Sophomore guard Brittney Miller struggles against the CMU defense Saturday night in the second round of tournament play. The Hornets were not able to catch the Jennies and finished the game 74-79.

The Emporia State women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a slow start against Central Missouri Saturday afternoon as the team lost to the Jennies, 74-79.

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider gave UCM guard Kara Fleming credit for their explosive first half.

“I thought Central Missouri was just really, really good in the first half, Kara Fleming in particular,” Schneider said. “Her stat sheet at halftime looked like an NBA line. She really did a great job of getting to the basket, creating plays for others and just being the heart and soul of their team.”

The Jennies were the first to score on a three-pointer from guard Brittney Slifer. Junior forward Alli Volkens scored four consecutive points for the Hornets to start the offensive barrage, the first two coming from the free throw line and the next two in the paint.

The Hornets went up by three at 12-9 thanks to a half hook shot from sophomore guard Brittney Miller with just over 15 minutes to play. The first timeout on the floor of the half stopped the action with the Hornets trailing Central Missouri 12-13 with 13:18 remaining in the half.

Right out of the timeout, freshman guard Rachel Hanf hit a three-pointer at the top of the key, giving the Hornets a 15-13 lead.

With 9:23 left in the half, the Hornets were up on the Jennies 22-20.

Senior guard Cassondra Boston goes for a lay up Saturday night at Kansas City.

Central Missouri used quick defense to go on a 10-2 run, putting the score at 30-22 in favor of UCM before Schneider called timeout with 7:41 left in the half. The Jennies continued their dominance, leading the Hornets by as much as 11 with 5:10 to play in the first half.

UCM called timeout after an ESU comeback effort set the score at 38-44, advantage Central Missouri.

The Hornets went into the locker room at halftime still trailing UCM, 41-50.

Emporia State started the second half on a 7-2 run, sparked by a big three-pointer from senior guard Lacy Corker. A Central Missouri timeout broke the action with the Hornets behind the Jennies 48-52 with 17:20 left in the contest.

The first media timeout of the half saw the Hornets still trailing UCM, 48-54, with 15:52 to play.

The Hornets battled back to cut the lead to one at 53-54, but a string of Jennies long shots put Emporia State back down by six, 53-60 with 11:59 left in the second half.

Thanks to a shot from behind the arc from Corker, the Hornets only trailed the Jennies by two, 60-62, with just over nine minutes remaining.

Senior forward Alli Volkens shoots over a Jennies' defender Saturday night in Kansas City.

Central Missouri used a quick spurt to get back up by eight points, 70-62, with 7:29 to play before Schneider called timeout. The final media timeout of the game saw Emporia State trailing Central Missouri 67-72 with 3:51 left in regulation.

The Hornets pulled within two of UCM’s lead at 71-73 with 1:28 remaining before Schneider called timeout to set up a play.

A traveling call on Volkens gave Central Missouri possession with under a minute to play.

In the end, the Hornets couldn’t overcome the deficit and fell to the Jennies, 74-79.

According to Corker, the team’s defense was a cause of concern throughout the game.

“Offensively, things were going fine now and then, but then once we would do good on offense, we’d come down on defense and they would come right back at us,” Corker said. “We didn’t get enough stops at the right time.”

Senior guard Cassondra Boston said that the team’s slow start led to the eventual loss.

Senior guard Lacy Corker works for a shot Saturday night in Kansas City.

“They just came out really hard and played really well,” Boston said. “We started off really slow, and at this time of the year we can’t keep starting off really slow like that.”

Boston led the Hornets in scoring with 22, while also adding five steals and four rebounds. Volkens chipped in 15 points and nine boards.

The loss marked the end of the road in the MIAA Tournament for the Hornets. The team will now wait to see where they are seeded for the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.

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