Courtesy Photo of Euler

The men’s basketball team features almost an entirely different roster from last year’s team, but one name remains constant – Taylor Euler. The junior communications major and guard has distinguished himself as a team leader.

“Taylor, at times, is another coach on the floor,” said Shaun Vandiver, head coach. “He has great feel, great understanding of the game. When get out of sorts, he’s calm…he’s a natural coach himself. He has natural leadership abilities.”

Euler began playing basketball at an early age along with football and running track. Growing up he looked to former ESU stars such as Wes Book, current assistant coach, as basketball role models.

“He (Book) played when I was in middle school,” Euler said. “Watching him, he had a really good team too, so that always got me excited to get to the high school level and try to accomplish things that he accomplished.”

Euler, a 2009 graduate of Emporia High, averaged 19.5 points and 3.9 assists in his final year. However, his junior year was the final year he was able to play with senior Troy Pierce, a current transfer to the team and former Spartan.

“That’s been really cool,” Euler said of reuniting with Pierce. “We played together growing up, and then we took about three years off from playing with each other. Now that we’re back, I thought it would be a little different, some things would change over the years apart, but nothing’s changed. I think we’re right where we left off from high school.”

Though Euler said nothing has changed, Pierce recognized the improvement in Euler since they last played together.

“We both came up in the same system,” Pierce said. “He brings everything you need for a basketball team… he’s matured a lot over the years since he was in high school, and since high school his game has developed a lot.”

When he first came to ESU, Euler made an immediate impact in starting six games and playing in all 29 his freshman season. His career high of 19 points came during his freshman year against Ottawa, a year in which he scored in the double figures nine times.

Known for his sharp shooting, three times in his career Euler has made four three-point shots in a single game. This season, Euler is shooting over 47 percent from behind the arc and grabbing nearly four rebounds a game for the Hornets. In their game against Bethany, Euler put up 16 points, making three of six from behind the arc in the game.

“(His three point shooting) helps tremendously,” Vandiver said. “Especially when we go small, and he’s on the court with (Chris) Sights and (Derrell) Conner who are able to penetrate and kick it and he’s able to knock down shots. He’s a good counterpart to Derrell Conner.”

The Hornets will need that deep threat as they face Missouri Western at 3:30 p.m. this Saturday in St. Joseph, Mo.

Brandon Schneeberger

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Women’s basketball comes up short in second half

The #11 Emporia State women’s basketball team suffered a big 86-67 loss Saturday against Northwest Missouri State University. For the first time this season, the Hornets were outrebounded and outshot in free throws 30 to 14. The Hornets held a slight 39-35 advantage entering the halftime break, but in the second half, Northwest Missouri went on a 15-2 scoring drive that the Hornets could not recover from. Alli Volkens led the team with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Rachel Hanf put up a team-high 18 points for the Hornets. Emporia State drops to 12-4 on the season and 9-3 in the MIAA, placing them a game behind Northwest Missouri and Washburn.

Hornets use three-point line in win

The three-point line and a big second half helped the men at Northwest Missouri State University in a 74-62 win. The Hornets showed good team cohesion by shooting 56.5 percent from behind the arc and made a season high 13 three-pointers. The Hornets were down going into the second half 34-31 and had the momentum against them as Northwest Missouri used a 7-0 run to end the half.

ESU came out motivated in the second half, however, after a 9-2 run gave them the lead for good. Scoring big for the Hornets were Robert Moores with 16, Xavier Burnette and Michael Tyler with 15 a piece, and Taylor Euler who scored 11. The Hornets are now 10-8 on the season and 7-5 in the MIAA.

Hornet hoists record as men place first

Kevin Roulhac, the twelfth ranked weight thrower in the nation, set an Emporia State school-record on Friday at the UCM Invitational. Roulhac’s throw of 60-08.75 beat the former Hornet best of 60-07.50 by Eric Hoffman in 2005. Roulhac simply set the pace for the Hornet men as they finished first overall with 11 provisional qualifying marks, nine championships and an automatic qualifier.

The women were able to place second overall behind host Central Missouri. Katie Mona led the way in the mile run with a time of 5:02.88 which is currently the second best time in the nation. Marqueita Marisette finished third in the 60m dash and won the 200m for the Hornets. Mona was also able to finish first in the 3000m for the women.

Other first place finishes for the men included Derwin Hall in the 60m dash, Josh Schuler in the 200m, Adam McGovern in the mile run, Briar Ploude in the high jump and Zach Rosenberger in the pole vault. The Hornets now look to the Jayhawk Classic on Jan. 28 for their next meet.

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The Emporia State men’s basketball team dropped two straight last week to end their Christmas break. The Hornets – not including Wednesday night’s game at Lincoln – are 8-6 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA.

ESU played well against the current first place MIAA Missouri Southern on Wednesday, Jan. 5 for the better part of the game. The Hornets led for most of the contest behind senior guard Xavier Burnette who had a team-high 13 points on the evening. Emporia State led by as much as eight points in the second half and was down just one point until a three pointer by Missouri Southern ignited a late 15-3 run to put the Hornets away 73-60.

The Hornets struggled on Saturday when they traveled to Pittsburg State despite Burnette leading all scorers with 16 points. The team was down big at the half and was unable to make up the deficit in the second. Burnette was the only Hornet able to crack double figures in the game as Emporia State lost 80-61.

The Hornets traveled to Lincoln, Neb., last night to play the Blue Tigers who are winless in MIAA play. ESU’s next home game comes Saturday against rival Washburn at White Auditorium.

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Senior guard Lamar Wilbern races against a Washburn defender Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Wilbern scored 21 points helping the Hornets beat the Ichabods 71-62.

It was do or die time for the Hornets of Emporia State – thanks to senior guard Lamar Wilbern’s 21 points, the Hornets outlasted the Washburn Ichabods in overtime, 71-62

ESU Coach David Moe was pleased with his team’s performance.

“In the end I thought it was a great win for us,” Moe said.

The Ichabods lit up the scoreboard first with a traditional three point play, which was quickly followed by a three-pointer from senior guard Jeremiah Box. A timeout on the floor stopped the action with the Hornets leading WU 9-5 with 14:55 left to play in the first half.

Washburn battled back to tie the game at 9-all until a fade away jumper from Wilbern separated the teams by two points, 11-9. Another media timeout saw the Hornets trailing the Ichabods 11-13 with 9:38 to play in the half.

With the Hornets trailing WU by five, Wilbern stepped up and hit a big time three-pointer to bring Emporia State within two, 16-18 with just under four minutes to play in the half.

A Washburn timeout stopped the game with 17.2 seconds remaining in the half. The Hornets trailed the Ichabods by four, 21-25, heading into the locker room at halftime.

Box scored first for the Hornets to start the second half on a layup down the middle of the lane.

After a small run by Washburn, Emporia State started hitting shots that cut the lead to one at 28-29 – Washburn Coach Bob Chipman called timeout with 16:12 left to play in the contest.

The Hornets took the lead, 35-34, at the 11:21 mark courtesy of a trey from Wilbern. A media timeout stopped the game with Emporia State trailing WU 35-36 with 9:57 remaining in the contest.

With the game tied at 37-all, senior guard Dustin Andrews took a pivotal charge with just under nine minutes to play, giving the Hornets the opportunity to take possession. Senior guard Tim Niles hit a three-pointer to give the Hornets a three point lead, 40-37, before Moe called a timeout. The final media timeout saw the Hornets with a 46-44 edge over the Ichabods with 3:22 left to play in the second half.

A charging violation against Washburn led to a WU timeout by a frustrated Chipman, with the Hornets leading 48-46 with 1:44 remaining. After the timeout, junior forward Adam Holthaus hit a shot in the paint, which was followed by a Washburn three-pointer, setting the score at 50-49 in favor of ESU with under one minute to play.

With the game tied at 52, Washburn took possession with 15.6 seconds left in the game, which led to a missed shot by forward De’Andre Washington. The missed shot sent the game to overtime with the score tied at 52.

After winning the possession on the jump ball, Wilbern stepped up immediately and hit a three-pointer, giving the Hornets a three point advantage, 55-52. Wilbern followed his trey with two made free throws, padding the Hornets lead to five. Following one made free throw from Washburn,

Wilbern struck yet again, this time on a slashing move to the basket. Moe took a 30 second timeout with 3:03 remaining in the extra period with Hornets leading 61-55.

With under one minute remaining, the Hornets led the Ichabods 65-60. In the end, Emporia State walked away with a decisive victory over the Ichabods, 71-62.

Wilbern made a concerted effort to step up his game for the extra period.

“I just wanted to be aggressive in overtime,” Wilbern said. “It worked out for me.”

For Andrews, the game was a special experience.

“It’s a rivalry game,” Andrews said. “It’s always going to come down to the wire. It was a great game. It was fun to play in. It was just a great thing to be apart of.”

Holthaus scored 15 points for the Hornets, and Niles and junior guard Matt Boswell scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Hornets finish out the regular season on the road against Ft. Hays State. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Feb. 28 in Hays.

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A fast start led the Hornets on their way to dismantling Southwest Baptist last night, 100-83. Five Hornets scored in double figures, highlighted by senior guard Lamar Wilbern’s 23-point outing. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A fast start led the Hornets on their way to dismantling Southwest Baptist last night, 100-83. Five Hornets scored in double figures, highlighted by senior guard Lamar Wilbern’s 23-point outing.

SBU was awarded the first two points of the contest due to technical foul off of a mistake in the starting lineup. Junior forward Matt Nelson, who got the starting nod over an injured Doug Moore, scored first for the Hornets on a three-pointer.

Junior guard Matt Boswell said that Nelson’s first shot was a catalyst for the team’s quick start.

“That was definitely a big boost for us,” Boswell said. “Coming out and knocking down that first possession, it just got us going as a team.”

An easy basket by senior guard Jeremiah Box was followed up by a layup by Matt Boswell, giving the Hornets a 7-2 lead early in the game.

A contested drive to the basket gave Boswell another two points with just over 17 minutes to play in the first half.

The first media timeout of the contest saw the Hornets holding onto a narrow 11-6 lead with 14:31 remaining in the half.

The Bearcats went on a 9-2 run following the timeout, which prompted ESU Coach David Moe to call timeout to regroup his team’s efforts.

ESU came back to within three before a media timeout stopped the action, with the Hornets trailing 17-20 with 9:38 left in the half. After the timeout, Wilbern drove the length of the court and dished it to senior guard Jordan Stout who took it to the rim, made the shot and made the subsequent free throw off the foul, converting on the traditional three-point play.

Stout repeated his shot on the ensuing Hornets possession, giving the Hornets a 22-20 lead.

With the score tied at 24-all, Boswell hit a shot from beyond the arc, giving ESU a 27-24 advantage. The last timeout on the floor of the half saw the Hornets leading the Bearcats 30-26 with 4:59 left to play in the first half.

Consecutive made jumpers from Wilbern gave the Hornets’ lead extra padding, 35-26, with just over three minutes to play in the half.

The half ended with a Box lay in on the low block which put the score at 40-32 in favor of ESU.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus, who sat on the bench most of the first half due to foul trouble, scored the first two points of the second half for the Hornets at the charity stripe, increasing the Hornets’ lead to 10.

Several defensive lapses by Southwest Baptist led ESU to take the score to 49-34, which was followed by a SBU timeout with 17:21 remaining.

The Hornets continued their offensive onslaught, leading by as much as 20 at 59-39 with over 12 minutes to play.

A timeout on the floor saw the Hornets still holding on to a convincing 66-43 lead with 9:50 left to play. Emporia State called timeout, leading the Bearcats 75-59 with 6:14 left to play.

The Hornets ended up rolling to a victory over SBU, 100-83.

Nelson said that he was happy with his extended playing time.

“It was pretty exciting,” Nelson said. “I know Doug being hurt kind of hurts us, but I was excited…I feel like my defense really helped me stay in the game longer.”

Andrews attributed the team’s mindset and high energy level to the team’s good performance.

“I feel like a lot of it was energy,” Andrews said. “We were active, causing turnovers, getting deflections. I just feel like tonight we had each others’ back for the whole game.”

ESU will host Missouri Southern at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 in White Auditorium.

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Senior guard Jeremiah Box puts up a jump shot Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Box was the high scorer for the Hornets with 15 of their final 70 points. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s basketball team defeated the Griffons of Missouri Western State last night, 70-53.

Senior guard Jeremiah Box talked about the team’s mentality heading into the game.

“We just knew we had to pull it off,” Box said. “We’ve been in a slump, in a little bit of a losing streak, and we knew we just hadn’t competed for a full 40 minutes yet, offensively and defensively. We knew we just had to come out and play our best – if we competed for 40 minutes we knew we could win the game.”

Box started off the first half strong for the Hornets, hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give his team an early 3-0 lead. A three-pointer by senior guard Dustin Andrews extended the Hornets lead to six, as ESU went up 8-2 with over 17 minutes to play in the half. A slashing move to the basket by Andrews extended the Hornets’ lead to seven at 13-6 with 15:31 left in the first half.

The teams traded points back and forth until Box stepped up and hit a three-pointer from the corner, extending the Hornets lead to 10 at 22-12. A 30-second timeout was called by Emporia State Coach David Moe at the 8:27 mark, with the Hornets still on top of the Griffons, 22-15.

Following the timeout, four points came the Griffons way on consecutive possessions, bringing the score to 22-19 with just over 6:30 left in the half. Senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a three-pointer from the corner to give the Hornets an eight point lead.

On the following Hornets’ possession, Wilbern was called for a foul on the rebound of a missed shot, then a technical foul. A steal by Wilbern on the next Griffons’ possession led to two breakaway points for Andrews. A media timeout gave a break in the action, with the Hornets leading Missouri Southern 31-23.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus chipped in three points off of a conventional three point play, giving the Hornets a nine point lead with just over 3:30 left to play in the half. The Hornets went into the locker room holding onto a close lead over the Griffons, 39-34.

            Early turnovers didn’t help the Hornets at the start of the second half as they saw their lead cut to two, 40-38. A three-pointer by Griffons forward Dominique Thuston gave Missouri Western a one point lead, 41-40, with 16:58 remaining in the half.

The Hornets retook the lead, 42-41, on a drive to the basket by Box – Box made the shot and was fouled, but couldn’t convert on the free throw line. Box scored again, this time with a five foot jumper in the post that extended the Hornets’ lead to three, 44-41. A timeout on the floor saw the Hornets leading the Griffons 46-43 with 13:38 remaining in the contest.

The Hornets lead was extended to nine with over 10:10 to play thanks to two made free throws from senior guard Tim Niles. After a three-pointer by Missouri Western, the Griffons took a timeout, trailing the Hornets 46-52. Another media timeout stopped the game right after Wilbern drove to the hole, made the basket and was fouled on the way there.

Following the timeout, Wilbern hit the free throw, improving Emporia State’s lead to 11. After a media timeout stopped the action, Andrews stepped up and hit a big three-pointer to pad the Hornets’ lead to 14 with over four minutes left in the contest. ESU went up by 19 with a trey from Box from the left corner, taking the score to 70-51 with less than a minute to play.

The Hornets kept their distance and captured a convincing victory over the Griffons, 70-53.

Box led the team in scoring with 15 points, followed closely by Niles with 12 and Andrews and Wilbern with 11 points apiece. Wilbern also had a game-high five assists.

Coming into the game, defense, especially in transition, was a point of concern for the Hornets. Moe said that because of the Hornets’ ability to shoot the ball well, the defense got better.

“We made some mistakes in transition, but when you’re scoring and hitting shots your transition defense is going to be a little bit better,” Moe said. “When you’re missing every time and you’re coming around standing, standing on offense and dribbling out the possession, your transition defense isn’t going to be any good.”

Andrews said that the team was well aware of the importance of the game.

“We knew it was a must-win game…as far as mentality goes, I think we were able to sustain it the entire game,” Andrews said. “We always come out and we compete hard. We limited mistakes tonight, which was big. We just competed for a full 40.”

The Hornets completed their three-game home stand and will next find themselves on the road versus Truman. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Kirksville, Mo.

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Shane Wilson

As of late, several conversations with Emporia State men’s basketball coach David Moe have led to the same few phrases being said over and over. Moe has admitted several times that his team is “not well prepared” and “not coached very well.”

A red flag went up in my mind after each occurrence.

Now we have to understand – it’s very commendable for a coach to step up and take responsibility for a team’s mishaps. Not very often do the anointed leaders of a team rise above the criticism and take the blame for a team’s losing ways.

One thing I don’t understand, however, is how a coach can continually take sole responsibility for a losing season and there not be much concern about it.

The men’s basketball team is loaded with ballers. The talent level of this team alone should be capable of a winning season. A senior-laden team as this one can dominate the game – and we’ve seen just that from time to time.

Take, for instance, the games versus Central Missouri and Ft. Hays State. The opposing teams were ranked in the top five in the nation at the time ESU played them. Despite the difference in ranking, Emporia State played each team neck and neck, down to the wire. Even though ESU lost both games, it was still worth noting how well the team played while facing far superior teams, on paper at least.

Now take, for instance, the last game versus Northwest Missouri. While the team took a 16-point lead in the second half, they couldn’t hold on for long and lost to a ho-hum Bearcats team.

So where’s the connection?

A well coached team doesn’t play down to their competition. A well coached team plays together and uses their collective talents to smother their opponent.

At times, this Emporia State men’s basketball team doesn’t look like it is well coached.

The inconsistencies that are on display when this team plays are ever apparent. Great plays are followed up by boneheaded ones on a regular basis. And the kicker is this – in conversations with some of the players on the team, not one of them can explain where the true problem lies. Yes, some offer possibilities in not valuing possessions and playing poor transition defense.

The problem of poor preparation is not one easily noticed, especially when you’ve been in the routine for some time.

I’m not saying the problem is Moe, only Moe and nothing but the Moe. And I’m certainly not advocating for his removal. I’m simply saying this – if a team loaded with talent is not performing up to par, shouldn’t there be someone, anyone, in the administration looking into the situation?

With these frequent admissions from Moe, I would say there’s definitely something to examine.

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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.”

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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.

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Guard Matt Boswell goes for a lay up Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. The Hornets fell short agaist the Newman Jets 77-80. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A 16-point second half comeback wouldn’t be enough for a Hornets victory as the Newman Jets slipped past Emporia State 80-77 Wednesday night. The Jets were spot on from behind the three point line throughout the entirety of the contest, hitting 15-24 to ESU’s 4-21.

ESU came out of the gates with the first four points of the contest. A couple of easy three-pointers led the Jets back into the game early, tying the contest at 10-10 with 14:31 left. Newman would take the lead after a timeout on the floor and extend their lead to three at the 12:15 mark.

However, the Hornets’ aggressive, slashing style of offense wouldn’t stay off the scoreboard for long, as junior guard Jordan Stout drove to the basket and made the contested layup despite the foul – the charity point was made, bringing the score to 13-13. Stout would again contribute for the Hornets with a three-pointer with just over 10:30 left in the half.

Another media timeout would pause the game with the Hornets leading 16-15. Newman would come out firing on all cylinders, scoring six straight points on their way to taking the lead, 21-16 – Moe would call timeout.

The Hornets would finally score on a turnover created by a designed trap play, which converted into a senior guard/forward Jeremiah Box tip-in off of a missed layup on the breakaway by senior point guard Tim Niles. Box would score again on a high-effort play, getting his own rebound on a missed shot and then laying it in underneath the basket for two, then again a layup by Box.

A media timeout would give a break in the action, with the Hornets trailing Newman, 26-22 with 4:41 left in the half.

After a Newman three-pointer, Niles would drive the lane and commit a charging foul, and then a technical foul for taunting. The Jets increased their lead to nine at 31-22 after the technical foul free throws.

Both teams would tighten up their defense for the rest of the half, seeing the half come to a close with a Newman lead, 37-26. Box led the Hornets in scoring at the half with 10 points.

Guard Robert Moores drives against the Newman defense Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A Newman three-pointer would start the second half, followed by a turnover by senior center Doug Moore. Senior guard Robert Moores would drive the basket, giving the Hornets an easy two, which was followed by another Newman trey. Box would hit another basket for the Hornets, which was followed by yet another three –pointer by the Jets, who were 9-14 from behind the arc at the 18:19 mark.

The Hornets would go on a spurt to close the Jets lead to 10 with the help of a great defensive effort and offensive output from Box, Moores, and junior guard Matt Boswell. A jumper by Newman forward Tommy Brumbelow would be followed by a traditional three point play by senior guard Dustin Andrews, which cut the Newman lead to nine, 48-39.

After trading points, a questionable flagrant foul was called on Andrews. After two missed free throws, the Hornets would score two from junior forward Adam Holthaus, narrowing the lead to seven at 50-43. Holthaus would score again after an injury timeout, this time with the help of a spin move on the low block. A timeout on the floor with 9:54 left in the contest would see the Jets commanding an 11 point lead over the Hornets, 61-49.

Stout would provide the only real outside threat for the Hornets, hitting a trey with just over 6:30 left to go in the half with Newman leading by 10, 68-58. After a Niles turnover, the Hornets would charge back with a bucket by Box, bringing the score to 72-64 in favor of Newman with 4:09 left in the half.

Guard Jordan Stout works to find an opening against the Jets Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

On the ensuing Jets possession, a moving screen violation was called, giving the Hornets the ball – the possession resulted in a layup by Niles and a subsequent timeout by Newman.

Andrews would hit a pivotal three-pointer with just over two minutes to play in the game, closing the Newman lead to three at 74-71. A Jets three-pointer would widen the gap, but on the following Hornets possession Niles would hit a three of his own, bringing the score to 77-74 with 1:30 left to play.

Another Jets trey saw the Hornets trailing by six, but Niles would strike again, this time with three consecutive free throw points off of a shooting foul from behind the arc. The Jets would fail to convert on the ensuing possession, but Niles would come up short with the final three-point attempt of the evening. The Hornets fell to Newman, with the final score 80-77.

Shooting from beyond the arc was a key to Newman’s victory, which proved a frustration point for the Hornets throughout the contest.

“We were frustrated pretty much the whole game,” Andrews said. “I don’t know how their shooters were getting open the entire game. They didn’t really score in the paint, they didn’t look to drive, they shot the three the entire game and they rarely missed. There towards the end we just have to buckle down, we have to get stops, and we didn’t do that.”

Stout said the team was aware of how well Newman could shoot the ball, but the team just couldn’t find their shot.

“We knew they could shoot the ball well,” Stout said. “Obviously you’re going to have some games when teams are hot

Guard Tim Niles lays one up over Newman Forward Tommy Brumbelow Dec. 9 at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

and some games when teams aren’t. We weren’t hot tonight and they were. That was obviously a big difference in the game.”

Head Coach David Moe laid most of the blame on himself for allowing the team to get down early.

“You have to start the game in a mode of competing,” Moe said. “We’re not well prepared at this point to be able to compete against good teams. I’ve got to do a lot better job of not allowing us to get into that situation.”

Box led the Hornets in scoring with 16, followed by Niles and Holthaus with 14 points each. Box also led in rebounding with seven.

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The Emporia State men’s basketball team lost to the Northwest Missouri Bearcats 56-67 last Saturday.

In this series, the Bearcats have the lead 30-20 and have split with the Hornets the last four years.

In the first half, the Bearcats went on an 11-0 run while keeping the Hornets scoreless for seven minutes.

“You cannot come from behind all the time,” said junior guard Robert Moores. “Sooner or later it is going to haunt you – coming in 11-0 is going to hurt you real bad.  We just need to emphasize before we go out there we need to have intensity the first five minutes of the game but we lacked doing that.”

The Hornets ended the first half down 37-26 despite Moore’s making 14 points, four of those shots from three point range.

“We know we have to compete all the time defensively,” said junior guard Lamar Wilburn. “We have to make stops because we are not at home and we are not going to make every shot that we routinely make at home.”

The Hornets struggled on offense even more in the second half, make only 30 percent of their shots while not being able to stay consistent on the floor.

“I do not think we hit a wall,” said head coach David Moe. “I think we just made some mistakes and spent energy getting back into the game.  I made a couple mistakes subbing guys and then subbing back I think we played out of desperation and did not make anything happen when we got desperate.”

With seven minutes left in the game, the Hornets eliminated their 12 point deficit and kept the game close until the Bearcats pulled away with the win.

The Bearcats took advantage of ESU’s mistakes by making 26 points off of turnovers, causing the Hornets to play from behind.

“We are going to make some strides coming out of this game,” Moe said. “You’re not going to win on the road if you turn over 10 more times than your opponent and you’re not making shots all over the place.”

The Hornets came out of this game with two road losses in a row, making it difficult going into their third road game.  Despite the two road losses, the Hornets are still in second place in the MIAA with a record of 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the conference and just a game behind sixth nationally ranked Southwest Baptist for first place.

The second round of conference play continues this week and with an Emporia win this Wednesday the Hornets could stay in contention for first place and extend their record to 8-4 in the conference.

The Hornets are six for two in away games this season and will play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against Missouri Western in Missouri.

Cristian echeverria/The Bulletin

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