS (2-8, 0-3 MIAA) at TRUMAN STATE BULLDOGS (6-5, 1-3 MIAA)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2009 • 5:30 PM
KIRKSVILLE, MO • PERSHING ARENA
LIVE STATS: gobulldogs.truman.edu/livestats/basketball/xlive.htm
LIVE RADIO: KBFL 99.9 FM (Josh Thompson, play-by-play)
INTERNET RADIO: www.radiospringfield.com/kbfl.aspx
VIDEO: www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=296 (B2 networks pay-per-view)

SBU NOTES | TSU NOTES
   
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- Following a controversy-filled one-point loss at Missouri Southern Monday night, the SBU Bearcats look for their first MIAA win on the road Wednesday at Truman. The contest is the second for SBU in a busy stretch of four games in eight days (Missouri Southern, Truman, Emporia State and Washburn). The Bearcats completed their non-conference slate Monday, December 21, with a home win over Ouachita Baptist.
   
Senior guard/forward Rachel Graves leads the Bearcats in scoring with 12.8 points per game, and is also among the MIAA leaders in treys made per game with 2.7, steals (1.8 per game), three-point percentage (37%), and minutes played with 30.7 per game. Junior point guard Ashleigh Gallio is fourth in the MIAA in assists (4.1) and third in minutes played (31.7). Courtney Heady's 10.5 points puts her in the MIAA top 20, as do her 2.7 threes per game and 38.6% three-point field goal percentage. Mia Gilreath (3.6), Gallio (3.5) and Jasmine Sanford (3.5) are SBU's top rebounders.

THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Bearcat head coach J.C. Carter leads SBU and is in his second season on the bench. Last year, he led SBU to an upset of nationally-ranked Emporia State at Emporia as well as a berth in the MIAA postseason tournament. As a college head coach, Carter now has a career mark of 10-28.
   
Michael Smith leads the Truman Bulldogs and is now in his second year at TSU with 14-24 mark and 116-58 record overall. He had been an assistant at Arkansas-Little Rock and head coach at Moberly Area Community College.
   
SBU leads the all-time series 29-12 and has won three of the last four meetings. The teams split last year's matchups with each winning on their home floor (63-60 in Bolivar and 87-80 in Kirksville).

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs begin a three-game homestand at Pershing Arena where they are 4-0 this season. They've dropped their last two MIAA games to the league leaders, #8 Washburn and #9 Emporia State. The Bulldogs are led by guards Laura Joya (14.5 ppg) and Breanna Daniels (11.4 ppg). Joya was co-MIAA Player of the Week on December 7. Junior guard Amy Galley averages 7.4 points and 4.6 assists per game. Galley's assists put her among the MIAA leaders. Post player Sarah Seberger also contributes 7.5 points per game along with 5.5 rebounds. Truman is the MIAA's top free throw shooting team (78.4%) and is second-best in three-point field percentage (37.6%).

NEXT UP FOR THE SBU BEARCATS
Following the visit to Kirksville and Truman State on Wednesday, it's a home contest to start the new year on Saturday, January 2, with the #9 Emporia State Lady Hornets visiting Bolivar and the Meyer Sports Center for a 5:30 p.m. contest.
   
Emporia features one of the MIAA's top scorers in Cassondra Boston of ESU (17.9, 2nd). ESU's Boston is also the current MIAA leader in assists (4.8 game) and also ranks among the MIAA leaders in field goal percentage (5th), free throw percentage (2nd) and threes made (10th). Her Emporia teammates Alli Volkens and Negesti Taylor rank third and fourth in rebounds per game with 7.4. Volkens is also 17th in scoring at 11.1 points per game. Emporia State is the top scoring team in the MIAA (80.8) and also has the lowest field goal percentage defense (.344) and has the top rebounding offense (47.1 per game).