Schneider

Three weeks after winning the Division II women’s basketball National Championship, Brandon Schneider is out as Emporia State’s head basketball coach. Schneider accepted a job offer of the same position at Stephen F. Austin State University, a Division I school in Nacogdoches, Tex., on April 15.

“I came down (to Nacodoches) last week on a Tuesday,” Schneider said. “I was on campus all day Wednesday, and then I got a phone call Thursday early evening and was offered the position. I took a couple hours to visit with my wife and ended up accepting the position later on that evening.”

Schneider left Emporia State with over 40 percent of the Lady Hornets’ total victories. He compiled a 306-72 record throughout his 12 seasons as the team’s head coach.

Schneider met with the team last Friday to let them know of his decision to leave Emporia State.

“We had a meeting on Friday afternoon, and he just let us know,” said freshman guard Rachel Hanf. “He didn’t say a whole lot, which I didn’t blame him. It was an emotional time for all of us. He kind of just laid it out that and said it was the best decision for him and his family.”

Assistant coach Jory Collins was present for the meeting.

“It went as good as to be expected – obviously they were disappointed,” Collins said. “(Schneider) just made them aware that it was a decision for his family and had nothing to do with them or here or anything like that; it was just the best decision for him.”

According to Schneider, the team meeting was a hard pill to swallow.

“That was really tough,” Schneider said. “That was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done – it was a really tough decision (because) I care a lot about not only those players but anyone that’s ever played for us. It was just a tough situation.”

Emporia State, under Schneider’s direction, went to the NCAA Tournament 11 out of the 12 seasons he was head coach. Collins felt the program built by Schneider serves as an example to other institutions.

“He’s the model for how to run a program in the right way as far as doing all the things the fans want to see, which is winning basketball games, but also what administration wants to see as far as graduating players and being available to the community,” Collins said.

One of the most important factors that led to Schneider’s departure was that the basketball program was in good shape before he left it.

“I would not have left it wasn’t that case,” Schneider said. “We just felt like this was the perfect time with everybody that was returning to Emporia State as well as the recruiting class that was put together. We felt like, if we were going to make a move, that this was the perfect time to do it with the program being in as good a shape as it ever has been.”

Of course, if Stephen F. Austin wasn’t the right place for him, Schneider wouldn’t have accepted the job.

“Obviously SFA was a very attractive position,” Schneider said. “They have a lot of history and a lot of tradition and it’s a community very similar to that of Emporia that really wants a women’s basketball program.”

While the disappointment over the loss of an Emporia State coaching legend is apparent, the players themselves still wish Schneider the best in his future endeavors.

“I’m disappointed,” Hanf said. “I was really looking forward to having him as my coach, but he made the right decision. It was a great opportunity for him, and I wish him the best.”

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Collins

With the absence of a head coach for the Emporia State women’s basketball team, the administration is currently looking at former Brandon Schneider assistant Jory Collins as a possible replacement.

Collins, a native of Holton, has been with the women’s basketball program for nine years. He has contributed to almost 150 Hornets’ wins and only 47 losses on the bench under Schneider.

“I just feel like I’ll be able to bring continuity,” Collins said. “Obviously it’s not broke here – it’s a national championship program. I feel like I was responsible for a lot of that in helping (Schneider) get us to where we are. I feel like I’d be able to keep it going in the same direction to we’ve been in.”

Before embarking on a nationwide search for a replacement for Schneider, Emporia State administrators have decided to look into the possibility of promoting Collins to be the successor.

The players at ESU gave a vote of confidence in Collins to be their next head coach.

“We all are really hoping that Jory gets that job,” said freshman guard Rachel Hanf. “We think he’d be a great person for it to step right in where Brandon left off.”

Collins believes that his close-knit relationship with the players led to the vote of confidence.

“That means a lot,” Collins said. “To be honest, it’s what I expected because I know them. We know each other and we have a great relationship. I’m not that old, so I don’t look at them as a daughter, but I do look at them a lot as little sisters.”

Even after exiting the program, Schneider feels that Collins should be the number one prospect for the job.

“Without question,” Schneider said. “He’s earned this opportunity. He’s been apart of the program for eight years. He’s recruited every single player that will be a part of the program next year with the exception of AlliVolkens and Brittney Miller. He’s a terrific teacher on the floor and has fantastic recruiting contacts and ties throughout the Midwest. He was always a really big part of our game plan and our in game coaching and I don’t think there is any question he is ready.”

Schneider has served as Collins’ mentor from the moment he entered the program.

“He’s been all my influence – I haven’t worked for anyone else,” Collins said. “As a mentor, he’s responsible for a lot of things (like) the way I look at coaching. When I first started working for him I thought he was John Wooden, and as we got to know each other over the years, it’s just a good relationship.”

Hanf holds a strong belief that Collins would be the best fit for the squad, who is coming off a Division II National Championship run.

“He really knows how we play and what’s going to work for our team and what’s not going to work,” Hanf said. “He recruited all of us so he knows how we work.”

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Alli Volkens greets fans Tuesday night at White Auditorium. Volkens was named MVP of the NCAA Division 2 Women’s Elite Eight. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

With a trip to the National Championship game on the line and only 45 seconds on the clock, senior forward Alli Volkens knew what it would take to overcome the #1 team in the nation.

“I think it was just a matter of, ‘If we lose, we’re done,’” Volkens said.“We just put it all out on the court.”

The stakes were ultimately high.The ESU women’s basketball team was facing #1 Gannon, whose record was an impressive 37-0, in the Final Four.

Words turned into actions as Volkens, with the help of her teammates, scored the final four points in regulation.The pair of baskets tied the game, sending it to overtime.

The ball was in Emporia State’s court.Senior guard Lacy Corker knew that the team was in good hands on the low block.

“She’s so competitive,” Corker said.“She wanted it so bad.When it’s a big game like that, it was important for her to go out and do it and she did.”

The Hornets went on to defeat Gannon 97-94.Volkens scored an impressive 20 points off of 6-7 shooting from the field.ESU marched into the National Championship game and won that one too, with Volkens scoring 16 points, pulling down 15 rebounds while also adding five blocks.

Volkens, a native of Reinbeck, Iowa, put together a stellar six-game run in the postseason that earned her the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Most Valuable Player award and the utmost respect from her teammates.

“Alli’s a great player,” said Cassondra Boston, senior guard.“She definitely stepped it up for the whole NCAA Tournament.She’s capable of doing that.She’s half the reason why we won the whole thing because she just really stepped her game up and played hard and played her heart out.”

Corker shared Boston’s sentiment.

“Alli really stepped it up at the end of the season,” Corker said.“I told the press conference people that she showed it in her eyes, and I felt she wanted it so bad and it showed in her game…no one could really stop her.”

Throughout the early part of the season, Volkens had flown under the radar.A nagging injury was partly to blame for her less-than-spectacular performance early on.

“Earlier in the season I was still kind of hurting a little bit from my knee surgery,” Volkens said.“It took me awhile to get over that.With the adrenaline rush of the postseason tournament, it (the pain) kind of went away a little bit.”

The expectations have always been high for the 6’2” junior.

“Coming in as a freshman I was kind of expected to do a little bit, then each year just build upon that,” Volkens said.

She has done just that.Coming off of a freshman campaign where she averaged 5.8 points per game in spot minutes, Volkens averaged 7.5 points per game in her sophomore season.In continuation of incline, Volkens nearly doubled her average this season with just over 12 points per game.

A mere five days after winning the National Championship, Volkens has her eyes on the prize again for next year.While the team loses four seniors who played a critical part in the championship run, Volkens is still confident that the Hornets can repeat.

“I think a lot of our younger players are going to step up next year and have just as much success regardless of how many players we lose each and every year,” Volkens said.“My freshman year we lost (Michelle) Stueve, last year we lost Ida (Edwards), this year we lose (Cassondra) Boston, so I don’t see why not.”

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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – It took an extra period for the Emporia State women’s basketball team to defeat #1 Gannon in the Final Four last night. The Hornets’ 97-94 overtime victory catapulted them to the NCAA Division II National Championship at 7 p.m. this Friday in St. Joseph, Mo.

Gannon started off on a 4-0 run in the opening minutes until sophomore guard Brittney Miller hit two free throws to set the score at 2-4. It wasn’t until just over 16 minutes in the half remained that the Hornets tied the game with a jumpshot, then took the lead, 7-4, on a three-pointer from senior guard Jamie Augustyn.

The Knights went on a 7-0 run to pull the score out to 11-7 until a three-pointer from freshman guard Rachel Hanf set the score at 14-10 in favor of GU with just over 12 minutes in the half.

Out of a media timeout, senior guard Cassondra Boston nailed a trey to cut the Knights’ lead to three.

Another media timeout paused the action with ESU trailing the Knights 19-22 with 7:55 to play in the initial half.

The Hornets finally took the lead, 29-28, off of a drive to the lane from Hanf. The final timeout on the floor saw Emporia State trailing Gannon 29-32 with 2:55 remaining in the half.

ESU went into the half leading GU, 40-39.

The Knights started the second half off hot, going on a 3-0 run until a three ball from Augustyn gave ESU a one-point advantage, 43-42.

After several lead changes, a timeout on the floor stopped the action at the 15:05 mark with the Hornets behind Gannon by two, 47-49.

Following the timeout, GU went on an 8-0 run that put them up by 10 over the Hornets, which forced ESU Coach Brandon Schneider to call timeout. The timeout didn’t seem to focus the Hornets, as Gannon went up by as much as 16 until junior forward Alli Volkens converted on a traditional three-point play.

A media timeout came with 6:35 remaining in the contest, Emporia State trailing Gannon 65-76. Like the game versus Michigan Tech, the momentum swung in the Hornets favor late in the game as ESU saw themselves down only by five, 71-76, with 5:10 left in the game. Thanks to a three-pointer from Augustyn, the Hornets cut the deficit to two when the final media timeout stopped the game with the Hornets down 76-78 with 3:58 to play.

Emporia State cut the lead to one at 78-79, but the Knights went on a 5-0 run to slightly pull away from the Hornets. With 17.8 seconds on the clock and ESU trailing Gannon 85-87, Schneider called timeout to call one final play for his team.

On the inbounds, Boston took the ball and hit senior guard Lacy Corker on the left wing who in turn passed it to Volkens. Volkens took it to the rim and scored, tying the game at 87-all with 7.8 seconds left before GU Coach Cleve Wright called timeout.

The Knights couldn’t come up with a basket, so the game went into overtime.

A pair of free throws from Miller tied the game up at 92-all with two and a half minutes to play in the overtime period.

With just over 21 seconds remaining, Corker drove the lane and came up short on the basket but was fouled on the way there – Corker drained both shots, putting ESU up by two, 96-94. Another Gannon timeout came with 17.8 seconds remaining.

The Knights ended up throwing the ball away with five seconds remaining and fouled Lenard on the ensuing inbounds, giving her the chance to shoot two. Lenard made the second shot, leaving GU less than four seconds to score.

Gannon could not convert as the Hornets went on to win the contest 97-94.

Schneider said that a quick change to a zone defense late in the game played a big part in the win for the Hornets.

“We had to play a zone defense, and guys, we never practice zone defense,” Schneider said. “(We) made some mistakes in it obviously, but I’m not so sure that it didn’t win us the ballgame.”

Boston led the Hornets in scoring with 21, followed closely by Volkens with 20 and Miller with 18. Miller also nabbed eight rebounds.

According to Boston, patience was a key to getting back into the game after going down by double digits.

“Brandon (Schneider) told us that we were starting to shoot ourselves out of the game,” Boston said. “We were trying to be more patient and get it into Alli (Volkens) so she could put it in right under the hoop.”

Corker agreed.

“You have to have patience,” Corker said. “In a situation like this, when you’re trying to go for a championship, we have to be focused and have faith in each other and we did tonight.”

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Senior guard Cassondra Boston attacks the MTU defense Tuesday night in the St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph Mo. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

With a trip to the Final Four on the line, the Emporia State women’s basketball team rose to the occasion and beat Michigan Tech University Tuesday night, 91-85.

The win gave the Hornets a birth in the National Semifinal for the first time since 1999.

Senior guard Lacy Corker drove the lane to give the Hornets their first points of the contest. Following a Tech three pointer, sophomore guard Brittney Miller hit a trey of her own, bringing the score to 5-3.

Michigan Tech went on a 9-2 run that was halted by the first media timeout of the game with 15:48 left to play in the half and a 12-7 lead. After the timeout and another Huskies basket, senior guard Sophia Lenard earned her first two points on the night on a slashing move to the basket.

Senior guard Lacy Corker takes a three point shot Tuesday night against MTU in St. Joseph Mo. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Another Michigan Tech three pointer led to another Lenard drive – this time, she was fouled and made the free throw, converting on the traditional three-point play which cut the Huskies’ lead to three, 17-14.

Junior forward Negesti Taylor scored on the low block, getting the Hornets within one, until on the ensuing Hornets possession, Lenard knocked down a three-pointer in transition which gave ESU a 19-17 lead with11:46 remaining in the first half.

A timeout on the floor stopped the action with 7:58 left in the half, the Hornets trailing the Huskies by one, 23-24.

A basket on the low block from junior forward Alli Volkens tied the game at 27-all with just over five minutes remaining in the half.

The final media timeout saw Emporia State down by one point, 31-32, with 3:18 left in the half.

Both teams traded points back and forth until a timeout from ESU Coach Brandon Schneider paused the action with 32.7 seconds on the clock and a 35-37 deficit. The half ended with the same score.

To start the second half, a pair of free throws from Taylor tied the game at 37-all, which was followed by a layup from senior guard Cassondra Boston that gave the Hornets a two point lead.

After a series of trading baskets, a three-pointer from Boston gave ESU a two point edge, 46-44, with just over 15 minutes in the game.

Junior center Nejesti Taylor shoots over a MTU dfender Tuesday night in St. Joseph Mo. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Following a media timeout, two more free throws from Volkens pushed the Hornets’ lead to four, 48-44. A basket down low and another pair of charity points from Volkens led the Hornets to a 52-46 lead with 12:30 left in the contest.

Momentum on their side, Emporia State went up by 10, 64-54, with 8:30 left to play thanks to a traditional three point play from Volkens that was followed up by a three-pointer form senior guard Jamie Augustyn. However, the Huskies came back with a 5-0 run that forced Schneider to call timeout with 7:21 to play and the score at 64-59 in favor of ESU.

Out of the timeout, the Hornets put together a small run of their own, getting score to 70-59 with just over six minutes in the game.

The final media timeout of the game came with 3:46 remaining and Emporia State commanding an eight point lead over Michigan Tech, 76-68.

In the end, the deficit couldn’t be overcome by the Huskies as the Hornets went on to win the contest, 91-85.

Schneider commented on his team’s efforts after the game.

“I’m obviously really proud of our guys because I think we just beat a really, really good basketball team,” Schneider said.

Volkens led the Hornets in scoring with a career high 28-point outing on 10-11 shooting from the field, along with eight rebounds and three blocks.

Boston believed that it was Volkens’ time to shine.

“Alli just had a great night tonight,” Boston said. “It was her night tonight. She was on.”

Volkens said that she was in the zone throughout the contest.

“I guess I was feeling it a little bit,” Volkens said. “They were kind of sagging off, and I was open so I just shot it.”

Lenard contributed 22 points off the bench, and Boston added 19 of her own along with eight assists to round out the Hornets in double figures.

Up next for the Hornets is a trip to the Final Four where the team will play #1 Gannon University (37-0) at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in St. Joseph, Mo.

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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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Senior guard Sophia Lenard shoots over a FHSU defender Thursday night during the first round of the MIAA Tournament. The Hornets beat the Tigers 72-66.

After a rough start, the Emporia State women’s basketball team was able to pull together and defeat Ft. Hays State 72-66 in the first round of MIAA Tournament action.

A trio of three-pointers late in the game from senior guard Jamie Augustyn led the Hornets to come back from a large deficit.

“I just did what I do,” Augustyn said. “My teammates did a really good job of finding me open, so I just shot it.”

Freshman guard Jocelyn Cummings was the first to score for the Hornets on a slashing move to the basket. With just over 17:30 to play in the first half, the Hornets found themselves down 3-7 thanks to a pivotal Ft. Hays three-pointer.

The first media timeout of the half stopped the action at the 15:56 mark with ESU trailing the Tigers 5-7. Following the timeout, the Tigers went on a 4-0 run until senior guard Sophia Lenard made a basket in the paint.

Another media timeout saw the Hornets still trailing Ft. Hays State, 9-15, with 11:20 remaining in the half.

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider was forced to call a timeout when the Tigers’ lead extended to 11 with 8:09 left in the half.

Senior guard Lacy Corker made a three-pointer following the timeout, cutting Ft. Hays State’s lead to eight, 12-20. Two straight treys from Ft. Hays’ Naomi Bancroft put the Hornets behind by 14 with just over six minutes to play in the half. The final timeout on the floor of the half saw the Tigers with a 29-17 lead over Emporia State with 3:27 remaining.

Senior guard Lacy Corker puts up a 3 point shot Thursday night in Kansas City.

A well executed offensive play by the Hornets saw Cummings take it to the rim and score, cutting the lead to 10. A pair of free throws from Lenard and a slashing basket by Boston saw the Hornets pull within six of Ft. Hays’ lead, 23-29, with just over a minute to play in the opening period.

A three-pointer from the Tigers gave them a nine point cushion going into halftime with a 32-23 lead over ESU.

Schneider said that Hays’ effort in the first half proved to be formidable.

“In the first half, Hays was really good,” Schneider said. “I really felt like the difference between the two halves (was) Hays’ seniors played like they wanted to play another game. They out-competed our seniors.”

Boston led the Hornets in their comeback effort with seven early second half points. A timeout on the floor stopped the action at the 11:33 mark with the Hornets trailing the Tigers 38-47.

Augustyn sparked the comeback by the Hornets, who cut the Tigers lead to four at 43-47 with just under 10 minutes to play. Junior forward Alli Volkens followed up Augustyn’s basket with one of her own on the low block, setting the score to 47-45 in favor of FHSU. Another three-pointer from Augustyn that led the Hornets to within one of the Tigers’ lead, 48-49, led to a timeout by Ft. Hays Coach Tony Hobson.

Senior guard Cassondra Boston attacks the FHSU defense Thursday night in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

Following the timeout, ESU finally took the lead thanks to yet another Augustyn three-pointer. The Hornets went on a 7-2 run after the timeout by Ft. Hays, bringing the score to 55-51 in favor of Emporia State with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.

Boston said that it was at this point the seniors realized it was time to step up.

“We knew we had to pick it up right then and there,” Boston said. “I just kept stressing that every possession mattered. We couldn’t take any possessions off.”

Ft. Hays went on a small run of their own to tie the game up at 55 with 4:08 left to play.

The final media timeout saw ESU leading FHSU 58-57 at the 3:37 mark.

A myriad of lead changes occurred in the final few minutes of the game until a hard earned basket on the low block by Volkens stretched the Hornets’ lead to three, 66-63, with 1:04 remaining in the half.

Following a FHSU timeout, a trip to the charity stripe for Boston led to two more points, extending their lead to five, 68-63 with under a minute to play.

Boston gave the Hornets four more free throw points as the team left the court with a victory over the Tigers, 72-66.

Boston led all scorers with 23 on 6 of 18 shooting. Augustyn chipped in 11 points, while Volkens and senior guard Lacy Corker added 10 points each.

The Hornets will now face Central Missouri in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:15 on March 6 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

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The Emporia State women’s basketball team fell short of capturing the #1 seed for the upcoming MIAA Tournament as they fell to rival Washburn 63-51

Shooting was a major concern for the Hornets – ESU only shot 28.8 percent from the field.

“We just didn’t hit shots when we needed to,” said senior guard Cassondra Boston. “Obviously we didn’t shoot very well tonight. Usually we do shoot pretty well here. Tonight that wasn’t the case.”

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider concurred.

“We just didn’t make enough baskets and finish enough plays in the first half to take advantage of their foul situation,” Schneider said.

The Ichabods started off hot, jumping out to an early 11-4 lead with just over 16 minutes to play in the first half. The first media timeout of the half stopped the action with the score still the same with 14:38 to play.

Emporia State’s scoring drought was finally ended after the media timeout by a drive to the basket by Boston.

The Hornets closed to within three of Washburn’s lead, 8-11, with just over 11 minutes in the half thanks to a banked jump shot from senior guard Sophia Lenard. After an easy bucket from Washburn’s Dayna Rodriguez, senior guard Jamie Augustyn answered with a three-pointer, bringing the score to 11-13 in favor of the Ichabods.

Following a timeout on the floor, sophomore guard Brittney Miller tied the game at 13 with a layup. The teams were neck and neck at 15-all until a Washburn three-pointer gave the Ichabods a three point lead.

With under two minutes to play in the first half, the Hornets trailed the Ichabods 15-20. Another Washburn three ball gave the Ichabods an eight point advantage over the Hornets with 1:22 remaining in the first half.

The Hornets went into the locker room at the half trailing Washburn 21-25.

Washburn started out the second half much like they did the first with an 8-3 run that set the score at 24-33 in favor of Washburn. The first timeout on the floor of the half paused the action with the Hornets still trailing the Ichabods, 26-35, with 14:24 to play in the contest.

The Hornets, however, would not go away easily, as an offensive surge in the paint led by junior forward Alli Volkens brought ESU within one point of Washburn’s lead, 34-35, before the Ichabods called a timeout with 11:22 left to play.

Schneider called timeout at the 8:19 mark when the Ichabods’ lead stretched to six at 37-43 to regroup the shaky Hornets.

The final timeout on the floor saw ESU trailing Washburn 41-50 with 4:23 left to play in the contest.

Thanks to two quick baskets, the Hornets cut Washburn’s lead to five, 45-50, before WU called timeout with 2:40 left. Following the timeout, the Ichabods went on a 9-0 tear to pull away from the Hornets.

The Hornets eventually fell to Washburn, 51-63.

Volkens said that the team’s focus was probably on games in the future.

“We might have looked ahead a little bit too far,” Volkens said. “Our motto is ‘take it one day at a time’…we didn’t do that.”

Boston led the Hornets in scoring with 13, followed by Lenard with 11 and Volkens with 10 points.

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A 33-point, 10 assist performance from senior guard Cassondra Boston elevated the Hornets past the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist last night, 103-90.

          Junior forward Alli Volkens talked at length about Boston’s contributions to the team.

          “It makes it a lot easier on us, that’s for sure,” Volkens said. “It’s not that we expect Boston to score, but we almost do expect her to score. When she does score, it helps…if she wasn’t shooting lights out first half, we would have been in a hole, that’s for sure.”

Freshman guard Rachel Hanf hit a three-pointer to start the game for the Hornets. Another three-pointer, this time from sophomore guard Brittney Miller, gave ESU six early points and a 6-2 lead with just over 18:30 to play in the half.

Following three straight SBU treys, the Hornets found themselves trailing the Bearcats 11-10, but Boston’s three-pointer put the Hornets back on top, 13-11. A layup by senior guard Jamie Augustyn and another three-pointer from Boston gave the Hornets 18-13 lead.

The game was tied up at 21-all with just over 13 minutes to play until an easy low post put back by junior forward Alli Volkens gave the Hornets a two point lead. A timeout on the floor saw the Hornets leading the Bearcats 32-29 with 8:44 left in the half.

The Hornets went on a 13-3 run until an ESU timeout paused the action at the 1:01 mark. Emporia State went into the locker room with a 54-47 lead at the half.

The teams traded points back and forth to begin the second half. Southwest Baptist made a short run before the first media timeout of the half stopped the action with the Hornets holding onto a 61-57 lead with 14:37 to play.

A technical foul was called on SBU Coach J.C. Carter, giving the Hornets an opportunity for extra points at the free throw line. The technical foul points gave the Hornets a 67-59 advantage with over 13:30 left in the contest.

The Hornets coasted to the end of the game, easily winning over SBU 103-90.

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider was pleased with Boston’s performance but was concerned about the team’s defensive showing.

“I thought she (Boston) shot it well,” Schneider said. “But you know what – they had a couple guys shoot it well too. All in all, I wasn’t thrilled with anybody’s defense.”

Boston said that the team’s intensity will need to be raised in order to better perform on that end of the court.

“I think we just need to apply more pressure,” Boston said. “We’ve kind of gotten away from pressuring people as much.”

The team shot an impressive 75 percent from beyond the arc, while also shooting just over 65 percent from the floor. Southwest Baptist was held to just over 50 percent from the floor. The Hornets out rebounded SBU 27-20.

Volkens scored 16 points for the Hornets, along with 13 from Augustyn and 11 from Hanf. Volkens also chipped in two blocks.

Missouri Southern is on tap next for the Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 in White Auditorium.

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Senior guard Lacy Corker goes for a lay up Saturday night at White Auditorium as the Hornets faced the UNO Mavericks. Corker had 5 steals and 18 points for the night helping the Hornets finish with a 96-78 win. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The #5 Emporia State women’s basketball team, coming off of a loss against Central Missouri, captured a win last Saturday against the Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha, 96-78. The victory marked the Hornets’ 20^th of the season and 13^th in the MIAA.

Senior guard Cassondra Boston knew what it would take to come away with a W against a tough UNO team.

“Coming off a loss on Wednesday, we knew we had to come out and play extra hard,” Boston said.

After going down 3-0 to start the first half, sophomore guard Brittney Miller scored first for the Hornets on an assist from Boston. The Mavericks continued their quick start against ESU, leading by as much as four early on, 8-4, until smart offensive plays by Boston and junior forward Negesti Taylor led the Hornets to tie the game at 10-all with over 16 minutes in the half with over 16 minutes in the half.

UNO jumped out once again on the Hornets, this time 18-12 before a basket by senior guard Lacy Corker cut the lead to four.

Junior forward Alli Volkens fights for a rebound Saturday night at White Auditorium. Volkens led the Hornets in rebounds for the evening with 11. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The first timeout on the floor stopped the action with 14:29 remaining in the first half with the Mavericks leading the Hornets 20-14.

Following the timeout, the Hornets went on a 6-0 run, tying the game at 20-all with just under 12 minutes to play in the half. The Hornets took their first lead of the half, 23-22, thanks to a three-pointer from Boston at the top of the key.

Both teams were shooting over 60 percent from the field with just under 10 minutes to play in the half.

A Corker three-pointer followed by a trey from senior guard Sophia Lenard gave the Hornets a seven point advantage before UNO called timeout with 7:01 to play in the half.

With 5:06 left in the half, a traditional three point play was converted by Corker, giving Emporia State an 11-point lead. The Hornets’ lead extended to 15 with just over two minutes to play, mainly due to recurrent UNO turnovers that were converted to baskets by ESU.

Emporia State went into the locker room with a 17-point lead over the Mavericks, 55-38.

Sophomore forward Brittney Miller looks to score Saturday Night at White Auditorium. Miller finished the night with 17 points for the Hornets. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The two teams went back and forth early in the second half until a timeout by UNO paused the action, with the Hornets on top 61-44 with 15:43 left to play in the contest.

The Mavericks would cut the lead to 13 at 63-50 with 12:45 remaining in the half. A timeout on the floor saw Emporia State still leading the Mavericks, 67-55, with 9:59 to play.

The Mavericks continued their comeback effort, closing to within 10 of the Hornets lead at 75-65 with five minutes to play in the second half.

In the end, UNO’s efforts wouldn’t be enough as they fell to the Hornets, 96-78.

Boston led the Hornets in scoring with 24, followed by Corker with 18 and Miller with 17. Junior forward Alli Volkens added 11 rebounds, and senior guard Jamie Augustyn chipped in five assists on the night.

Corker said that it was the team’s defense that translated to the high offensive output.

“Tonight we were doing good on defense, and it helped carry over on the offensive end,” Corker said.

Senior guard Cassondra Boston attacks the UNO defense Saturday night at White Auditorium. Boston led the Hornets in baskets with 24 of their 96 points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Emporia State Coach Brandon Schneider commented on the team’s energy level as part of their success.

“I liked our energy,” Schneider said. “I know we gave up 78 points, but I feel like we really forced them to make some plays and make some tough shots. Our defense affected the tempo of our offense, which was obviously a little bit faster tonight.”

A home game versus Southwest Baptist is up next for the Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 in White Auditorium.

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Senior guard Jamie Augustyn shoots a three pointer over a MWSU defender Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The shot brought the Hornets to 20 three point baskets for the night setting a new ESU and MIAA record. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

The Emporia State women’s basketball team set a school and MIAA record with 20 three-pointers while in the process of obliterating the Missouri Western State Griffons last night, 110-68. Five Hornets scored in double figures, highlighted by senior guard Cassondra Boston’s 28-point outing.

            “I think I’ve just been relaxing on my shot and they’ve been there so I’ve been taking them,” Boston said. “I’ve been feeling a little bit more confident in my shot.”

It was Boston who scored the first points of the game off of a set three pointer, giving the Hornets the early 3-0 lead. Thanks to key offensive efforts from Boston and sophomore guard Brittney Miller, the Hornets jumped to a quick 10-2 lead with over 17:30 left to play in the first half. Boston struck from beyond the arc again with 16 minutes remaining to give the Hornets a 13-6 advantage.

A buzzer beat by the Griffons’ Kristin Bush gave Missouri Western two points and brought the team to within one point of the Hornets’ lead, 13-12. Missouri Western evened the score at 16-all before another Boston three-pointer gave the Hornets a three point lead with over 12 minutes to play in the half. A trey from freshman guard Rachel Hanf gave the Hornets a seven point advantage over the Griffons, 25-18.

The Hornets saw their biggest lead of the half when senior guard Sophia Lenard hit a three ball which was followed by another three-pointer from Boston – the sudden barrage of points forced MWSU Coach Lynn Plett to call timeout, with the Hornets on top 36-23.

With 1:48 remaining in the first half, Boston hit yet another shot from beyond the arc, taking the score to 43-30 in favor of the Hornets.

The half ended with the same score. Boston led all scorers at the half with 17.

To start the second half, senior guard Jamie Augustyn hit a three-pointer, extending the Hornets’ lead to 16. Boston hit an uncontested three-pointer at the top of the key, which was followed by two made free throws off of a steal on the next Hornets possession, putting the score at 55-30 in favor of the Hornets with just over 17 minutes to play in the contest.

A full timeout was taken by Missouri Western after several transitional defensive breakdowns led to easy Emporia State baskets.

 With 10:30 left in the contest, Lenard rebounded the ball under the basket, made the shot and was fouled in the process – the traditional three point play gave the Hornets a 30-point lead, 76-46.

The Griffons showed their resiliency, battling back to cut the Hornets lead from 35 plus points to 28 with a little over six minutes left to play. The run from Missouri Western was short lived, however, as a three-pointer from Boston brought the lead back to 31. Another Boston trey extended the lead to 34.

The Hornets broke the 100-point mark with a three-pointer from Hanf, which was followed by another three from Augustyn, bringing the score to 103-61 in favor of the Hornets. The trey by Augustyn set a school and MIAA record for made three-pointers in a game by one team, with 20.

ESU coasted the rest of the way, and finished the game with a win over the Griffons, 110-68.

Hanf and Miller chipped in 17 and 15 points, respectively. Miller also added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

Miller commented on the team’s recent shooting success.

“Shooting’s a big part of our team, and I think we’re awesome at it,” Miller said. “Our team’s very versatile, so I think if our shots aren’t going we can still get it inside and work our posts. I think that’s a big part of our game.”

Head Coach Brandon Schneider, having already seen the Griffons play earlier in the season, was impressed with Missouri Western’s interior defense, which inevitably led to the stellar three-point shooting performance from his team.

“They’re a keep it out of the paint team – that’s their philosophy,” Schneider said. “They did a great job in keeping the drive out of the paint. They did a great job of really making it difficult to play inside to your post players

The Hornets will hit the road for the next MIAA contest as they face off against Truman State University. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. on Jan. 30 in Kirksville, Mo.

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