The Emporia State men’s basketball team’s comeback fell short in an 85-83 loss to Northwestern Oklahoma State at Percefull Fieldhouse in Alva, Okla. on Saturday. The Hornets and Rangers battled early before E-State stretched their lead to eight with just over seven minutes to go in the first half. Northwestern took control of the game by scoring the next 21 points and led by nine at the break. The Rangers built their lead to as many as 15 in the second half before ESU found a 13-0 run to get within two with under ten minutes to play. An 8-0 Hornet run gave them the lead with just over three minutes to go. Mason Jones hit a layup to tie the game with 27 seconds to go, but Max Alexander was fouled with nine seconds to go and hit both free throws to pull the Rangers in front. ESU went for a lob play from a sideline out-of-bounds throw-in but Northwestern stole it to seal the win. Alexander finished with a season-high 32 points and Hornet head coach Tom Billeter said he was too good to stop on Saturday.
Chris Harris led the Hornets with 21 points on 5 of 7 shooting from outside. The Rangers outscored the Hornets 22-4 in fast break points. ESU was just two of five from the foul line and was whistled for 22 fouls while the Rangers were 19 of 23 from the charity stripe and were called for just 11 fouls. ESU (2-4) opens MIAA play at Northwest Missouri on Thursday. The doubleheader tips at 5:30 p.m. and can be heard on Mix 104.9.
