Freshman guard Taylor Euler attacks the Maverick defense early in the first half Saturday night in Kansas City. The Hornets lost the UNO 67-91.

Coming off a strong upset game against Ft. Hays State, the Emporia State men’s basketball team couldn’t keep the momentum going as they fell to Nebraska-Omaha Saturday night, 67-91.

Emporia State Coach David Moe attributed a lackluster defense to the blowout victory for UNO.

“We played defense late,” Moe said. “We were in foul trouble because we didn’t get back in transition so we had to foul. We didn’t box out so we had to foul. Everything we did defensively was late, and everything we did offensively was hurried.”

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a three-pointer from the left corner to give the Hornets their first points of the contest. However, the Mavericks went on a 7-0 run to give them a 7-3 advantage with just under 18 minutes to play.

The first timeout on the floor stopped the action with ESU trailing UNO 7-9. With Nebraska-Omaha leading, senior guard Jeremiah Box went down hard with an injury – the injury timeout lasted several minutes, giving both teams a breather with 14:16 left in the half.

A timeout on the floor stopped play at the 11:45 mark with the Mavericks leading 26-19 – at that time Emporia State had 10 fouls to UNO’s four.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern fights for a lay up Saturday night in Kansas City.

Another media timeout saw Nebraska-Omaha up by double-digits on the Hornets, 31-21, with 7:54 to play in the opening period.

Thanks to a traditional three-point play from junior guard Matt Boswell, the Hornets found themselves only down by six at 36-30 with just over five minutes remaining in the half. The Mavericks, however, would extend the lead to 13 by going on a 9-2 run, putting the score at 45-32 with just over three minutes to play in the first half.

UNO led by as much as 14 until four consecutive Hornets points forced the Mavericks to call timeout with ESU trailing 37-47.

Emporia State went into the locker room trailing Nebraska-Omaha 40-49.

After a slow start, the Hornets finally scored from a dunk by junior forward Adam Holthaus.

A timeout on the floor gave a break in the action with Emporia State still trailing 46-58 with 15:17 remaining in the contest. The Mavericks extended their lead to 13 at 64-51 with 11:29 left before a media timeout stopped play.

ESU went down by 19 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game, 51-70. Emporia State called timeout with 8:39 left to play with the score at 75-55 in favor of UNO.

The final media timeout of the game came at the 3:24 mark with the Hornets behind Nebraska-Omaha 66-86.

Junior guard Matt Boswell drives the lane Saturday night in Kansas City.

The large deficit could not be overcome as the Hornets eventually lost to the game, 67-91.

Boswell thought that it was the team’s lack of defensive effectiveness that led to the collapse.

“I don’t think we came out defensively the way we did the other game (vs. FHSU),” Boswell said. “I looked up and I think we had given up 20 (points) within the first five minutes. On a team like that that gets out and runs, we needed to slow it down a little bit…effort wise I thought we were there, but maybe mentally on defense we had a lot of mistakes that hurt us.”

Wilbern credited the Mavericks’ playmaking abilities as to how the score got to where it did.

“They made plays,” Wilbern said. “They just wore us down, wore us out. They continued to make plays. We continued to make mistakes. You get a lead when that happens.”

Boswell scored 17 points to lead the Hornets in scoring, while also pulling down eight rebounds, six of them being on the offensive end. Wilbern chipped in 13 assists and four assists in his last game as a Hornet.

The Hornets ended the season with a record of 14-15.

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Senior guard Lamar Wilbern attacks the basket Friday night in the first round of the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City. The Hornets upset the #2 seed Tigers walking away with a 65-61 victory.

It took the entire 40 minutes to decide the fate of the Emporia State men’s basketball team as they wound up upsetting the Tigers of Ft. Hays State Friday night, 65-61.

Emporia State Coach David Moe thought that the team responded well to the third outing against the Tigers.

“Obviously from the last time we played them we had to make some changes,” Moe said. “I thought all week we did a great job adjusting to things we had to do.”

A three-pointer from Ft. Hays to start the game put the Hornets behind 0-3 early. After an easy basket on the low block from the Tigers, senior guard Matt Boswell scored two points for ESU on a close jump shot. Off of two consecutive steals, senior guard Lamar Wilbern struck twice for the Hornets, giving the team a 6-5 edge with just under 17 minutes to play in the opening half.

After the teams traded points back and forth for several minutes, a media timeout stopped the action with Emporia State leading Ft. Hays 15-14 with 13:54 remaining. The Hornets went up by four at 20-16 on when Wilbern struck gold on a 15 foot jump shot.

With 8:21 left to play in the half, senior guard Jeremiah Box hit a three-pointer to give the Hornets a 23-16 advantage – FHSU Coach Mark Johnson called timeout to regroup his team’s efforts.

Following a media timeout, the Tigers made a small run, getting to within three points of the Hornets lead at 23-20. However, ESU utilized quickness and turnovers on the defensive side of the ball to extend the lead back to seven, 27-20, which forced Johnson to call another timeout.

Senior guard Tim Niles fights against the FHSU defense Friday night in Kansas City.

The final timeout on the floor of the half saw the Hornets commanding a 31-23 lead over the Tigers with 3:53 remaining in the half. Emporia State went into the locker room at halftime ahead of Ft. Hays, 33-27.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus scored the first four points of the second half for the Hornets, one set coming on a basket on the low block and the other on the free throw line.

The Hornets extended their lead to 12 points with just under 15 minutes to play thanks to a shot in the paint by junior guard Matt Boswell.

A timeout on the floor stopped the game with 14:02 remaining and the Hornets ahead of the Tigers 41-31.

In an effort to make a comeback, FHSU went on a 10-3 run, which led to a timeout by Moe with 9:03 left in the contest. The Hornets, however, would do their best to fend off the run, going on a small run of their own to set the score at 49-41 before a media timeout stopped the action with 7:20 left to play. Ft. Hays State then went on a 6-0 run to get back within two of the Hornets lead, 49-47, before Moe called timeout with 5:01 to play.

With 3:35 remaining in the contest, the final media timeout of the game gave the action a break with the Hornets still leading the Tigers, 53-49.

Junior guard Matt Boswell takes a 3 point shot agains FHSU Friday night in Kansas City.

A big three-pointer from FHSU cut the Hornets lead to three at 59-56 with 30.2 seconds left in the game.

However, Emporia State would hit key free throws down the stretch and upset the #2 seed Tigers 65-61.

Boswell said that the team had used the close losses from earlier on in the season as a learning tool to help them in this game.

“I think from the beginning of the year, we’ve learned a lot from our losses, especially down the stretch,” Boswell said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games…we might have folded earlier in the year…we fought together and kept playing defense and made free throws down the stretch.”

According to Wilbern, the experience gained from the close losses was invaluable.

“It’s huge,” Wilbern said. “Because a lot of them (close games), we lost. The biggest thing now is that it’s in the tournament. We got it together at the right moment.”

The Hornets are set to play Nebraska-Omaha next. The semifinal game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. on March 6 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

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Senior guard Lamar Wilbern looks for an opening in the UNO defense Saturday night at White Auditorium. Wilbern's career high of 31 points wasn't enough to shut out the Mavericks who walked away 94-88 victory. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A late 7-0 run put too much distance between Nebraska-Omaha and Emporia State as the Mavericks left White Auditorium with a victory last Saturday, 94-88.

The team was without senior guard Dustin Andrews for most of the contest due to an ankle injury sustained in the first half.

To start the first half, senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a 12-foot jumper to give the Hornets the early 2-0 lead. Junior guard Matt Boswell followed Wilbern’s basket with one of his own, giving ESU a 4-0 lead.

After giving up five straight points, Wilbern stepped up and hit a three-pointer from the top of the key. Off of a steal, senior guard Jeremiah Box drove to the hole, missed the shot but was fouled in the act – Box made both free throws, giving the Hornets a 12-7 lead with over 16 minutes to play in the half.

The first media timeout of the contest saw the Hornets hanging on to a 15-13 lead with 14:16 left to play in the half.

A dunk by junior forward Adam Holthaus with just over 10:30 to play in the half gave the Hornets a 23-19 advantage. A timeout was called by Emporia State Coach David Moe after the Mavericks took the lead with a three-pointer, 24-26.

Senior guard Tim Niles fights off a UNO defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. Niles finished the night with 13 points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Following the timeout, Tim Niles stepped up and hit a three-pointer of his own, reclaiming the lead for the Hornets, 27-26, with just over eight minutes to play in the first half.

UNO started knocking down shots, pulling away from the Hornets until Niles threw up a long three-pointer and made it, tying the game at 36-all.

The half ended with a missed half court buzzer beat from Box as the Hornets went to the locker room tied with the Mavericks, 40-40.

The Hornets started the second half with a 5-0 run, giving them a 45-40 lead early. However, a traditional three-point play by UNO cut the lead to two.

A barrage of three-pointers from both teams led the score to 50-50 with just over 16 minutes remaining.

Timeout was called by Moe because of several defensive lapses that led to Nebraska-Omaha to take a three-point lead, 57-60.

Senior forward Jeremiah Box jumps over a UNO defender Saturdaynight at White Auditorium. Box got 2 steals for the night and 14 points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

After an empty Mavericks possession following the timeout, Box hit a shot from beyond the arc, tying the game at 60-all.

UNO went on a 12-4 run which forced another timeout by Moe at the 9:59 mark, with the Hornets trailing the Mavericks 64-72. The Hornets battled back from the deficit and made it a two-point game at 73-75 after a technical foul was called on UNO forward Eugene Bain.

UNO called a timeout with 4:46 left in the contest with the Hornets only trailing by two, 78-80.

With 2:03 remaining in the half, Moe called a timeout with the Hornets trailing the Mavericks by six, 82-88.

Emporia State could not come back from the deficit and would leave with a loss, 88-94.

According to Holthaus, points on the low block were hard to come by.

“They’re really athletic,” Holthaus said. “They were making plays on defense coming inside, so it was just really hard to score, for everyone, inside. They were just doing their job and making it hard for us to score in the paint.”

Junior guard Jordan Stout puts in a lay up Saturday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Wilbern scored a career-high 31 points to lead all scorers. Holthaus chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds, while Box added 14 points.

Wilbern talked about how the absence of Andrews affected the team’s performance.

“We were without D.A. (Dustin Andrews), which probably hurt us down the stretch because he’s a senior leader,” Wilbern said.

Moe talked at length about the team’s late breakdown which ultimately led to the loss.

“Overall, we didn’t make the plays in the last four minutes,” Moe said. “We made mistakes. You’ve got to be solid those last four minutes, regardless of what happened throughout the game, when you’ve got a chance to win.”

The Hornets next game is at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 10 at White Auditorium against MIAA-foe Southwest Baptist.

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Senior guard Jeremiah Box puts up a jump shot Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Box was the high scorer for the Hornets with 15 of their final 70 points. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s basketball team defeated the Griffons of Missouri Western State last night, 70-53.

Senior guard Jeremiah Box talked about the team’s mentality heading into the game.

“We just knew we had to pull it off,” Box said. “We’ve been in a slump, in a little bit of a losing streak, and we knew we just hadn’t competed for a full 40 minutes yet, offensively and defensively. We knew we just had to come out and play our best – if we competed for 40 minutes we knew we could win the game.”

Box started off the first half strong for the Hornets, hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give his team an early 3-0 lead. A three-pointer by senior guard Dustin Andrews extended the Hornets lead to six, as ESU went up 8-2 with over 17 minutes to play in the half. A slashing move to the basket by Andrews extended the Hornets’ lead to seven at 13-6 with 15:31 left in the first half.

The teams traded points back and forth until Box stepped up and hit a three-pointer from the corner, extending the Hornets lead to 10 at 22-12. A 30-second timeout was called by Emporia State Coach David Moe at the 8:27 mark, with the Hornets still on top of the Griffons, 22-15.

Following the timeout, four points came the Griffons way on consecutive possessions, bringing the score to 22-19 with just over 6:30 left in the half. Senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a three-pointer from the corner to give the Hornets an eight point lead.

On the following Hornets’ possession, Wilbern was called for a foul on the rebound of a missed shot, then a technical foul. A steal by Wilbern on the next Griffons’ possession led to two breakaway points for Andrews. A media timeout gave a break in the action, with the Hornets leading Missouri Southern 31-23.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus chipped in three points off of a conventional three point play, giving the Hornets a nine point lead with just over 3:30 left to play in the half. The Hornets went into the locker room holding onto a close lead over the Griffons, 39-34.

            Early turnovers didn’t help the Hornets at the start of the second half as they saw their lead cut to two, 40-38. A three-pointer by Griffons forward Dominique Thuston gave Missouri Western a one point lead, 41-40, with 16:58 remaining in the half.

The Hornets retook the lead, 42-41, on a drive to the basket by Box – Box made the shot and was fouled, but couldn’t convert on the free throw line. Box scored again, this time with a five foot jumper in the post that extended the Hornets’ lead to three, 44-41. A timeout on the floor saw the Hornets leading the Griffons 46-43 with 13:38 remaining in the contest.

The Hornets lead was extended to nine with over 10:10 to play thanks to two made free throws from senior guard Tim Niles. After a three-pointer by Missouri Western, the Griffons took a timeout, trailing the Hornets 46-52. Another media timeout stopped the game right after Wilbern drove to the hole, made the basket and was fouled on the way there.

Following the timeout, Wilbern hit the free throw, improving Emporia State’s lead to 11. After a media timeout stopped the action, Andrews stepped up and hit a big three-pointer to pad the Hornets’ lead to 14 with over four minutes left in the contest. ESU went up by 19 with a trey from Box from the left corner, taking the score to 70-51 with less than a minute to play.

The Hornets kept their distance and captured a convincing victory over the Griffons, 70-53.

Box led the team in scoring with 15 points, followed closely by Niles with 12 and Andrews and Wilbern with 11 points apiece. Wilbern also had a game-high five assists.

Coming into the game, defense, especially in transition, was a point of concern for the Hornets. Moe said that because of the Hornets’ ability to shoot the ball well, the defense got better.

“We made some mistakes in transition, but when you’re scoring and hitting shots your transition defense is going to be a little bit better,” Moe said. “When you’re missing every time and you’re coming around standing, standing on offense and dribbling out the possession, your transition defense isn’t going to be any good.”

Andrews said that the team was well aware of the importance of the game.

“We knew it was a must-win game…as far as mentality goes, I think we were able to sustain it the entire game,” Andrews said. “We always come out and we compete hard. We limited mistakes tonight, which was big. We just competed for a full 40.”

The Hornets completed their three-game home stand and will next find themselves on the road versus Truman. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Kirksville, Mo.

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A late 16-point lead wasn’t enough for the Emporia State men’s basketball team to capture a win as Northwest Missouri used a 13-0 run late in the second half to pull away from the Hornets and take home the victory, 84-79.

The loss marked the Hornets’ eleventh of the season and the 8^th loss to an MIAA opponent.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern started the game out well for the Hornets, hitting a long jump shot to give the team an early two point lead. Wilbern hit again on the next Hornets possession, this time from three point land.

After two points from the Bearcats, senior guard Dustin Andrews hit a big three-pointer to give the Hornets a four point advantage with a little over 17 minutes remaining in the half. Wilbern continued to be hot on the floor, hitting another shot from beyond the arc which extended ESU’s lead to nine.

The first timeout on the floor came with 14:05 left in the half, the Hornets still leading NWMSU by nine, 15-6. At the time, the Hornets were shooting 6-7 from the field.

Junior guard Matt Boswell extended ESU’s lead to 11 with a touch shot near the basket. Another media timeout paused the action with the Hornets on top, 22-11.

A mid-range jumper by junior forward Adam Holthaus and an offensive rebound put-back by senior guard Jeremiah Box put the Hornets in a more favorable position, leading the Bearcats 26-13. Senior guard Jordan Stout chipped in a three-pointer with just over eight minutes to play, giving the Hornets a 16-point lead.

The Bearcats battled back from their double-digit deficit to come within eight points of the Hornets before ESU Coach David Moe called timeout to refocus his team’s efforts.

Holthaus put up two points in the paint on consecutive possessions to give the Hornets back their double-digit lead, 36-24. Thanks to free throw shooting, Northwest Missouri cut into the Hornets lead and only trailed by three heading into the locker room, 36-33

Senior guard Tim Niles struck gold first for the Hornets with a two-point basket and a 15-foot jumper in consecutive possessions. Andrews followed up the points from Niles with a conventional three-point play, giving the Hornets a five point lead, 43-38, with 17:16 remaining in the half.

The Hornets picked up six fouls in less than four minutes, which allowed for repeated second chances for the Bearcats as they finally took the lead with about 15:30 minutes to play, 44-43. Niles would answer with a three-pointer on the Hornets’ first possession trailing Northwest Missouri, giving the Hornets back the lead, 46-44.

Following a media timeout, Stout hit a big time three-pointer that extended the Hornets’ lead to five – the Bearcats committed a turnover on their next possession in their own backcourt as Niles stole the ball, shot and missed from beyond the arc but made three free throws as he was fouled in the act of shooting.

After trading points, Stout stepped up again and hit the same three-pointer as he did earlier. A timeout by Northwest Missouri followed a three-pointer from the Bearcats, with the Hornets still leading, 55-49, with 13:04 left in the contest.

Another trey by the Bearcats cut ESU’s lead to three, 55-52, before Boswell connected with a three of his own, bringing the Hornets’ lead back up to six, 58-52. A media timeout with 9:50 left in the half saw the Hornets holding onto a narrow lead, 58-56.

Two consecutive treys from Northwest Missouri led the Hornets to trail by four with 8:53 left in the half, which forced Moe to call a timeout. Another three-pointer from NWMSU extended their lead to seven, but was quickly cut back down to four by a trey from Andrews.

An empty Northwest Missouri possession quickly turned into a long outlet pass to Holthaus, who in turn made a flashy dunk to swing the momentum to the Hornets. Holthaus duplicated the same move on the next Hornets possession, cutting the Bearcats’ lead to one over the Hornets, 66-65. The last timeout on the floor of the half saw the Bearcats leading the Hornets, 68-66, with 4:35 left to play.

With less than two minutes to play, the Bearcats started pulling away, leading by 10 points thanks to easy plays on the low post due to less than inspiring defense by the Hornets.

In the final minute of the game the Bearcats pulled away from the Hornets indefinitely, defeating ESU 84-79.

The Hornets had five players who scored in double figures, highlighted by Niles with 15 points and Wilbern and Boswell with 14 points apiece. Box had a career-high 11 rebounds to lead the team.

A frustrated Andrews talked after the game about the deficiencies in the Hornets’ game as of late.

“We don’t value possessions,” Andrews said. “We turn the ball over, and that doesn’t matter to us. We just don’t make good decisions in every part of the game.”

Holthaus said that the team’s lack of focus was the cause of the late collapse.

“When we were up 16, it was a great high, and then just started losing our concentration,” Holthaus said. “They were making a few plays that we need to fight through. When they got back even with us, we needed to come through and play harder, and we just kind of eased up and they just took over.”

Moe cited a variety of reasons why the team has not found success.

“It’s the same way every game,” Moe said. “The other team has more will to win, generally, than we do. We’re usually just noncompetitive, non aware – basically we’re not well coached. We don’t do the things that we need to do to win.”

The Hornets will try and rebound from the loss against Missouri Western this Wednesday at White Auditorium. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

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Senior guard Jeremiah Box drives against the FHSU defenses Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Box has been out for most of the season due to sickness and injury. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s basketball team fought hard but couldn’t overcome 11 made three-pointers against #5 Ft. Hays State last night as the team fell by four points, 69-65.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern was the first to strike gold in the first half for the Hornets off of a 12-foot jump shot that gave the Hornets a one point advantage early, 2-1. After a FHSU free throw tied the score, Wilbern struck again, this time off of two successful free throws, increasing the Hornets lead to two, 4-2, with just over 17 minutes remaining.

An empty Tigers possession led to a three-pointer by senior guard Tim Niles. Another made free throw by FHSU led to a nice move on the low block by junior forward Adam Holthaus which resulted in a made basket.

A media timeout gave a break in the action with the Hornets leading the Tigers 10-6 with 14:20 left to play in the half.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus shoots over FHSU’s Dijon Smith Monday night at White Auditorium. Holthaus was the high scorer for the Hornets with 20 of their 65 total points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Tigers went on a 9-0 run following the timeout, capitalizing on poor execution by the Hornets. Another timeout on the floor at the 9:55 mark saw Ft. Hays leading the Hornets, 15-10.

Two made free throws came the Hornets way courtesy of senior forward Jeremiah Box after the timeout, cutting the Tigers’ lead to three, 15-12. FHSU went on a 7-2 run before Holthaus cut into it with two made free throws – the Hornets trailed the Tigers with just over six minutes to play, 16-22.

An easy Ft. Hays layup led to another two successful free throws from Holthaus. A broken play after a timeout on the floor led to a jumper from the low block by Holthaus, which cut the Tigers’ lead to seven. Wilbern chipped in a three-pointer to bring the Ft. Hays lead down to three, 27-24, with over two minutes to play in the half.

FHSU Coach Mark Johnson called timeout with 29 seconds remaining to set up the final play of the half, as his Tigers still led the Hornets by four, 32-28. The play was unsuccessful as the ball was turned over and Box’s shot from beyond the half court line was no good.

The Hornets came back to within one point to start the second half, thanks to a made free throw from Box and a basket on the low block by senior forward Doug Moore. Wilbern’s drive to the basket and make gave the Hornets the lead, 33-32 with over 16 minutes to play in the game.

Emporia State’s lead extended to four due to a three-pointer from Wilbern – FHSU was forced to call timeout with 16:34 remaining.

The first media timeout of the half saw the Hornets still hanging onto a narrow lead, 38-36, with 13:52 left in the contest.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern works to get past the Tiger’s Dominique Jones Monday night at White Auditorium. Wilbern ended the night with 4 rebounds and 12 points for the Hornets. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Two straight turnovers by freshman guard Taylor Euler led the Tigers to regain the lead, 39-38, which was followed by a timeout by ESU Coach David Moe. After a missed shot by Niles, Ft. Hays turned the ball over underneath the Emporia State basket to Box, who quickly scored and gave the Hornets the one point lead with 11:53 to play in the half.

A pair of FHSU free throws later, Box popped a three-pointer to give the Hornets a two point lead. A media timeout stopped the action with the Hornets trailing the Tigers, 45-49, with 9:07 remaining in the contest.

The Hornets battled back to take a one point lead, thanks largely in part to a traditional three point play from Holthaus. Following a 30-second timeout by ESU, an unsuccessful low block shot by Holthaus led to a three-pointer by FHSU’s Dominique Jones. Jones hit another trey on the ensuing Ft. Hays possession, which brought their lead to eight at the 4:27 mark.

Following a media timeout, Holthaus hit a pair of free throws to cut Ft. Hays lead to six, which was followed by another Jones three-pointer. Once again it would be Holthaus who answered on the low block, cutting the Tigers’ lead to seven, 63-56.

On the next Ft. Hays possession, Wilbern stole the ball and passed to senior guard Dustin Andrews, who was fouled on the way to the hole and made one of two free throws. After a missed one-and-one opportunity by Jones, Andrews was fouled and made both free throws, cutting the Tigers’ lead to four.

Senior guard Dustin Andrews attacks the basket late in the second half against the Tigers Monday night at White Auditorium. Andrews totaled 6 points and 4 assists for the evening. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Following a 30-second timeout from FHSU, Ft. Hays guard Corbin Kuntzsch made an easy basket on the low block, which was followed by a layup by Andrews. A jump ball was awarded to ESU, and Andrews once again found himself at the free throw line, making one out of the two and taking the score to 66-62 in favor of FHSU. Jones would hit both free throws on a foul on the inbounds, which led to a three-pointer from Box.

The Hornets could not overcome the deficit and lost the contest, 65-69.

Second half adjustments were integral to the Hornets comeback effort. Wilbern cited aggressiveness as a point of emphasis.

“We just wanted to continue to be aggressive – that was our game plan,” Wilbern said. “A lot of times we were too soft.”

Holthaus led the Hornets in scoring with 20, followed by Box and Wilbern with 12 points apiece.

After being out for several games due to illness, Box said he knew what he had to do to successfully contribute to the team.

“I only got to practice two times in the last month…I just knew I had to come out and play hard,” Box said.

Moe said that, after the embarrassing loss to Washburn, pride was a key point in the Hornets efforts this game.

“One thing athletes have [is] pride, and pride carried us through this game…we could have been a little more determined,” Moe said. “We didn’t have many turnovers and we forced a lot of turnovers, that’s what kept us in the game. We’ve got room to improve, but what we’ve got to do is play with pride like this all the time.”

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Senior guard Tim Niles shoots over a Truman defender Monday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets beat the Bulldogs 95-84. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s basketball team returned to White Auditorium after the holiday break to defeat the Truman Bulldogs, 92-84.

The Hornets led Truman throughout the first half – a half that was highlighted by two technical fouls committed by Truman coach Jack Schrader, the ejection of Schrader from the facility due to said fouls and an 80-foot first half buzzer beater by freshman guard Taylor Euler.

“It (the buzzer beater) felt great,” Euler said. “The crowd went crazy. I didn’t know how much time was on the clock. I just caught it, took two dribbl

es and just threw it as far as I could. Luckily enough it went in.”

Technical fouls can sometimes be a distraction for a team. Not for the Hornets, in this case. Euler said that the fouls made the game more fun for him and his teammates.

“The crowd reacts to it, and this is such as great auditorium, when it starts getting loud it’s a great atmosphere,” Euler said. “I definitely think it helped us pick up our energy towards the end of the half.”

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern faces of against a Truman guard Monday at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Junior forward Adam Holthaus said he tries not to get too caught up in the technical foul mess.

“It’s just part of the game,” Holthaus said. “We have to just go out there and push it away and just keep playing the way we were playing.”

The first half ended with the Hornets going on a 13-2 run while leading the Bulldogs, 48-27.

Truman would not back down from a potential defeat, coming back in the second half by trimming ESU’s lead to single digits several times in their comeback attempt.

“When you get a big lead like that, you tend to back off a little bit…we started getting lazy in the second half and they started hitting shots,” Euler said.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus drives the basket Monday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Holthaus attributed the team’s rotational defense to the near-collapse.

“It was our entire team defense is what it was,” Holthaus said. “They were setting a lot of screens and getting people open, and we weren’t there to help. The pressure wasn’t all there. It’s kind of one of those things where we just let down a little bit. We just have to stay aggressive.”

The Hornets, however, would hold on to the lead.

Four Hornets were in double figures, led by senior guard Tim Niles with 23. Holthaus, Euler and senior guard Lamar Wilbern, who made his first appearance for the Hornets in four games due to a knee injury, each added 19, 18 and 13 points, respectively.

Wilbern was impressed with the bench play of Euler and the solid contributions of Holthaus.

“We’re a team. Everyone has to bring their A-game,” Wilbern said. “Those guys (Euler,

Junior guard Jordan Stout puts in an easy layup Monday night at White Auditorium.

Holthaus) get overlooked, but they play great. They consistently play good, and that’s what they needed to do. They stepped up to the challenge and they came out tonight and played a good game as well.”

For Euler, bringing something valuable to the team was his mission.

“I just wanted to come in and bring a lot of energy to the team and give them a spark because you know the other team’s starting five is going to get tired, and they’re going to start playing lazy,” Euler said. “When I get in there I’m full speed go, trying to bring a lot of energy and get some easy buckets.”

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Forward Danny McEvoy looks for an opening against an Ottawa defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets will face Turman at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28 at Emporia. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

The Emporia State men’s basketball team punished the Ottawa Braves Saturday night, 101-57.  The win snapped the Hornets’ three-game slide and marked the end of non-conference play.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus, who got the starting nod over senior center Doug Moore, scored the first points on the night on an easy dump pass into the post. The Hornets took a five point lead with over 16:30 to go with a play by senior guard Dustin Andrews, hustling down the court and making an easy layup and taking the score to 8-3.

At the first media timeout, ESU still held onto a small lead at 13-8 with 14:49 left in the half.

Freshman guard Taylor Euler hit a three-pointer with just over 10 minutes to play, giving the Hornets a 12 point advantage, 22-10. With seven minutes to go, Euler stole the ball and took it the distance, giving the Hornets an easy two – on the ensuing Braves possession, senior guard Tim Niles would do the same, which saw the Hornets lead increase to 20 at 34-14.

Prior to the final media timeout of the half, poor shooting and lackluster defense by Emporia State led to four straight points for the Braves and no points for the Hornets, which brought the score to 37-21 still in favor of ESU.

Euler hit another trey right out of the timeout, his third of the half, giving the Hornet lead even more of a cushion at 40-23 with just under four minutes to play.

Guard Tim Niles loses his Ottawa defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

The Braves, showing their ability to persevere, went on a 7-0 run and brought the score to 45-32 which was capped by an ESU timeout. Ottawa continued to show up on offense, hitting a contested jump shot off of an inbounds play with under a minute to play in the half.

The first half of the contest ended on a drive to the basket by Niles – Niles would come up short with the shot and the Hornets would go into the locker room with the lead, 46-34.

Holthaus, among others, was not pleased with the Hornets’ performance late in the half.

“We just had to sit back and play defense,” Holthaus said. “We weren’t playing good defense and we weren’t playing aggressive enough on the defensive end. Once we did that, the offense came.”

Holthaus also said that Head Coach David Moe was not too happy with the poor performance in the final minutes of the first half.

“He let us know that we weren’t being aggressive,” Holthaus said. “He told us that we had to come out and play hard.”

Guard Taylor Euler breaks for the inside Saturday night when the Hornets faced the Braves at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

Euler said he would have liked to see more of a complete effort from the team.

“One of the things we talked about at halftime is that we just have to compete for 40 minutes,” Euler said. “We can’t back down. We can’t get punk’d…we have to come out strong, and we can’t back down from anybody. I thought that we kind of rested towards the end of the first half.”

Moe noted how important Ottawa’s late push was – and not just for the Braves.

“Ottawa got away with being physical and making a little run on us, and I though it was a great lesson for us coming in at halftime,” Moe said. “I thought the second half we got aggressive and we realized that you’ve got to respond in the right way, and we’re going to see that a lot in our league.  I think it’s happened to us in the past, you know we probably backed down against Western (Missouri), and hopefully that’ll never happen again.”

Guard Matt Boswell pushes back an Ottawa defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

To start the second half, Euler hit yet another three-pointer. Niles would also connect from beyond the arc, giving the Hornets a quick six points right out of the half.

Junior guard Matt Boswell became the third straight player for the Hornets to hit a three-pointer out of the half, sinking it with over 17:00 left in the half, which brought the score to 55-36 in favor of ESU.

With 13:33 left to play, Andrews drove to the basket and made the shot while also getting fouled – the charity point was made and the Hornets saw a definitive advantage at 68-42.

A timeout on the floor with 9:37 to go saw the Hornets command a 30-point lead over the Braves, 76-46. The rest of the contest was uneventful, with Emporia State increasing their lead to an astounding 44, as the game came to a close, 101-57.

Euler and Niles led the Hornets in scoring with 19 apiece, while four additional Hornets scored in double figures. Andrews led the team in rebounding with seven, and senior guard Jordan Stout added six assists.

After a nine day break for the holidays, the Hornets will be back in action against Truman. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28 in Emporia.

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Guard Tim Niles shoots over a Central Missouri defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. THe Hornets fell to the #1 Mules 79-89. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A halftime tied at 31 wouldn’t be enough to give Emporia State the upset they sought after as the Hornets fell Saturday to #1 Central Missouri, 89-79.

UCM was the first to strike gold with a bucket down low off of an inbounds play. Senior guard Tim Niles would answer with a slashing basket to tie the game at two points apiece.

Due to two early fouls, junior guard Matt Boswell would have to take a seat on the bench.

The Mules would jump out to an eight point lead with 17:22 left, forcing an ESU timeout. After coming off the bench, junior forward Adam Holthaus would give the Hornets a spark down low, converting on two consecutive shots, cutting down the Mules lead to four at 12-8. At the 11:56 mark, Central Missouri led the Hornets 17-14.

The Mules started to pull away from the Hornets, scoring the next five points while allowing none until senior guard Dustin Andrews hit a three-pointer with just over 9:00 to go in the half, bringing the score to 22-17 in favor of UCM.

Senior guard Robert Moores would hit a pivotal trey with just over 6:00 left in the half, tying the game at 22-all after a supreme offensive effort by the Hornets on several possessions. Timeout on the floor would see a tie ball game at 24 with 4:27 left in the opening half of the contest.

Guard Dustin Andrews attacks the basket Saturday night against UCM at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

UCM came out of the timeout with two points off of free throws, followed by a second-effort by Niles to tie the game at 26. A timeout by the Mules with 2:24 to go saw the Hornets trailing Central Missouri by three, 31-28;

Niles had to take a seat on the bench due to picking up his third foul of the contest.

A three-pointer by Andres tied the game at 31 with 49.2 seconds left – the half would end with the same score.

Moores scored the first points of the second half with a layup, giving the Hornets a two point lead. However, the lead would be short lived, as UCM hit a three-pointer and caused a turnover which led to five straight points and a three point lead.

Andrews would score under the bucket and then again from beyond the arc to give the Hornets the lead. After trading several baskets, ESU called timeout while leading the Mules 46-45 at the 14:33 mark.

Points were traded back and forth throughout the next four minutes, which led the Hornets to trail the Mules by one at the media timeout, 58-57 with 9:34 left in the contest.

Forward Adam Holthaus puts up an easy basket against the Mules Satuday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Central Missouri would go on a run after the timeout, scoring the next seven points of the game to take a six point lead which led to an Emporia State timeout.

Freshman guard Taylor Euler would take it to the basket right out of the gate, scoring the easy layup while missing the free throw off the foul.

A barrage of three-point baskets came from both teams in the following minutes – Central Missouri went on a small run, but it was cut down quickly thanks to solid offensive efforts from Niles and Moores.

At 3:43, UCM led by one, 75-74. The Mules went on another run, this time leading the Hornets by as much as eight with under two minutes to play in regulation. Central Missouri’s late run would prove to be too much, as the Hornets couldn’t could not catch back up and eventually fell to the Mules, 89-79.

Head Coach David Moe said that the team has gone through a period of learning during the last few weeks.

“I think we learned a big lesson throughout the week about dealing with adversity, dealing with self-pity…it starts with me, making excuses, giving us reasons to fail, giving us reasons to be distracted away from what our purpose is,” Moe said. “Our purpose is to stay focused and compete as best as we can and then let things go from there.”

Guard Robert Moores loses his UCM defender with a pick set by Center Doug Moore Saturday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Holthaus, who contributed 14 points to the team, believed that the game serves as a measuring stick as to how the team has been played.

“It (the loss) lets us know where we’re at,” Holthaus said. “We competed with one of the top teams in the nation. We just have to come back this week, work hard and stay with what we’ve got.”

Fouls became a bit of an issue throughout the game – a total of 41 person fouls were called on the floor.

“We try not to worry about the whistle as much as possible, but eventually it comes into play,” Andrews said.

Although the Hornets currently have a losing record, Moe still has high expectations for himself and the team.

“Tonight we competed, we were focused,” Moe said. “We made mistakes, we can eliminate mistakes, we can make free throws – there are a lot of things we can do to improve. We’ll continue to work and get better.”

Up next for the Hornets is another Saturday night home game, this time against the Braves of Ottawa University.  Tip off is set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 19 in White Auditorium.

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Guard Matt Boswell goes for a lay up Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. The Hornets fell short agaist the Newman Jets 77-80. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A 16-point second half comeback wouldn’t be enough for a Hornets victory as the Newman Jets slipped past Emporia State 80-77 Wednesday night. The Jets were spot on from behind the three point line throughout the entirety of the contest, hitting 15-24 to ESU’s 4-21.

ESU came out of the gates with the first four points of the contest. A couple of easy three-pointers led the Jets back into the game early, tying the contest at 10-10 with 14:31 left. Newman would take the lead after a timeout on the floor and extend their lead to three at the 12:15 mark.

However, the Hornets’ aggressive, slashing style of offense wouldn’t stay off the scoreboard for long, as junior guard Jordan Stout drove to the basket and made the contested layup despite the foul – the charity point was made, bringing the score to 13-13. Stout would again contribute for the Hornets with a three-pointer with just over 10:30 left in the half.

Another media timeout would pause the game with the Hornets leading 16-15. Newman would come out firing on all cylinders, scoring six straight points on their way to taking the lead, 21-16 – Moe would call timeout.

The Hornets would finally score on a turnover created by a designed trap play, which converted into a senior guard/forward Jeremiah Box tip-in off of a missed layup on the breakaway by senior point guard Tim Niles. Box would score again on a high-effort play, getting his own rebound on a missed shot and then laying it in underneath the basket for two, then again a layup by Box.

A media timeout would give a break in the action, with the Hornets trailing Newman, 26-22 with 4:41 left in the half.

After a Newman three-pointer, Niles would drive the lane and commit a charging foul, and then a technical foul for taunting. The Jets increased their lead to nine at 31-22 after the technical foul free throws.

Both teams would tighten up their defense for the rest of the half, seeing the half come to a close with a Newman lead, 37-26. Box led the Hornets in scoring at the half with 10 points.

Guard Robert Moores drives against the Newman defense Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A Newman three-pointer would start the second half, followed by a turnover by senior center Doug Moore. Senior guard Robert Moores would drive the basket, giving the Hornets an easy two, which was followed by another Newman trey. Box would hit another basket for the Hornets, which was followed by yet another three –pointer by the Jets, who were 9-14 from behind the arc at the 18:19 mark.

The Hornets would go on a spurt to close the Jets lead to 10 with the help of a great defensive effort and offensive output from Box, Moores, and junior guard Matt Boswell. A jumper by Newman forward Tommy Brumbelow would be followed by a traditional three point play by senior guard Dustin Andrews, which cut the Newman lead to nine, 48-39.

After trading points, a questionable flagrant foul was called on Andrews. After two missed free throws, the Hornets would score two from junior forward Adam Holthaus, narrowing the lead to seven at 50-43. Holthaus would score again after an injury timeout, this time with the help of a spin move on the low block. A timeout on the floor with 9:54 left in the contest would see the Jets commanding an 11 point lead over the Hornets, 61-49.

Stout would provide the only real outside threat for the Hornets, hitting a trey with just over 6:30 left to go in the half with Newman leading by 10, 68-58. After a Niles turnover, the Hornets would charge back with a bucket by Box, bringing the score to 72-64 in favor of Newman with 4:09 left in the half.

Guard Jordan Stout works to find an opening against the Jets Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

On the ensuing Jets possession, a moving screen violation was called, giving the Hornets the ball – the possession resulted in a layup by Niles and a subsequent timeout by Newman.

Andrews would hit a pivotal three-pointer with just over two minutes to play in the game, closing the Newman lead to three at 74-71. A Jets three-pointer would widen the gap, but on the following Hornets possession Niles would hit a three of his own, bringing the score to 77-74 with 1:30 left to play.

Another Jets trey saw the Hornets trailing by six, but Niles would strike again, this time with three consecutive free throw points off of a shooting foul from behind the arc. The Jets would fail to convert on the ensuing possession, but Niles would come up short with the final three-point attempt of the evening. The Hornets fell to Newman, with the final score 80-77.

Shooting from beyond the arc was a key to Newman’s victory, which proved a frustration point for the Hornets throughout the contest.

“We were frustrated pretty much the whole game,” Andrews said. “I don’t know how their shooters were getting open the entire game. They didn’t really score in the paint, they didn’t look to drive, they shot the three the entire game and they rarely missed. There towards the end we just have to buckle down, we have to get stops, and we didn’t do that.”

Stout said the team was aware of how well Newman could shoot the ball, but the team just couldn’t find their shot.

“We knew they could shoot the ball well,” Stout said. “Obviously you’re going to have some games when teams are hot

Guard Tim Niles lays one up over Newman Forward Tommy Brumbelow Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

and some games when teams aren’t. We weren’t hot tonight and they were. That was obviously a big difference in the game.”

Head Coach David Moe laid most of the blame on himself for allowing the team to get down early.

“You have to start the game in a mode of competing,” Moe said. “We’re not well prepared at this point to be able to compete against good teams. I’ve got to do a lot better job of not allowing us to get into that situation.”

Box led the Hornets in scoring with 16, followed by Niles and Holthaus with 14 points each. Box also led in rebounding with seven.

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The Emporia State men’s basketball team fell just short once again to the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos last Monday, this time losing by three points in regulation, 76-73.

The first two points of the contest were scored by senior guard Lamar Wilbern on an assist from senior guard/forward Jeremiah Box off of a recovered turnover. After a UCO field goal, senior guard Dustin Andrews answered with a three-point shot off an assist from junior forward Adam Holthaus.

The Hornets got into foul trouble early, as senior point guard Tim Niles had to take a seat because of two fouls in the first six minutes of play.

After a media timeout at 14:14, ESU shot right out of the gate with a Wilbern FG and subsequent UCO turnover. A pivotal trey by junior guard Jordan Stout forced the Bronchos to call a timeout with 13:18 left in the half. Stout would hit another three-pointer with less than 12:00 remaining, putting the Hornets up by five at 20-15.

Several defensive breakdowns on the Hornets’ part would lead the score to become tied at 22-22 with 9:44 left – timeout on the court led to a break in the action.

ESU scored the next five points, causing another UCO timeout with just under eight minutes to play in the opening half. Right out of the timeout, Box hit a three-pointer from the corner and then on the ensuing UCO possession, Niles forced a turnover which resulted in a breakaway layup. UCO led at halftime, 46-43.

Box started the second half with a nice slashing move to the basket for two. Andrews again answered with the first three-pointer for the Hornets in the half. The ensuing UCO possession saw an air ball, and then countered with a three-point shot from Niles.

A timeout on the floor at 14:19 would see the game tied at 52-52. The Bronchos would attack the Hornets on the low block for the most part of the second half, creating a minimal lead for UCO. Another floor timeout provided another pause in the game at 9:41 with Central Oklahoma leading by four, 64-60.

Wilbern would hit a jumper right out of the timeout. At 4:55 the Bronchos would extend their lead to 10, followed by a slashing move by Stout that cut the lead to eight, 74-66.

Following a timeout by UCO, Wilbern hit an unassisted three pointer to cut the Bronchos lead to five. After a missed field goal by Central Oklahoma, Holthaus would chip in two points with a layup, followed by a Wilbern layup that brought the score to 75-73 in favor of UCO.

“We went stagnant there for awhile, but it was one of those things where we had to fight through it,” Holthaus said. “There at the end we did what we needed to make it a close game, we just have to get it to where we can finish it off.”

Andrews would note the Hornets’ final run to cut down the Bronchos’ lead.

“We’re a great team – we’re going to make runs…we just need to worry about making stops on the defensive end,” Andrews said. “That was a great run. That’s what you want, and that’s what the game’s composed of, it’s a game of runs so we just have to keep feeding off that towards the end.”

Andrews would drive to the basket and make a layup, only to have the call reversed on a charging violation, which brought Andrews out of the game due to fouling out.

“It’s a tough call in that situation,” Andrews said. “You just have to go with whatever he calls. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”

Junior guard Matt Boswell would be forced to foul with 16.6 seconds left, causing a one-and-one at the free throw line. The first shot would rim out, giving the Hornets an opportunity to have the final possession of the game at 75-73, UCO lead. Moe would call timeout with 6.1 seconds left.

Niles would receive the inbounds, only to lose the ball on an errant dribble. UCO would recover the ball and be fouled with 1.2 seconds left – the first of two shots was made, and the second rimmed out and fell to no one as time expired.

Free throw shooting was suspect for the Hornets, as the team only shot 61.9 percent from the charity stripe. It was something Head Coach David Moe thought was a major factor that determined the final score.

“In both games we’ve missed key free throws,” Moe said. “Free throw shooting makes a difference – it wins and loses you games. You have to make free throws when two good teams are playing…I think they missed a free throw or two down the stretch to give us a chance and we didn’t capitalize on it.”

The Hornets’ offense was clicking in the first half until the Bronchos unleashed a zone defense that seemed to stifle ESU’s offensive attempts.

“I think neither one of us felt like we could guard the other man to man, and they came out and found an answer quicker than we did and got the lead and got things going…I think it (zone defense) definitely shook us up,” Moe said.

Wilbern had a double-double for the Hornets with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Two other Hornets were in double figures for scoring – Holthaus had 13 and Andrews had 12. Boswell led the team in assists with four.

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