FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 2, 2008

Lions fall for first time with 68-55 setback at Truman State

Box Score

Kirksville, Mo. - Georgia Mueller scored a game-high 27 points as the Truman Bulldogs handed the No. 16-ranked Missouri Southern Lions their first loss of the season, 68-55 in the MIAA opener for both schools Wednesday night (Jan. 2) in Kirksville, Mo.

After Trice Bonner capped a 7-0 Lion run with a layup that gave Southern its first lead of the game at 43-41, the Bulldogs out-scored the Lions 24-5 over the next 8:06 to take a commanding 65-48 lead with 5:09 left in the game.

Nichole Helfrich then scored the next seven points to pull Southern within 65-55 with 2:16 left, but Truman (9-1, 1-0 MIAA) hit three free throws down the stretch to ice the victory.

The Bulldogs led throughout the first half and jumped ahead 9-3 as Mueller scored five quick points in the first four minutes of the game.

Fatai Hala'Api'Api hit a pair of jumpers to bring the Lions to 11-10, but the Bulldogs scored the next six and led 17-10 with 12:37 remaining in the first half.

The Lions (9-1, 0-1 MIAA) battled back and tied the score at 19-19 as Randi Henderson nailed a three-pointer and converted a layup in a 9-2 spurt.

Truman stretched the lead to 32-24 before settling for a 35-29 advantage at the half.

Helfrich led the Lions with 12 points, including hitting 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Tynesha Pierce scored 11 and Ela Zawadka led Southern with a team-high 11 rebounds.

In addition to her scoring output, Mueller also paced Truman with a game-high 12 boards and Candace McGee reached double-figure scoring with 19 on the night.

The Lions will look to get back on a winning note by hosting Missouri Western in their MIAA home opener on Saturday night (Jan. 5). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.