Seniors Xavier Burnette scored 21 and Robert Moores added 19, but it wasn’t enough to keep ESU from losing in the semifinals of the MIAA tournament to Fort Hays State 74-71.

With 4:13 left, the Hornets were down by 13 and would cut the lead to just two points with 44 seconds remaining. However, Fort Hays connected on seven out of their last eight free throws to put ESU away for good.

Michael Tyler and Adam Holthaus also scored in double figures for the Hornets. Tyler added 14 as Holthaus scored 10.

The Hornets season is officially over due to not winning the MIAA tournament. In order for the Hornets to move into the NCAA tournament, an MIAA tournament championship was needed.

Brandon Schneeberger

Send article as PDF to

The Men’s Basketball team had a solid win against Lincoln University on January 12. They pulled off a 77-67 win, shooting 56 percent from the field as a team. Seniors led the Hornets with forward Adam Holthaus scoring a team-high 17 points and grabbing four rebounds.

Guard Matt Boswell also contributed to the team’s win on offense and defense with his second double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds as well as six assists. Senior Jarvis Nichols had 13 points and five rebounds. The Hornets led the way through the evening leading 43-21 at halftime and carried it through to increase their record to 9-6 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA.

Chris Dvorak

Send article as PDF to

Senior Xavier Burnette takes a three point shot over a Northwest Missouri defender Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets beat the Bearcats 70-65. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s basketball team faced the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri this Wednesday. The Hornets tough defense allowed them to hold off a late Bearcat’s run to win the game 70-65.

“That was a huge win for our psyche,” said Head Coach David Moe. “I thought we competed, and… luckily we were good enough offensively to keep scoring enough to keep the game in hand.”

The game got off to a fast paced start as the Bearcats jumped out to an early 11-4 lead. The Hornets battled back, however, as they went on a 9-4 run to cut the lead to just two points with 7:15 left in the half.

The Bearcats answered with an offensive put-back to increase the lead back to four. ESU took the lead after Sophomore Guard Taylor Euler hit a three-point basket as the shot clock expired, and Xavier Burnette added a fast break lay-up.

ESU finished the first half with the momentum as they closed it out on a 10-4 run. With time expiring, Senior Forward Adam Holthaus made a three point basket to give the Hornets a 30-23 lead at the break.

“That was big momentum right there,” Burnette said. “That was big for him, and I’m pretty sure he’s pretty happy about that.”

The second half saw back and forth play as neither team gained ground. However, with less than seven minutes to play, the Hornets increased their lead to nine after two big offensive put-backs by Holthaus and Senior Guard Matt Boswell. Burnette added another fast break layup in the run.

With just 1:30 remaining the Bearcats cut the lead to four points. Burnette drew a foul with 1:01 remaining to increase the lead back to a two possession game. Seconds later Boswell again grabbed a big rebound and was fouled on the play widening the gap to eight points.

“They got back in the game, but we had a couple of big rebounds, big steals there,” Boswell said.  “I remember X (Xavier) took it in transition one time, and they had to call a timeout. I’m glad we built that lead back up and closed it out on defense at the end of the game.”

Sophomore Taylor Euler looks to pass the ball Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets beat the Bearcats 70-65. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Emporia State was able to make their free throws down the stretch to win the game 70-65.

Burnette and Holthaus led the Hornets with 16 points a piece on the night. Burnette also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists.

The Hornets will remain at home for their next two games. Their next game is against Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4.

Brandon Schneeberger

Send article as PDF to

The Emporia State men’s basketball team won their second straight home game to move their record to 2-2 on the year after defeating the Bethany Swedes 81-71 Monday night. ESU had four players with at least 14 points and were led by senior center Adam Holthaus who finished the night with 21 points and six rebounds. During the two game winning streak, the Hornets have scored over 80 points in both contests and won both by double digits.

The Hornets took the lead early and never really gave it up. Bethany’s only lead came less than four minutes into the game. ESU senior Michael Tyler then would score eight of ESU’s next ten points to take an early 14-12 lead that Emporia State would hold up throughout the game. ESU’s largest lead of the game reached 11, but the Swedes battled back on numerous occasions to cut it to within a basket.

“We just couldn’t finish them off,” said nine year Head Coach David Moe. “It wasn’t because of a lack of effort that we let them back in the game several times, but we just didn’t have some things bounce our way. I was pleased with the way our kids still battled though.”

Emporia State would lead 35-28 at the half despite shooting 1-16  from behind the three point line. Senior Xavier Burnette scored 13 out of his 18 points in the second as he helped keep the Hornets on top for good. Burnette was 6-8 shooting in the second half as 32 out of the 46 points scored in the second half for ESU were by Burnette, Holthaus, and senior Matt Boswell. Bethany would climb within two points and were still only down 70-65 with just under two minutes to play. ESU would go on a 9-3 run to seal the game for the Hornets.

“We really picked it up in the second half as we had to play with a short memory after missing some shots,” Burnette said. “This game is just another stepping stone on the season. We can’t lose confidence as it is early in the season, and hopefully this gives us some momentum going into conference play.”

Next up for the Hornets is opponent Southwestern on Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The game closes out a three game home stand as they travel to Division I opponent #4 Kansas State before coming back home for another three game stretch. Tip-off for Wednesday is set for 7 p.m.

Send article as PDF to

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.

Send article as PDF to

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.

Send article as PDF to

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.

Send article as PDF to

Holthaus

As the late resurgence of the Emporia State men’s basketball team continues, the Hornets are led by a big-time presence in the paint. Adam Holthaus, junior forward and computer systems information major, repeatedly comes off the bench and flat out produces – Holthaus’ 13.6 points per game are second-best only to teammate Tim Niles. The Topeka native looks to improve his game while his team continues to step up in MIAA play.
Q: When did you start playing basketball?

A: I have been playing basketball as long as I could pick up the ball.

Q: What are your strong points and weak points as a player?

A: Personally, I feel like my strong point is my offensive ability. I
feel like I have good post moves with both hands which allow me to do
different things depending on what they give me. I feel like a weak
point would be my defense and rebounding. I need to get more aggressive
when rebounding and also need to get better overall on defense.

Q: What assets do you bring to the team?

A: I feel as though I bring a spark from inside. I feel like I bring the
ability to score in the paint which opens up many different options for
our team.

Q: Why did you decide to come to Emporia State as opposed to Washburn since
you’re from Topeka?

A: I decided to come to Emporia because of the wonderful opportunities that
they offered me both athletically and academically.

Q: What’s it like being a student-athlete at ESU? What are the greatest
challenges?

A: I love being a student-athlete at ESU. It is a great environment for
both athletics and academics. Everyone here is very supportive of the
athletic teams and the university. The hardest thing about being a
student-athlete would be, in season, when you have practice, games and
homework, all going on at the same time, while missing some classes.
Being able to keep up with everything is definitely the hardest part.

Q: Who would you say influenced you the most to play basketball?

A: My parents always encouraged me and supported me throughout the years.

Q: If you could choose one person as your role model or hero, who would it
be?

A: My parents would probably be my role models or heroes because they
brought me into this world and are very supportive in everything I do.

Q: What do you plan to do after college? Is coaching an option for you after you get done playing for ESU?

A: This is not my dream or in the plans of my future, but if an opportunity
would arise I would definitely look into it.

Send article as PDF to

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.

Send article as PDF to

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.”

Send article as PDF to

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.”

Send article as PDF to