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.

Send article as PDF to

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.

Send article as PDF to

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.

Send article as PDF to

Hot three-point shooting led the Emporia State women’s basketball team to victory over the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State Sunday, 91-62. The Hornets (17-1, 10-1) shot over 55-percent from beyond the arc on their way to avenging the team’s loss to the Bearcats earlier the season and capturing their tenth straight MIAA win.

According to senior guard Cassondra Boston, the team was determined to show how much they had improved since the previous meeting.

“It was the first conference game,” Boston said. “We’ve improved a lot since then. That’s how we wanted to do it, was come out and show them how much better we’ve gotten.”

Right off the jump ball sophomore guard Brittney Miller scored two points on the low block. After a few empty possessions for both teams, it was Miller again with points on the board for the Hornets, this time from three. Boston followed up Miller’s three with a three-pointer of her own on the ensuing ESU possession.

Senior guard Jamie Augustyn chipped in a trey of her own after Northwest Missouri scored a basket, bringing the score to 11-2 in favor of the Hornets. The first timeout on the floor saw the Hornets with a definitive edge over the Bearcats early, 13-5, with 14:53 left to play in the half.

After the timeout, the Hornets went on a 7-0 run which forced Northwest Missouri Coach Gene Steinmeyer to call a timeout to regroup his team.

A 30-second timeout was called by Emporia State Coach Brandon Schneider following a few defensive lapses by the Hornets, yet the Hornets still led the Bearcats 24-11. Following the timeout, Boston hit a three-pointer to extend the Hornets’ lead to 16 with just over eight minutes to play.

The teams went back and forth between empty possessions until senior guard Sophia Lenard drove to the hole and was fouled in the act of shooting – Lenard did not make either of the charity points but hit a long jumper on the next Hornets possession. The final media timeout of the half saw the Hornets with a commanding lead over the Bearcats, 31-17, with 4:44 remaining in the half.

Junior forward Negesti Taylor scored right out of the timeout on a mid-range jumper, adding to the Hornets already growing lead. Lenard continued to make her presence known on both ends of the floor, coming up with a big three-pointer and a steal on the next NWMSU possession. The Bearcats were forced to call another timeout after Augustyn followed up Lenard’s shot form beyond the arc with one of her own, which extended the Hornets lead to 17.

Five consecutive points came Northwest Missouri’s way due to poor decisions by the Hornets on both ends of the court. The lapse in judgment led the Bearcats to cut the Hornets’ lead to 11 with double-digit seconds remaining in the half.

The Bearcats had control of the final possession of the half, until the ball was rebounded by Lenard. Lenard put up a prayer from half court with a few seconds remaining – the shot was good, giving the Hornets three more points as they headed to the locker room with the lead, 44-30.

The Hornets out rebounded the Bearcats 28-20 and shot an impressive 8-13 from three point land.

Jokingly, Lenard commented on shooting the half court shot a little earlier than expected.

“In my head, the clock was going a little bit faster than the actual clock, and I just threw it up there,” Lenard said.

The Hornets went on a 9-2 run to start the second half, padding their already comfortable lead to 21with 15:40 remaining in the contest.

Although turnovers were a slight point of concern for the Hornets, the team still commanded a hefty 16-point lead with 9:37 left to play. Following a media timeout, Augustyn stepped up big with a three-pointer from the corner which was followed by a Boston three-pointer from the top of the key on the next Hornets possession, extending ESU’s lead to 22 with 8:48 remaining.

Emporia State coasted to the end of the game and captured the victory, 91-62.

Boston and Lenard led the Hornets in scoring with 22 points apiece. Junior forward Alli Volkens and Taylor each contributed 10 rebounds apiece, while Taylor also chipped in 10 points to complete the double-double.

Schneider was happy with the progression of Taylor on both ends of the floor.

“Negesti was brought here to defend and rebound, and I think it’s very obvious that that’s her forte,” Schneider said. “But she’s made progress on the offensive end, and I think she’s beginning to trust herself and her teammates are beginning to trust her a lot more.”

The Hornets round out a three game home stand against Missouri Western on Wednesday at White Auditorium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Send article as PDF to

The Emporia State women’s basketball team defeated Evangel University 84-59 last Saturday during the final game of ESU’s annual Tip-Off Classic. ESU (3-0) remains undefeated in the regular season and is currently 16-0 in the history of the Tip-Off Classic.

At the beginning of the first half, ESU showed various defensive strategies such as a half court trap and full court press.

“We worked it,” Head Coach Brandon Schneider said. “Using a lot of trap is dangerous.”

A couple of three point shots were made to start the half by senior guards Cassondra Boston and Jamie Augustyn. The Hornets started a game with 10-2 lead.

Evangel forward Kara Blankenship, who scored 32 points in the game, proved to be a formidable opponent for the Hornets. The first half was practically a scoring showdown between Boston and Blankenship – Boston had 18 points and three assists while Blankenship scored 21 points in the first half.

“A lot of teams know we drive to the basket,” Boston said. “We got more open chances. That’s what we tried to do tonight. I drive to be more aggressively. I just tried to attack the hoop to get all the buckets.”

ESU led 47-33 to end the first half.

The main differences between Emporia State and Evangel were low-post players and bench depth. Junior center Negesti Taylor was dominant in the paint – she had a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and one block in the game. The Hornets pulled down 40 rebounds while Evangel only had 23.

Bench depth was another advantage of ESU. Schneider substituted many players at the same time to maintain an up-tempo game speed and save the strength of his players.

“I want to both teams (starters and bench players) to be pretty even,” Schneider said. “We have some scoring punches in both teams.”

The trump card of for the Hornets was senior guard Sophia Lenard, who came off the bench and scored 11 points – including six consecutive points – in the second half. Emporia State held a 27-point lead with 12:41 remaining in the second half.

“As a team, we are really fortunate to have bench players,” Lenard said. “Starters go out and play defense. Bench players go out and score, too. Bench or starter, it is not different to me. Just go out and play. Five minutes or two minutes, it doesn’t matter.”

The Hornets held several advantages against Evangel – Emporia State led Evangel 37-4 in bench points and 19-0 in fast break points. After game, Boston, who led the Hornets with 23 points on the day, was named tournament MVP. Taylor was selected as an All-Tournament team member.

“It’s an honor to me,” Boston said. “I am able to get this for my teammates. They passed to me a lot, so I can play more aggressive.”

Schneider was very satisfied with the team.

“We feel good about it,” Schneider said. “My goal is for the team to get better every day…when we get Brittney (Miller) back, we turn up more pressure. She is our best athletic player. She can contribute to the team with her rebounding and scoring.”

-JungHwan Seo/The Bulletin

Send article as PDF to

The Emporia State women’s basketball team defeated the Eastern New Mexico Zias 82-50  last Friday, the first day of ESU’s annual Tip-Off Classic. ESU (2-0), the MIAA Champs a season ago, is still undefeated during the regular season.

The Hornets started the game strong on both offense and defense. The team went on a 10-0 scoring run with inside baskets and a couple of three point shots. They did not allow any points to ENMU for the first 3:54.

A strong performance on the low block was key for ESU. The Hornets pulled down 16 offensive rebounds in the first half, and scored 13 points off of second chances. The team pushed hard for an up-tempo game with strong defensive rebounds and regular rotations of many players.

Junior forward Ashley Ferrell was dominant in the low post – coming off the bench Ferrell had a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds.

“I played better coming off the bench,” Ferrell said. “I feel very comfortable. Rebounding and playing defense is my role.”

Head Coach Brandon Schneider was very satisfied with his forwards Ferrell and freshman Jocelyn Cummings.

“I think Ferrell is a lot more comfortable coming off the bench,” Schneider said. “Rebounding the ball and playing good defensively translates to good offense. I am happy for the bench players.”

The only problem for ESU was outside shooting. The Hornets tried 13 three point shots but made just three in the first half. Senior guard Cassondra Boston made just one three point shot while she tried five times. ESU led at the end of the first half, 38-21.

The Zias stepped up their play in the second half, going on an 11-5 run for first 6:12 to start the half. However, the comeback effort was thwarted by freshman guard Kelsey Newman and Cummings, who combined for 14 points in the second half.

“I feel pretty good,” Newman said. “Offensively, I just got some open chances.”

Schneider was impressed by the freshmen performances.

“That is encouraging,” Schneider said. “We talked over and over about this freshman class and how they are ready. We thought they would come in and play and contribute. They take advantage of their opportunities.”

The Hornets finished the game with a victory, 82-50, and earned their second win of the season. Even though the team won by 32 points, Schneider was not satisfied with all aspects of the Hornets’ performance – ESU shot only 27.3 percent from beyond the three point line and committed 13 turnovers.

“Right now the rhythm, timing and execution of shots this year is not very good,” Schneider said. “I think it will improve when the players can make better decision, what are good shots and bad shots.”

The Hornets have loads of confidence going towards the ultimate goal of another MIAA Championship.

“We were a really good team last year,” Boston said. “But we have never had the potential that we have this year. We are a really good team. We just want to put it together. We’ll try to figure it out as a team.”

-JungHwan Seo/The Bulletin

Send article as PDF to