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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