Emporia State split their doubleheader against Missouri Western at the MWSU Fieldhouse on Saturday in St. Joseph, Mo.
Malik Edwards Jr. hit a floater with 1.2 seconds to go that gave Emporia State a 74-72 victory over the Griffons. ESU jumped out to a 7-2 lead early, but Western answered with a 17-6 run to take a six-point lead. ESU responded with seven in a row to get the lead back before eventually building it to 38-33 at the intermission. The Griffons flew in front with a 15-4 run early in the second half, but the Hornets replied with a 14-4 spurt of their own bfore eventually building the only three-possession lead of the game briefly at 71-64 with just under four minutes to play. ESU gave up an 8-1 run as the Griffons tied it on a 3-pointer with nine seconds to play. After calling timeout, the Hornets set up Edwards who found the game winner. Western heaved it to the opposite lane but the Hornets intercepted the pass to clinch the win. Edwards said it plainly when describing the victory.
Head coach Tom Billeter said the win is part of the process to build his program at Emporia State.
E-State (3-6, 1-1 MIAA) had five score in double figures led by redshirt-freshman Chris Harris with a career high 15 points.
In the women’s game, freshman Jayla Cornelius scored a career high 23 points but it wasn’t enough as Missouri Western pulled away late for an 80-66 victory over the Lady Hornets. Western used an 18-5 first-quarter-run to take a 20-8 lead early but ESU closed out the opening frame with a 9-1 run to close to within four before trailing by five at halftime. ESU struggled to shoot in the second half as ESU was outscored 16-6 in the third quarter and couldn’t get closer than eight in the final 10 minutes. The Lady Hornets were 3-for-15 in the 3rd quarter and missed all 13 of their three-point attempts in the second half to go 5 of 29 for the game. E-State (4-5, 1-1 MIAA) also got 17 points from Katie Horyna who scored in double-figures for the seventh consecutive game while Janiya Alvarez grabbed a personal best 12 rebounds.
Each team is off for finals week and returns to action on Tuesday, December 17. The women will host Bellevue while the men take on Sterling. Coverage begins at 5:00 on the Hornet Sports Network/Mix 104.9.
