The Emporia State basketball teams earned a split of a doubleheader with Northeastern State on Thursday at White Auditorium in Emporia.
The Hornet men ended a seven-game losing streak by knocking off the RiverHawks 75-66. ESU blew open a two-point game with just over five minutes to go before halftime with an 18-0 run and a buzzer-beating three by Arhman Lewis gave E-State a 44-25 lead at the break. NSU gradually cut the lead down throughout the second half and used a 9-0 run to cut it to single digits midway through the second period. NSU got as close as four with under two minutes to go but never led in the game. Junior forward Karyiek Dixon earned his first career double-double with 19 points and a personal best 10 rebounds while Lewis added 15 points. Head coach Tom Billeter said the win shows growth for his team.
Dixon was grateful for the support from a robust student section, in attendance for a White Auditorium blackout.
The seven-game losing streak had been the longest for the Hornets (5-3, 2-7 MIAA) since they dropped 10 in a row to end the 2019-20 season.
The Lady Hornets couldn’t overcome their worst three-point shooting day of the season falling 61-56 to the RiverHawks to suffer their sixth-straight defeat. Neither team had bigger than a two-possession lead for much of the game and ESU led 28-27 at halftime. NSU took a four-point edge to the fourth and led by as many as seven. E-State tied the game on a transition runout with less than two minutes to go, but the RiverHawks scored the last five of the game to secure the win. Head coach Brian Ostermann said it was a struggle to score.
ESU shot just 30% from the field and a season-worst 4-for-26 (15%) from the arc. Freshman forward Janiyah Alvarez had her first career double-double with a personal best of 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds while another rookie, Elizabeth Tjaden, notched 12 points shooting 3 of 8 from outside. ESU (7-11, 2-7 MIAA) forced 18 RiverHawk turnovers but scored just nine points off them. Emporia State returns to action Sunday to host Arkansas-Fort Smith. Coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. with the tip-off set for 1:30 p.m. on the Hornet Sports Network/Mix 104.9.
