Not even the flu was enough to stop the Emporia State basketball teams from sweeping Newman on their senior day at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita Saturday.
The Lady Hornets jumped out to a 12-0 run to start the game and never trailed in a 76-46 victory. ESU led 24-9 after the first quarter and 41-20 at halftime and the Jets never made a run in the second half. E-State only suited up nine players for the game with Stevie Stinchcomb and Aliyah Bello both unavailable due to illness. Faith Paramore led the way with another double-double with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds while Queen Ulabo added 15. Head coach Brian Ostermann said it was big to pick up a split with NU.
ESU improved to 11-13 and 8-10 in the MIAA.
The Hornet men had just eight players on the bench due to sickness but gutted out a 75-64 victory over Newman. The Navy & Red started the game hot from the field shooting over 65% in the first half, but a late ESU run made what was an 11-point deficit manageable at the half as the Hornets trailed 39-34 after 20 minutes. The ESU defense ratcheted up the pressure by holding the Jets to 33% shooting in the second half. Atavian Butler and Ethan Hildebrand both missed the game due to sickness. Owen Long returned from an ankle injury to lead all scorers with 23 points while Alijah Comithier added 18. Darius Yohe grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Head coach Craig Doty said the Hornet effort on the glass in the second half was key to the win.
Senior guard Owen Long said overcoming adversity is nothing new for this team.
The Hornets improved to 16-10 overall and 9-9 in the MIAA. The Hornets eliminated both Jets teams from postseason contention with the wins. ESU returns to action to start their final week at home by hosting Central Missouri Wednesday. Coverage begins with the RV Doc Pregame Show at 5:00 p.m. on Mix 104.9. Listen online at KVOE.com/listen or via the Audacy app.
