Emporia State picked up the sweep over Rogers State at White Auditorium in Emporia Wednesday night.
The Emporia State women’s basketball team ended the game on a 23-6 run to put away Rogers State 80-71. Both teams struggled offensively to start the game as ESU shot just 2-for-11 in the first quarter while Rogers State finished the first quarter 5-for-19. RSU took control with a 17-3 run in the second quarter and led 34-30 at halftime. The lead was 10 for the Hillcats when ESU responded with a 17-4 spurt in the third to lead 54-51 at the end of the frame. Before a blink, the Hillcats had rattled off eight in a row and a 10-2 run to lead 61-55, but the Lady Hornets connected with 16 of the game’s next 19 points over the next 5 minutes on the way to the win. Tylieea Wallace came off the bench to lead ESU with 17 points while grabbing 7 rebounds. She talked about sparking her team as the sixth man.
Queen Ulabo picked up her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. ESU hit six three’s in a row to end the game after missing their first 10. RSU was whistled for 35 fouls and had four players foul out while ESU was called for 16 fouls. E-State shot 38-for-50 from the charity line while RSU finished 10-for-17. Head coach Brian Ostermann said it was a hard game to figure out.
ESU improved to 4-3 with the win and moves to 2-0 in MIAA play. RSU fell to 4-4 on the year and 0-3 in MIAA action.
Meanwhile the men built a 21-point lead before having to fend off a Rogers State Hillcat comeback in a 85-74 victory. The Hillcats scored 7 in a row to lead 7-2 in the early going but a 10-0 run gave the #21 Hornets a lead they would never relinquish. ESU led by as many as 11 in the first half before settling for a 35-28 halftime lead. ESU built a 21-point lead twice in the second half and led 69-48 with 8:21 to go before Rogers State cut the deficit to six with just over a minute to play, but ESU hit free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Solomon Oraegbu led all scorers with a season and ESU career high 30 points. He talked about the need to step up with recent injuries to the E-State roster.
Head coach Craig Doty was impressed by his team’s balanced scoring.
The Hornet men improve to 8-1 and 2-0 in MIAA play and are on an eight-game winning streak. The Hornets snapped Rogers State’s three-game winning streak and dropped the Hillcats to 3-3 and 2-1 inside ‘The Association’.
ESU returns to action Saturday to host Northeastern State. Tip-off for the women is set for 6:00 p.m. Coverage begins with the RV Doc Pregame Show at 5:30 p.m. on Mix 104.9. Listen online at kvoe.com/listen or via the Audacy app.
