For the first time since 2003, The Bulletin was named the All-Kansas college newspaper for four year public institutions. Seven members and adviser Max McCoy attended the annual Kansas Associated of Collegiate Press on Sunday and Monday in Hutchinson, where the paper received the All-Kansas award, the top award given by the KACP, Gold Overall for its website and 21 other individual awards.

“I’m very proud of our staff this year,” said Kelsey Ryan, senior political science major and editor-in-chief of The Bulletin. “We’ve worked hard and I’m glad we’ve been recognized by KACP.”

Ryan joined The Bulletin staff during the spring semester of her freshman year and has been the editor-in-chief for the past two years. She said that despite ESU’s lack of a journalism major, the paper’s quality comes from a diverse staff and supportive adviser.

“Our staff comes from different backgrounds and majors, so each staff member brings a unique skill set that helps strengthen the paper,” Ryan said. “Having a strong advocate for adviser has also helped tremendously.”

Max McCoy, assistant professor of journalism, has been The Bulletin’s adviser for the past four years and said the paper has improved consistently each year.

“I’m very proud of all the staff, and The Bulletin leadership in particular,” McCoy said. “I’ve been lucky to have a number of talented people in key positions.”

McCoy said that over the years, each staff has had their own strengths which were reflected in the different sections of the paper.

“Looking at the judges’ comments in the overall competition, they stressed the variety of news, the solid coverage, the consistency between issue to issue and the willingness to tackle significant and in depth reporting, and I can only agree that those are the strengths of this year’s staff,” McCoy said.

McCoy said the All-Kansas is a validation of the staff’s efforts throughout the year and that a new benchmark has been set for future staffs. Whereas other areas of the competition focus on single aspects of the paper, this award is given for overall excellence of the publication.

“Journalism has taken a beating in the current economic climate,” McCoy said. “No one knows what’s going to happen to newspapers… but awards like this are particularly important for the future of journalism – it’s going to thrive in the universities.”

According to the KACP’s competition results, The Bulletin staff received awards for the following categories:

• Editorial Writing

Eric Hemphill, 3rd place, “Brownback Already Turning His Back on Education”

Eric Hemphill, HM, “Ban Bombs, Not Books”

• Single Ad Design

Juhye Bak, 2nd place, “www.esubulletin.com”

Ellen Weiss, 3rd place, “Reporters and Columnists Wanted”

• Special Section

Kelsey Ryan, Kellen Jenkins & Shane Wilson, 2nd place, “NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Champions”

• Headline Writing

Kelsey Ryan, HM, “Yoga Mama Gets Bendy: ‘You’re as young as your spine is supple’ ”

• Infographics

Ellen Weiss, 1st place, “Red Hot Chili Peppers”

• Sports Column

Brandon Schneeberger, HM, “The Beauty of the DII Athlete”

• Review Writing

Steven Stanek, 1st place, “Choo-Choo!”

• Series Writing

Kenzie Templeton, HM, “‘Pot’ Culture”

• Sports Photography

Kellen Jenkins, 1st place, “Hornets hang on for late win”

Kellen Jenkins, HM, “Women loose to Gorillas”

• Feature Photography

Kellen Jenkins, 3rd place, “A Look Through the Lens”

Megan Gartner, HM, “All in the Family”

• Illustration

Ellen Weiss, 1st place, “Student use online dating to find <3”

• Columns

Eric Hemphill, 2nd place, “Kansas Arts in Trouble”

Eric Hemphill, HM, “Literary Censorship: The Comeback Kid?”

Kelsey Ryan, 3rd, “No News Not Always Good News”

• Cartoons

Ellen Weiss, 1st place, “Brownback Already Turning His Back on Education”

Ellen Weiss, HM, “Ban Bombs, Not Books”

• Individual Online Newspaper

Kellen Jenkins, 2nd place

Kenzie Templeton

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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

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Seniors Ting Liu and Brianne Boner try to block a spike sent by Washburn's Aubri Renshaw Friday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Emporia State volleyball team lost a tough match against rivals and #4 ranked Washburn University in five sets on Friday 25-23, 13-25, 26-24, 20-25 and 7-15.

“When playing a team like this you need to consistently do your part, fight and bring force,” said Head Coach Bing Xu. “We traded off with strong and weak rotations. Overall we fought pretty hard.”

The Hornets won the first set by pure force of will. After the loss of key player Brittney Miller in the initial seconds of the first set to an injury, the Hornets stormed to take a lead that Washburn was unable to close.

“After (Miller) was down the players raised their level… without Brittney they have to do more and fight harder,” Xu said. “Not a lot of the game plan changed, we just moved people around a bit.”

The Hornet players also noticed the reaction the team needed after the injury.

“Our first reaction was panic, but we really came together as a team after that and pushed through it and were able to play as hard as we did,” said Sophomore Defensive Specialist Meg Schwartz. “I’m really proud of our team for doing that.”

The second set brought an early shift in momentum. After gaining a quick lead, Washburn left the Hornets reeling. Unable to rally for a comeback and struggling for points, the Hornets lost the second set.

Emporia State began the third set with an early deficit. Rallying, and not resigning themselves to another set loss, the Hornets fought back and won the set after a ten point deficit.

“We didn’t want to lose, having that motivation… trying to play our best and beat a great team,” said Senior Mid-Hitter Brianne Boner.

Going into the fourth set the Hornets had the momentum coming out cool and collected. Washburn built up another lead over the Hornets which they were unable to catch up to, losing the set.

Senior Brianne Boner is blocked by Washburn's Mollie Lacy Friday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

“In the beginning, we’d get down and then we’d be fighting to catch up and that definitely hurt us,” Schwartz said. “We needed to come out from the beginning and get a lead in the beginning instead of trying to work our way back and win.”

Struggling through the tiebreaker the Hornets would go on to lose the game.

“This was everybody’s game and one of the main players down now we needed everyone to step up,” Xu said. “The whole team (came together well) I really liked what we put over there.”

The Hornets close out regular season play with a match against unranked Fort Hays State at home on Nov. 13th. Regionals begin Nov. 17th.

Chris Dvorak

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Jeff Longbine is congratulated after winning Kansas’s 17th district senate seat Tuesday night at the Lyon County Republican Headquarters located at the corner of 7th and Commercial Streets. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The election for the 17^th District’s state senate seat came down to a close finish Tuesday night with Jeff Longbine defeating Jerry Karr with 56 percent of the vote, according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s website.

“I had a formidable opponent but I knew that we had to work extremely hard,” Longbine said.

Both campaign offices had large crowds representing both parties and were watching the vote closely as the numbers came in Tuesday night. After waiting and tallying the votes, Karr won Lyon County but the other six counties represented in the district went to Longbine.

“I did work extremely hard in all the counties and I had great volunteers in the counties… and that really made a difference in the end all the help and support I got,” Longbine said.

Both candidates faced a tough election this year because of the greatly abbreviated time for campaigning. With only five weeks to get the word out, instead of the normal six months, both candidates had to rely on support to get the word out. Both candidates said they were pleased with their campaigners who worked hard even under such constraints.

“The way (the Democrats) are able to win is primarily by retailing, which is to meet as many voters as possible and when you only have five weeks… that’s hard,” Karr said.

Karr said he was pleased with the campaign and the great support he received. He said he looks forward to more service opportunities in the future.

Longbine has made funding for K-12 and higher education, a top priority in addition to economic growth and managing the budget. He is looking to create more jobs in the private sector for young people in the area and to increase state revenue.

Other winners in the general election according to The Secretary of State’s website include Jerry Moran for the United States Senate seat with 70 percent of the vote, Tim Huelskamp for the United States House of Representatives with 74 percent of the vote, Sam Brownback for Governor with 63 percent of the vote, Kris Kobach for Secretary of State with 59 percent of the vote, Derek Schmidt for Attorney General with 55 percent of the vote, and Ron Estes for State Treasurer with 58 percent of the vote. The two constitutional amendments on the ballot also passed. They dealt with voting rights for those with mental illness and the right to bear arms.

Charlie Heptas/The Bulletin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Senior guard 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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From the left: Shanshan Zuo, junior business major, Funa Wang, graduate in piano performance, Liyang Han, graduate in piano performance, Anthony Foust, junior music education major, Erin East, freshman music major, Sun Zhu, graduate in piano performance, Hua Jiang, piano performance major. All of these students will be performing Sunday afternoon in Heath Recital Hall. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Seven students of Martin Cuellar, associate professor of music, will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday in Heath Recital Hall in Beach Music Hall.

“(The audience) will listen to some very talented young performers who are very passionate about what they do,” Cuellar said.

The performance will be comprised of classical pieces from artists including Franz Liszt, Joseph Haydn and Frederic Chopin.

“I chose two sonatas by (Domenico) Scarlatti,” said Liyang Han, piano performance graduate student. “Both of them are very charming pieces and I really like them.”

All of the students have an interest in piano performance, Cuellar said.

“I think the audience will really enjoy the concert,” Cuellar said. “The audience will come and hear a concert of classical music selections by young performers who play in a very polished, very convincing way.”

The piano program has different tracts that students can take to get their degree.

“Some of (the students) pursue a performance major and some of the them pursue a pedagogy,” Cuellar said. “But their instrument is piano and that’s what they’ve been studying from a very early age.”

Han has been playing piano for over 10 years.

“When I was in China, I did a lot of piano recitals,” Han said. “Dr. Cuellar just wants to give the students more chances to show our performance talents.”

Cuellar holds concerts by his students at least once a year.

“This is an opportunity for them to perform for their friends, their relatives and the community,” Cuellar said.

Erin East, freshman music major, chose her piece because she was drawn to the melodic elements in the song.

“It’s the sonata I’m most comfortable with and I really liked the melody,” East said. “(The ending) notes make it sound like someone is laughing and I really like that.”

East has been playing piano for almost 12 years.

Anthony Foust, music education major, will play “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in E minor” by Franz Liszt. Funa Wang, piano performance major, will play “Sonata in C minor” by Joseph Haydn.

Sun Zhu, piano performance major, will play “Sonata in D major” by Mateo Albeniz. Hua Jiang, piano performance major, will play two etudes by Frederic Chopin.

Shanshan Zuo, business major, will play “Etude in F Minor” by Frederic Chopin. East will play “Sonata in A major” by Cimarrosa.

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Senior guard Cassondra Boston launches a 3-point shot over an FHSU defender Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Boston was the top scorer of the night with 26 of ESU’s 88 points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Despite 17 turnovers, the Emporia State women’s basketball team routed the Tigers of Ft. Hays State last night, 88-67.

To start the half, sophomore guard Brittney Miller swished a three-pointer to give the Hornets an early lead. Miller scored the next two points for the Hornets on their next possession, this time from the free throw line.

The post presence of forward Alli Volkens was known as soon as she checked in – on the team’s first possession with Volkens in the game, she was given the ball and made an easy bucket down low. The Tigers, being ever resilient, would not give up and come back to within one of the Hornets, 14-13, with just over 14 minutes to play in the half.

After a media timeout and an empty Ft. Hays possession, Boston drove the entire length of the court and made a layup, giving the Hornets a seven point lead, 20-13, with 12:03 left in the half. Volkens continued her show of dominance on the low block offensively, scoring a slashing layup off of a backdoor pass, bringing the score to 27-25 with just over six minutes to play in the first half.

A timeout on the floor paused the action with the Hornets holding onto a narrow lead, 29-26, with 4:54 remaining in the half. With less than a minute in the half, Volkens struck again on the low block, giving the Hornets the slight advantage at 34-30.

Senior guard Sophia Lenard looks for an opening in the Tiger defense Monday night at White Auditorium. Lenard got 5 rebounds and 9 points for Hornets. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

To end the half, Ft. Hays guard Naomi Bancroft chucked up a prayer from beyond the arc, which was answered as the shot banged into the net, cutting the Hornets lead to one, 34-33.

To start the second half, FHSU scored first on the low block and took the team’s first lead of the game, 35-34. On the ensuing ESU possession, Taylor was the first to score for the Hornets on a second chance jump shot from three feet out. After a made Ft. Hays free throw, Miller used her strength to power through a foul and make the basket and the free throw that followed. Miller scored again on a fast break, driving to the hole and making a contested layup which brought the score to 41-38 in favor of ESU.

Freshman guard Rachel Hanf shot and made her first three-pointer of the night, adding to the Hornets lead. A timeout on the floor saw the Hornets with the slight edge, 46-42, with 14:29 remaining in the contest.

Junior forward Alli Volkens goes for a layup Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Volkens totaled 11 points against the Tigers. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Emporia State continued their small run after the timeout, this time courtesy of senior guard Sophia Lenard on a spinning move that ended in a jump shot. After a made free throw by FHSU’s Kara Champlin, senior guard Cassondra Boston made a trey that put the Hornets up by eight with just over 13 minutes to play in the game. Freshman guard/forward Jocelyn Cummings extended the lead to 10 points off of a layup, then added two more points in the paint, on the ensuing ESU possession.

A media timeout saw the Hornets commanding a lead over the Tigers, 62-50, with 9:17 left to play in the half. Emporia State went on an 8-2 run after the timeout, thanks largely in part to consecutive three-pointers from Boston.

The Hornets coasted the rest of the way, capturing the easy win, 88-67.

ESU Coach Brandon Schneider was not pleased with the team’s first half performance.

“In the first half we had 11 turnovers, we were sloppy,” Schneider said. “We weren’t patient. We were trying to go inside, and we weren’t patient and didn’t execute a couple out of bounds plays where we threw the ball away.”

Boston said that the beginning of the second half was shaky for the team.

“In the second half we kind of got a little complacent and let them back in it,” Boston said. “We weren’t rebounding and getting as many stops as we needed to. In the second half we realized that they were in it and we need to come out and play hard.”

Hanf noted team chemistry, along with talent, as important factors in the team’s recent success.

“Everyone on the team has the ability score a lot,” Hanf said. “Once we all get on the same page and start doing what we can, it really helps.”

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