Written by Bulletin Staff Thursday, 22 September 2011 14:56 No Comments
Senior running back Dasor Horton is tackled from both sides during the first home game against Central Missouri last Saturday. The Hornets lost, 38-45. Jon Coffey/The Bulletin
The Emporia State football team lost its home opener against 24th ranked Central Missouri last Saturday at Welch Stadium.
But Hornet fans showed great support as there was a huge turnout to watch the team. In a close, back-and-forth contest, the Hornets were edged out by a score of 38-45.
“We are beating ourselves,” said senior running back Dasor Horton. “We have to be able to finish games and have to play more soundly as a team.”
The Hornets captured the momentum early when they successfully completed an onside kick to open the game.
“We noticed that they were lining up their special teams outside of the hash marks,” said head coach Garrin Higgins. “We wanted to try it early on.”
Taking advantage of the onside kick, the Hornets drove right down the field to set up a field goal attempt. UCM blocked the attempt.
On the ensuing possession, junior defensive back Kevin Gettis once again captured the momentum for the Hornets as he intercepted a UCM pass. Then, senior running back LaDarrian Page broke a 50-yard touchdown run. The Hornets led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, junior quarterback Tyler Eckenrode, got the Hornets on the board again with a two-yard touchdown run to put the Hornets ahead 14-3. ESU continued to move the ball efficiently when Eckenrode hit junior wide receiver Shjuan Richardson on a 62-yard touchdown strike to give the Hornets the lead, 21-10.
“The coaches noticed a weakness in (UCM’s) defense,” Eckenrode said. “Shjuan ran a good route and I was able to get it to him. From there, he did the rest.”
At the end of the first half, the Hornets were ahead 21-17, allowing UCM to keep the score close. Several times in the first half, the Hornets were able to seize the momentum but could never stretch the lead.
The Hornets opened the second half impressively. They marched the length of the field on a nine play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a 20-yard touchdown run by Dasor Horton, stretching the lead to 28-17 with 11 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Hornets then held UCM to a three and out, forcing them to punt the ball. To start the next drive Eckenrode threw a 69-yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Shjuan Richardson, putting the Hornets ahead 35-17.
It looked as if the Hornets had delivered the knockout blow, but a scrappy UCM team would not fall. UCM tied the score at 38-38 with a little over 10 minutes remaining in the game, eventually taking the lead 38-45 with about two minutes remaining. The Hornets were unable to recover turning the ball over twice on their last two possessions.
“We put it together offensively today,” Higgins said. “We need to execute better there at the end. We need to go get a win.”
The Hornets will face Langston University at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Welch Stadium.
Written by ShaneWilson Saturday, 06 March 2010 18:30 No Comments
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.
Written by ShaneWilson Thursday, 17 December 2009 01:21 No Comments
Guard Tim Niles shoots over a Central Missouri defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. THe Hornets fell to the #1 Mules 79-89. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
A halftime tied at 31 wouldn’t be enough to give Emporia State the upset they sought after as the Hornets fell Saturday to #1 Central Missouri, 89-79.
UCM was the first to strike gold with a bucket down low off of an inbounds play. Senior guard Tim Niles would answer with a slashing basket to tie the game at two points apiece.
Due to two early fouls, junior guard Matt Boswell would have to take a seat on the bench.
The Mules would jump out to an eight point lead with 17:22 left, forcing an ESU timeout. After coming off the bench, junior forward Adam Holthaus would give the Hornets a spark down low, converting on two consecutive shots, cutting down the Mules lead to four at 12-8. At the 11:56 mark, Central Missouri led the Hornets 17-14.
The Mules started to pull away from the Hornets, scoring the next five points while allowing none until senior guard Dustin Andrews hit a three-pointer with just over 9:00 to go in the half, bringing the score to 22-17 in favor of UCM.
Senior guard Robert Moores would hit a pivotal trey with just over 6:00 left in the half, tying the game at 22-all after a supreme offensive effort by the Hornets on several possessions. Timeout on the floor would see a tie ball game at 24 with 4:27 left in the opening half of the contest.
Guard Dustin Andrews attacks the basket Saturday night against UCM at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
UCM came out of the timeout with two points off of free throws, followed by a second-effort by Niles to tie the game at 26. A timeout by the Mules with 2:24 to go saw the Hornets trailing Central Missouri by three, 31-28;
Niles had to take a seat on the bench due to picking up his third foul of the contest.
A three-pointer by Andres tied the game at 31 with 49.2 seconds left – the half would end with the same score.
Moores scored the first points of the second half with a layup, giving the Hornets a two point lead. However, the lead would be short lived, as UCM hit a three-pointer and caused a turnover which led to five straight points and a three point lead.
Andrews would score under the bucket and then again from beyond the arc to give the Hornets the lead. After trading several baskets, ESU called timeout while leading the Mules 46-45 at the 14:33 mark.
Points were traded back and forth throughout the next four minutes, which led the Hornets to trail the Mules by one at the media timeout, 58-57 with 9:34 left in the contest.
Forward Adam Holthaus puts up an easy basket against the Mules Satuday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
Central Missouri would go on a run after the timeout, scoring the next seven points of the game to take a six point lead which led to an Emporia State timeout.
Freshman guard Taylor Euler would take it to the basket right out of the gate, scoring the easy layup while missing the free throw off the foul.
A barrage of three-point baskets came from both teams in the following minutes – Central Missouri went on a small run, but it was cut down quickly thanks to solid offensive efforts from Niles and Moores.
At 3:43, UCM led by one, 75-74. The Mules went on another run, this time leading the Hornets by as much as eight with under two minutes to play in regulation. Central Missouri’s late run would prove to be too much, as the Hornets couldn’t could not catch back up and eventually fell to the Mules, 89-79.
Head Coach David Moe said that the team has gone through a period of learning during the last few weeks.
“I think we learned a big lesson throughout the week about dealing with adversity, dealing with self-pity…it starts with me, making excuses, giving us reasons to fail, giving us reasons to be distracted away from what our purpose is,” Moe said. “Our purpose is to stay focused and compete as best as we can and then let things go from there.”
Guard Robert Moores loses his UCM defender with a pick set by Center Doug Moore Saturday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
Holthaus, who contributed 14 points to the team, believed that the game serves as a measuring stick as to how the team has been played.
“It (the loss) lets us know where we’re at,” Holthaus said. “We competed with one of the top teams in the nation. We just have to come back this week, work hard and stay with what we’ve got.”
Fouls became a bit of an issue throughout the game – a total of 41 person fouls were called on the floor.
“We try not to worry about the whistle as much as possible, but eventually it comes into play,” Andrews said.
Although the Hornets currently have a losing record, Moe still has high expectations for himself and the team.
“Tonight we competed, we were focused,” Moe said. “We made mistakes, we can eliminate mistakes, we can make free throws – there are a lot of things we can do to improve. We’ll continue to work and get better.”
Up next for the Hornets is another Saturday night home game, this time against the Braves of Ottawa University. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 19 in White Auditorium.
Written by ShaneWilson Thursday, 17 December 2009 00:54 No Comments
Guard Brittney Miller works for an opening against a UCM defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets beat the Jennies 72-66. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
The Emporia State women’s basketball team, coming off a 1-1 conference road trip, opened home play Saturday with a win against Central Missouri, 72-66.
The Hornets started the game down early, 13-7 with 15:48 left in the first half. The Jennies would increase their lead to nine at the first media timeout, leading the Hornets 16-7. Central Missouri extended their lead even more, this time leading the Hornets by 10 at 23-13 with 10:33 left in the half – ESU would call timeout.
After the timeout, the Hornets would battle back to within seven, with key efforts from senior guard Cassondra Boston, freshman guard Rachel Hanf and a big-time block from sophomore guard Brittney Miller.
Freshman Kelsey Newman would hit a three in the corner to get the Hornets within four, taking the score to 28-24 in favor of the Jennies. The presence of sophomore forward Allie Volkens continued to be a frustration point for Central Missouri – she would nail two free throws to narrow the Jennies lead to two before a UCM timeout. Volkens would be the one to tie the game for the Hornets at 28-all with a nice spin move on the low block, however, Central Missouri would answer with a bucket of their own to take the lead again at 30-28.
Once again, Volkens hit another low block basket to tie the game at 30 with 4:30 left in the first half. Forward Ashley Ferrell would be the one to give the Hornets the edge this time, coming off a free throw point on foul called on a slashing move to the basket.
Forward Ashley Ferrell takes a lay up Satuday night at White Auditorium against the UCM Jennies. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
With 1:12 left in the half, the score was tied at 33. Junior center Negesti Taylor scored on the low block with 24.3 seconds left, making the traditional three point play that gave the Hornets the lead, 36-33. The Jennies would answer on their own low block with a bucket, closing the half with the Hornets leading by one, 36-35.
Boston said that there was an emphasis put on feeding the low post throughout the first half.
“We started out taking a lot of jump shots, then we started running plays to get inside,” Boston said.” “Alli was scoring, so we kept going to her. We got in the bonus early so we knew we had to take it to them on the inside and score inside.”
Volkens commented on what her expectations were for the game.
“Brandon (Schneider) talked to me in shoot around, and he said that he just wanted me to come off the bench and be a spark for the team,” Volkens said. “We got down early so I just tried to come in and play hard.”
The Jennies would score the first five points of the second half, followed by a three-pointer by Jamie Augustyn to cut the UCM lead to one at 40-39. Augustyn would answer with another three to take the lead for the Hornets, which was followed by a slashing bucket by the Jennies to tie the game at 42 with 17:00 left in the half.
Volkens would continue her reign of dominance on the low block offensively, netting another bucket, giving her 12 points on the night at the time. A timeout on the floor saw a break in the action with the Jennies leading the Hornets
Forward Alli Volkens shoots over a UCM defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
50-46 with 14:00 minutes to go in the contest.
The Hornets would pick it up on offense, with senior guard Lacy Corker driving to the basket for a deuce and Volkens once again hitting a low block shot, leading to a traditional three pointer that put the Hornets on top, 54-52 with 10:30 left to go in the half.
After a timeout on the floor, Boston would lead the way for the Hornets, converting on a traditional three point play to give the Hornets the lead at 57-53 with 8:45 to go. Boston would score again, this time giving the Hornets three from beyond the arc, forcing Central Missouri to call timeout.
ESU stepped it up on the offensive side of the ball once more with the help of two consecutive Boston three point plays, putting the Hornets ahead of the Jennies 63-55 with 4:38 left in the contest.
With 1:13 to go, Emporia State called timeout with a six point lead at 67-61. Miller hit a nice basket down low, which was followed by a UCM timeout after a Jennies three-pointer – the Hornets held on to a five point lead.
Full-court pressure on the ESU inbounds play saw a Boston turnover, which converted to two Jennies points, cutting the Hornets lead to three at 69-66.
Forward Jocelyn Cummings looks for an open teammate Saturday night at White Auditorium as ESU faced UCM. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin
In clutch fashion, Corker hit a three-pointer with 8.0 seconds left, sealing the deal for the Hornets and giving them the close victory, 72-66.
“I missed a few threes earlier in the game and Boston, they’re always going to come in on Boston when she drives, and when she drove she dished it out and saw us open,” Corker said. “I happened to be the open one, and I made it.”
Volkens led all scorers with 20 points in addition to seven rebounds. Boston added 16 points for the Hornets along with eight assists.
Boston attributed the team’s play to a solid week of practice.
“I think this week (in practice) we really got a lot accomplished,” Boston said. “We had really productive practices this week, and I think it definitely paid off and showed in this game.”
After a short break, the Hornets will be back in action on the road on Dec. 21 against California State University-East Bay in Hayward, Calif.
Written by ShaneWilson Friday, 30 October 2009 12:23 No Comments
The Emporia State volleyball team came out victorious over the #4 University of Central Missouri Jennies last night, winning a close bout in five matches, 3-2. The last time the two teams met was on Sept. 23 of this season – when UCM walked away the victor with a decisive 3-0 win over the Hornets. ESU was out for revenge and took care of business, taking the match to five sets and winning 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 17-25 and 15-11
In the first set, the Hornets started off hot with a 5-2 lead. UCM battled their way back to eventually lead by two points, 14-12, when ESU head coach Bing Xu called a timeout. After the timeout, the Jennies continued their dominant play, but the Hornets would not throw in the towel. A pivotal kill by freshman setter/outside hitter and undecided major Katelyn Schmidtberger brought the team back into the lead at 20-18 – timeout was called by UCM first-year head coach Flip Piontek to regroup his squad.
Right Side Hitter Brittney Miller and Middle Hitter Katelyn Kaiser jump to block a spike sent by UCM’s Kelsey Ellis Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets beat the #4 Jennies 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 17-25, 15-11). Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.
A four point swing in favor of Central Missouri would force Xu to call his final timeout of the set with the score 22-20, UCM. ESU would eventually win the set, 25-22, due largely in part to a high energy, psyched-up Hornet squad that set out to take care of business after the Xu timeout.
The second set was a bizarre one. ESU jumped out to an 8-1 lead early in the set with the help of strong defense and several critical errors by the Jennies. After a UCM timeout, a successful comeback effort was made by Central Missouri, tying the game at 9-9.
The Jennies came out strong, leading by as much as four, but the Hornets stayed disciplined and brought the score back to a tie at 17-17. Points were traded back and forth, until great defense and a service error helped the Hornets take the lead at 22-20 – timeout was taken by UCM.
Another service error, a heads-up play by junior setter and business major Ting Liu, and a final kill of the set by senior outside hitter and marketing major Arica Shepard sealed the deal for the Hornets, as they took the set, 25-21. Xu could tell the stark difference in the Hornets play from the last meeting with UCM to this one.
“The last time we played so poorly, and this time they were so ready,” said Xu. “The first two games you could tell.”
The third set looked easy for the Hornets until the very end. At one point, a 5-5 tie turned into a 9-5 ESU lead, thanks to smart playing by the Hornets. A definitive and dominant showing by ESU forced a Jennies timeout at 20-14, Hornets lead. A late surge by UCM turned the game into a 21-18 ESU lead, followed by a Xu timeout. Two more points for the Jennies forced another Xu timeout to regroup the Hornets.
Xu believed his team lacked some qualities that are usually present in most matches.
“We have to play consistently,” Xu said. “From the third game you could tell, they picked up their serving…they tried to go after us every single point.”
A rare service error by Liu and solid offensive output by Central Missouri set the score at 24-22 UCM – the Jennies would go on to win the set 25-23.
Shepard thought that team spirits weren’t in check.
“We weren’t believing in ourselves as much as we should have, and we just can’t do that,” Shepard said.
Set number four started slow for the Hornets, falling to a 5-1 UCM lead. After an unproductive couple of sets for ESU, an extremely rare substitution was made – Shepard left the game. The Hornets were trailing as much as seven before a determined Shepard returned to the game. Shepard knew that her play wasn’t up to par.
“Tonight, I definitely deserved to be taken out,” Shepard said. “It wasn’t my best game, by any means, and I kind of knew it was coming. He was just trying to get, I think, some motivation back out there and motivate me, too.”
Key efforts, both on offense and defense, led the Hornets to take the lead at 13-12, followed by a Jennies timeout. An ESU timeout gave the team a quick break as UCM led, 20-16. Shepard was again subbed out of the game and would not return, as the Hornets dropped the fourth set, 25-17.
The fifth and final set of the evening started off with a 3-0 Hornets lead. Central Missouri would fight back, but it wouldn’t be enough before a timeout was called by Piontek with the Hornets leading, 7-4. Another UCM timeout would come after the Jennies fell down by 4 to the Hornet lead, 11-7. The match rounded off with a victory for the Hornets, winning the fifth set 15-11.
During the match, junior middle hitter and chemistry major Brianne Boner became Emporia State’s all-time leader in block assists.
“It’s something that’s nice,” Boner said. “I’m not really about records, but it’s nice to know that I can help my team out in that way, and that’s really an honor.”
Xu noted the positives of Boner’s presence on the court.
“She brought a lot of fire on the court,” Xu said. “You can tell after she blocks how excited she was, and that pumps the whole team up.”
After the match, Shepard commented on how important the win was for her and her team.
“(I feel) happy and relieved,” Shepard said. “I don’t know why we put that much pressure on ourselves…getting a win like that, that was huge. We needed that so bad.’
Boner also commented on how she felt after the big win.
“It feels great, because we know they’re a really good team,” Boner said. “It feels great to beat a team this good.”
Freshman setter/right sight hitter and undecided major Katelyn Schmidtberger led the Hornets with 18 kills on the night, followed by Shepard with 15, junior right hitter and nursing major Brittney Miller with 12, and Boner with 11. Junior setter and business major Ting Liu added 54 assists, and senior libero and health promotion major Amy Byfield chipped in with 23 digs.
Up next for the Hornets will be a Saturday afternoon match against MIAA opponent Nebraska-Omaha. First serve is set for 4 p.m. in Omaha, Neb.
Written by Bulletin Staff Thursday, 05 February 2009 14:29 No Comments
Junior guard Tim Niles drives against the Central Missouri defense Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets, who stayed close throughout the first half, lost to the Mules with a final score of 82-58. KELLEN JENKINS/THE BULLETIN
Emporia State lost against Central Missouri Wednesday night 75-55.
The Hornets came into Wednesday’s match up 14-6 in overall play and 8-5 in the MIAA. This was the 100th meeting between these two teams, with Central Missouri leading the series 61-38.
Last time these two teams met, the Hornets lost for the first time this year in the MIAA 71-54.
The Mules entered the game with a 17-3 overall record and 10-3 in the MIAA. UCM was ranked 18th in the NABC Poll and has the best ranked defense in the conference.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, sophomore Adam Holthaus made a three pointer making it a Hornet 21-18 lead.
After the first half, the Hornets struggled on offense making 40 percent of their shots to go down 42-31.
“It was their aggressive defense,” said junior guard Robert Moores. “They played together as a team making us feel uncomfortable on offense. We just need to learn how they play with heart and enthusiasm.”
Throughout the game, the Mules scored 19 points from the bench,18 of which came from inside the paint.
“We allowed them to get comfortable early in the game,” said Head Coach David Moe. “While they kept us on our heels defensively and that is how they ended up with the lead in the second half.”
The Hornets continued to struggle through the end of the night, making 16 of 41 shots from field goal range and 6 of 17 shots from three point range.
“As a team we did not come out defensively,” said junior guard Lamar Wilbern. “We made a few shots but we did not defend and the shots stopped falling.”
The Mules, on the other hand, made 58 percent of their shots, 29 of which came from the bench.
The Hornets leave their last two home games 1-1, while they look forward to a three game road series starting this Saturday.
“We have to move on and learn from it,” Moe said. “We have to let this pass and finish strong the last six games and show improvements in Omaha.”
This will be the Hornets’ second three game road trip of the season and they will play second in the MIAA South Baptist and fourth place ONU along with Missouri Southern.
If the Hornets win all three road games, they could be put back into contention for the MIAA tournament.
The Hornets start their road trip playing against Nebraska Omaha at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Omaha.
