The No. 23 Emporia State Lady Hornets basketball team celebrated the end of the 2018 calendar year with a big home win Sunday, rolling past Baker 84-54.
The Lady Hornets only trailed once — 2-0 about a minute into the contest — before rattling off 13 unanswered points and seizing a lead they would never relinquish. Baker never got closer than eight points the rest of the way and spent the entire second half down at least 20 points, with ESU stretching the lead to 35 late in the fourth quarter. Coach Toby Wynn says the first five minutes of the game was a big key in the victory.
Five Emporia State players scored double figures. Tyra Jones led all scorers with 17 points. Emily Miller added 16, while Morgan Laudan had 14.
Jessica Wayne added 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Addie Lackey added 10.
Caitlin Modesett and Jessica Zweifel each had 15 points to pace Baker.
The Lady Hornets also dominated most of the team stats, shooting 41.7 percent from the floor on 30-of-72 shooting while Baker shot 18-of-56 for 32.1 percent. ESU was 10-of-32 from the 3-point line and 14-of-19 from the free throw line. Baker, in comparison, was 6-for-22 from long range and 12-of-22 from the stripe.
ESU outrebounded Baker 55-30, including a 22-9 edge in offensive rebounding. As a result, Emporia State outscored Baker 36-20 in the paint. ESU also had more second-chance points (15-10), fast break points (15-5) and bench points (20-7).
With the win, ESU is now 10-2 for the season with archrival Washburn awaiting for a Jan. 5 home game. Baker, the No. 23 team in NAIA play, is now 10-5 and has lost four straight games.
