The Emporia State basketball teams split their MIAA opener against Northwest Missouri at White Auditorium on Thursday.
The Lady Hornets never trailed and picked up their first Top 10 win since 2019 with a 75-66 victory over the #9 Bearcats. ESU used a 9-0 run to end the first quarter and take a 21-9 lead to the second. Northwest chopped the deficit to five, but E-State (4-4, 1-0 MIAA) found a 12-2 run to end the half up 36-21. ESU built the lead to 21 in the third quarter, but the ‘Cats got back into it on an 11-0 run. The teams traded 8-0 runs after that, but the Lady Hornets hit their free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory. Head coach Brian Ostermann said he was happy for his team.
Katie Horyna led the way with 23 points for her fourth-straight game of at least 20 points while Gracie Gilpin added 20 finishing 5-for-6 from outside the arc. Makenzie McDaniel had her first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and credited her teammates with her performance.
The Northwest Missouri men had their best shooting day of the year and held off the Hornets 65-54. ESU jumped out to a 9-3 lead early, but the Bearcats raced in front on a 14-2 run to take the lead. ESU answered with a 12-14 run to get within one and trailed by four at the break. After a Brayson Laube steal and score for two of his team-high 17 points, the Bearcats responded with 10-straight to build the lead to 12. ESU’s deficit was 14 when Arhman Lewis scored eight points in a row to knock it down to 60-54 with just over three minutes to go, but ESU (2-6, 0-1 MIAA) couldn’t get any closer. The Bearcats hit a season-high 13 3-pointers in the game and shot 46% from the field. ESU head coach Tom Billeter said the threes were the difference in the game.
Lewis finished with 16 while Karyiek Dixon added 15 with nine rebounds. Emporia State returns to action at Missouri Western Saturday. Tip-off for the doubleheader is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. on the Hornet Sports Network/Mix 104.9.
