Hornet basketball suffered a sweep for the first time this season on the road at the UCM Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, MO. on Saturday.
The Lady Hornets battled through three quarters but couldn’t slow down the #17 Jennies in an 81-55 defeat. The Hornets trailed 13-5 in the first period but used a 13-2 run to take a 25-21 lead with less than four minutes to play in the second before UCM answered with a 10-2 run to lead 31-27 at the break. E-State never got closer than three in the second half and was outscored 27-6 in the fourth period. Head coach Brian Ostermann said there were a number of factors that contributed to the loss.
Katie Horyna led the Lady Hornets in scoring for the second-straight game with 16 points to go along with seven assists against just one turnover. Gracie Gilpin added 12 points. ESU falls to 8-7 on the year and 5-4 in the MIAA.
The Hornet men were held to their lowest scoring output of the year in a 60-53 loss to the Mules. Neither team led by more than two scores in the first half and the Hornets led 24-23 at the break. Emporia State opened the second half on a 7-1 run to lead 31-24 two minutes into the period, but the Mules responded with a 13-4 run to retake the lead 35-34 with just over 14 minutes to go. An Owen Long 3-pointer punctuated a 10-3 ESU run with just under 10 minutes to go as ESU went in front 44-42. After trading baskets, UCM outscored the Hornets 14-5 over the final seven and half minutes of the game. Drew Tennial missed the game with a groin injury he reaggravated against Lincoln. Cael McGee missed his second-straight with a shoulder injury. Head coach Craig Doty said his team is worn down physically and mentally due to injuries.
Atavian Butler led Emporia State with 17 points with a career-high nine rebounds. Solomon Oraegbu scored 15 points with a season-high eight rebounds. E-State falls to 11-6 on the year and 4-5 in the MIAA. Emporia State returns to action Wednesday at home against Pittsburg State. Pregame coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. on the RV Doc pregame show with the Lady Hornets tipping at 5:30 p.m. on Mix 104.9.
