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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team return to the friendly confines of John Lance Arena for just the second time in a month Thursday (Feb. 7) when the Gorillas begin a three-game homestand by hosting MIAA rival Truman State University.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (CST).
The Gorillas, who have played six of their last seven games on the road, then will play host to Southwest Baptist University Saturday (Feb. 9) at 3:30 p.m.
The Records
Pitt State enters Thursday’s action with a 13-6 overall record and a 6-5 mark in MIAA action. The Gorillas split a pair of games last week, posting a 57-56 road win over Missouri Western Wednesday (Jan. 30) at St. Joseph, Mo., before dropping a 67-51 decision to Washburn at Topeka Saturday (Feb. 2).
The Gorillas currently sit in a tie for seventh place in the MIAA standings with Central Oklahoma.
Truman is 7-12 overall, 4-7 in the MIAA and in a tie for 10th place in the conference standings (with MSSU). The Bulldogs dropped a 76-73 road decision to Southwest Baptist Saturday at Bolivar, Mo.
SBU is 7-12 overall and 5-6 in the MIAA heading into a Thursday (Feb. 7) road contest against Missouri Southern. The Bearcats, who currently sit in ninth place in the MIAA standings, won a 76-73 squeeker over TSU at Bolivar last Saturday after dropping an 87-75 home decision to Lindenwood on Jan. 31.
The Coaches
Pittsburg State’s Kevin Muff is in his third season leading the Gorillas. Muff (Kansas State, ’86) became the Gorillas’ 14th all-time head coach on Apr. 5, 2010, after spending 12 seasons at Cloud County Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds to an average of 21 wins in each of the last five seasons.
Muff has a 43-33 (.566) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. He is 3-1 against the Bulldogs and 1-3 against Bearcats.
Matt Woodley is in his second year as head coach at Truman. Woodley (Drake, 2000) has compiled a 15-32 (.319) during his brief tenure leading the Bulldogs. He is 1-1 vs. Pitt State.
Jeff Guiot is in his eighth season at Southwest Baptist and his 18th year as a collegiate coach. Guiot (Pittsburg State, ’87) has a 382-186 (.673) career record, including a 164-93 (.638) mark at the helm at SBU. He is 13-4 vs. his alma mater at SBU and 14-4 vs. PSU overall (includes one game at Bemidji State).
Series History
Thursday’s action will mark the 46th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Bulldogs in a series that dates back to the 1936 season.
Pitt State holds a decided 34-11 advantage in the series, including a 19-3 lead in games played in Pittsburg. The Gorillas defeated Truman, 73-56, in Pittsburg on Jan. 25, 2012, to offset a 66-57 Bulldogs win at Kirksville on Dec. 3, 2011.
Saturday’s matchup with the Bearcats will mark the 58th all-time contest between the two schools. SBU holds a slim 30-27 advantage in the series, including victories in 15 of the last 17 match-ups.
The two teams traded road wins last season with PSU posting a 73-67 win at Bolivar, Mo., on Dec. 3, 2011, and SBU claiming a 73-65 victory in Pittsburg on Feb. 1, 2012.
Gorillas at Home
Pitt State has posted a 368-177 (.675) all-time record at John Lance Arena since the facility opened in 1972. The Gorillas have compiled a 181-60 (.751) record at home during the last 18 seasons.
Pitt State’s all-time home record stands at 812-338 (.706).
Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has three players averaging double figures on the season and three more players contributing more than eight points a game: freshman guard Kaleb Porter, senior forward JaVon McGee, senior guard Courtney Ingram, senior guard Marky Nolen, senior center Rico Pierrevilus and junior forward A.J. Adams.
Porter is averaging a team-leading 13.7 points per game, while McGee (12.4 ppg) and Ingram (11.3 ppg) also are scoring in double figures. Nolen is contributing just under 10 points per game at 9.6 points per contest. Pierrevilus adds 8.6 points and Adams chips in with 8.4 points and as well.
Porter, a Tulsa, Okla., native, set a new PSU freshman scoring record with 34 points in Pitt State’s win over MIAA rival Lincoln at the Chris Tucker Memorial Classic on Nov. 16. He had 16 points in the season opener vs. Baker on Nov. 13 and he finished his first week of collegiate competition with a 14-point effort in a win over Avila on Nov. 17 and earned MIAA Player of the Week honors for his effort on Nov. 19.
Porter ranks 17th in the MIAA in scoring, sixth in the conference in free throw percentage (.848, 67-for-79) and sixth in the league in 3-point field goals (2.2 pg).
McGee contributes 12.4 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds per game. The Kansas City, Mo., native averaged 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in Pitt State’s previous nine outings before an injury that has kept him out of the team’s lineup the last two games. In his most recent action against Northeastern State on Jan. 23, he recorded 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
McGee, who ranks sixth in the MIAA in rebounding, 26th in the league in scoring and 15th in the conference in field goal percentage (.500, 80-for-160), became the 22nd player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points on Jan. 19 in the Pitt State win over Fort Hays State.
McGee scored 22 points in that contest and now has 1,030 points in 101 career games, ranking 20th in career scoring. He also has 680 career rebounds, ranking fourth on that PSU career list.
Ingram has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games he has played in for the Gorillas. The Tulsa, Okla., native recorded a double-double against Lincoln on Jan. 10, totaling 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
For the season, Ingram is shooting .465 (67-for-144) from the field and .663 (57-for-86) from the free throw line.
Nolen averages 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and a team-leading 1.8 steals per game. The Wichita, Kan., native ranks sixth in the MIAA in steals.
Pierrevilus is averaging 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on the season. He posted a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds in a road loss against Missouri Southern on Jan. 16.
For the season, Pierrevilus is shooting .459 (51-for-111) from the field and .818 (54-for-66) from the free throw line. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native ranks ninth in the MIAA in free throw percentage and seventh in blocked shots (1.3 bpg).
Adams has averaged 8.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game to date. The Jeffersonville, Ind., native is shooting a team-leading .514 (57-for-111) from the field.
Adams had a key tip-in as time expired that sent the William Jewell game to overtime on Nov. 28. He contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in that contest. He has recorded a pair of double-doubles on the season, most recently with 17 points and 11 rebounds vs. Central Oklahoma.
Freshman guard Jake Bullard returned to the lineup against Washburn Saturday (Feb. 2) after missing five games with an injury. Bullard is averaging 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest.
As a team, Pitt State is averaging 74.2 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 70.3 points. The Gorillas are shooting .429 from the field (464-1081), but they are limiting their opposition to .411 shooting (462-1124).
Pitt State has generated 28 percent of its offense from the free throw line thus far. The Gorillas have converted 390 of 551 free throws (.708), averaging 20.5 points per game from the charity stripe. Pitt State has outscored its opponents by an average of 4.9 points per game from the foul line thus far.
The Gorillas are fifth in the MIAA in scoring (74.2 ppg) and rank seventh in free throw percentage (.708). Pitt State also leads the conference in offensive rebounds (14.1 pg) and ranks second in rebounding margin (+5.8 rpg).
Scouting the Bulldogs
Truman has three players averaging in double figures – junior forward Mike Carlson (16.6 ppg), senior guard Tom Norton (13.9 ppg) and sophomore guard guard Seth Jackson (11.0 ppg).
Carlson, who ranks sixth in the MIAA in scoring, also averages a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game. The Superior, Wis., native also leads the Bulldogs in blocked shots (30), steals (33) and field goal shooting percentage (.515). Norton is currently shooting 43.9 (54-for-123) from beyond the arc.
Freshman point guard Cory Myers leads the team with 84 assists on the year while also adding 6.5 points per game.
As a team, the Bulldogs average 71.5 points per game while their opposition averages 69.0 points per game. Truman shoots 44.7 percent from the field (467-for-1044) while their opponents are shooting 44.2 percent (458-for-1036).
Scouting the Bearcats
Southwest Baptist has three players scoring in double figures – junior forward Damion Hooks (12.2 ppg), sophomore guard Preston Guiot (11.6 ppg) and junior guard Gilbert Gyamfi (10.6 ppg).
Hooks is currently shooting a team-high 56.6 percent from the field (86-for-152). Guiot leads the team in assists, recording 101 helpers for the Bearcats. Gyamfi’s 3.8 rebounds per game average paces SBU – the Bearcats have six players who contribute between 3.2 and 3.8 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Bearcats score 68.7 points per game, while their opponents average 76.0 points per game. SBU is shooting 42.7 percent from the field (461-for-1080) while allowing their opponents to shoot 48.1 percent from the field (506-1052), including 41.7 percent from3-point territory.
Probable Starters
Pitt State (13-6, 6-5 MIAA)
F 20 A.J. Adams, 6-6, 210, Jr., Jeffersonville, Ind.
C 34 Rico Pierrevilus, 6-7, 240, Sr., West Palm Beach, Fla.
G 1 Jake Bullard, 6-5, 190, Fr., Cleora, Okla.
G 15 Marky Nolen, 6-4, 200, Sr., Wichita, Kan.
G 24 Terrell Eaddy, 6-5, 205, Jr., Bronx, N.Y.
Truman (7-12, 4-7 MIAA)
F 3 Isaac Gardner, 6-4, 205, Jr., Washington, Mo.
F 5 Mike Carlson, 6-9, 200, Jr., Superior, Wis.
F 33 Tyler Anderson, 6-5, 210, So., West Des Moines, Iowa
G 12 Cory Myers, 6-3, 190, Fr., Ankeny, Iowa
G 22 Tom Norton, 5-9, 170, Sr., Bloomington, Ill.
Southwest Baptist (7-12, 5-6 MIAA)
F 1 Damion Hooks, 6-6, 205, Jr., Broken Arrow, Okla.
F 30 Jayon’e Troutman, 6-5, 175, Fr., Houston, Texas
G 3 Preston Guiot, 5-11, 185, So., Bolivar, Mo.
G 13 Gilbert Gyamfi, 6-2, 200, Jr., Bramton, Ontario
G 14 Rashaad Brown-Peterson, 6-1, 210, Jr., Milwaukee, Wis.
