The No. 1 team in the nation wasn’t much of a bully on Saturday night.
The Emporia State women’s basketball team became the hunted instead of the hunter on Saturday, and the result was a 76-70 loss to unranked Metro State in the Coors Classic in Denver.
“You’re either attacking or being attacked,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said, “and we were definitely the team that was on its heels most of the night.”
That was especially the case during the opening minutes of the second half. With a six-point lead, the Lady Hornets surrendered a 17-0 run in just three minutes to lose control of the game.
ESU never led after that point.
“I thought we were really inconsistent,” Schneider said. “Our defensive effort was really poor overall. We couldn’t maintain any kind of intensity level.”
The result means Emporia State will be one-and-done at No. 1.
After moving to the top of the WBCA National poll last week, ESU (5-1) should tumble after suffering its first loss. Washburn — which is currently No. 2 and still undefeated — will most likely take over the top position.
Things looked promising early for ESU, which only trailed once in the first 20 minutes.
Casey Henningsen’s shot underneath followed by a Cassondra Boston layup gave the Lady Hornets a 17-11 advantage. MSU tied it on four different occasions, but Denisa Svarova and Boston combined for the last three points before the half to give ESU a 32-28 advantage at the break.
It all came apart for ESU after a Carolyn Dorsey layup started half two.
MSU’s Ashley Mickens hit a lay-in, and Cassondra Bratton added a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 34-33 and force a timeout from Schneider.
ESU’s offense started to let down over the next two minutes.
The Lady Hornets turned the ball over on three of the next four possessions, with all of those miscues turning into Roadrunner points. Ashley Mickens and Jessica von Tillow hit threes, while Danielle Ellerington and Anne-Marie Torp added fast-break layups as MSU grabbed a 43-34 lead that resulted in Schneider using another timeout.
“Our half-court defense was poor in the first half, and then our transition defense was what really got us in trouble,” Schneider said. “It was basically non-existent to start the second half.”
Ellerington added a 15-foot shot to cap the 17-0 spurt, putting MSU ahead 45-34. The Roadrunners scored those 17 points in just 2 minutes and 56 seconds.
MSU’s lead grew to 19 with 8:05 remaining before ESU put itself back in the game.
Three-pointers from Boston and Dorsey along with a free throw from Michelle Stueve gave the Lady Hornets a quick 7-0 rally that closed the deficit to 65-55 with 4:59 left. ESU never pulled closer than six, as Stueve’s free throw with 25 seconds remaining made it 71-65.
Stueve finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Lady Hornets. Boston added 16, while Dorsey hit 12 for ESU.
Ellerington led MSU with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. She hit her first five shots of the game.
The Roadrunners scored 48 points in the second half, making 17 of 35 shots (49 percent).
“We did a really poor job of establishing any pressure on the basketball or in passing lanes,” Schneider said.
Metro State (5-1) was previously unranked in the WBCA National poll but should make a run for the top 10 after its second upset in as many days. The Roadrunners dominated No. 8 St. Cloud State, 83-65, on Friday in the Coors Classic.
MSU’s only setback this season was a season-opening 69-66 loss to then-No. 2 North Dakota.
The officials allowed Metro State to play aggressively in the first half — calling only 13 total fouls — but Schneider said his team should have taken better advantage in its own defensive set.
“I don’t know that we were close enough to anybody to foul them,” Schneider said. “I thought Metro State was really physical with us when we were on offense. It’s hard to determine if the game was being called consistently on both ends when only one team is being physical and aggressive.”
After taking Sunday off per NCAA rules, Schneider said the team would have a long day of practice and film study today in preparation for Wednesday’s home game against St. Gregory’s (Okla.).
“We just need to find five people we can put on the floor and count on there being some moderate level of intensity,” Schneider said. “I think that’ll make us better immediately.”