Emporia State’s Jordan Fithian and Andrew Davison are enjoying the streak. It’s not something the two could have said last year at this same time.
The pair will look to continue ESU’s undefeated record tonight, as the Hornets take on Nebraska-Omaha at 7:30 p.m. in White Auditorium.
Just one year ago, the tables were turned. As teammates at Division-I Binghamton, the two suffered through a five-game losing skid to start the season.
“Last year was hard for both of us, I know,” Davison said. “This year we’re able to contribute, and we’re winning. It makes things a lot easier when you’re winning.”
Davison already has noticed a huge difference between the beginning of last season with the Bearcats and the start of this season with the Hornets.
“Last season, we just felt down all the time,” Davison said. “Here, everything’s upbeat. We’re all getting along. That’s what winning does.”
ESU has done a whole lot of winning early, even grabbing some votes for the second straight week in the NABC national poll. The Hornets’ somewhat unexpected run to 6-0 has included two quality victories over Northeastern (Okla.) State and one over Central Oklahoma.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Fithian said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but I definitely didn’t see this kind of start for us, especially with so many newcomers coming in trying to gel and play together.”
The Hornets have done that admirably at the beginning of this season, averaging 91 points per game over the first six contests. All this from a team that was picked ninth in the 10-team preseason coaches’ poll.
“I felt like we had all the pieces we needed, but it just was about peaking and playing up to our ability,” Davison said. “We don’t have the most talent in the world, but we all get along and we all love each other.”
A victory tonight over Nebraska-Omaha would set up a huge matchup in the conference opener Saturday at home against Fort Hays State. The Tigers are ranked No. 15 in the nation and were picked in the preseason to finish No. 2 in the MIAA.
Fithian realizes that this tough stretch of the schedule could help create some buzz around town if the Hornets were able to come away with a pair of wins.
“I was told if you come here and you win and you play well and you play as a team, people will come and they’ll want to watch,” Fithian said. “I’m looking forward to continuing the winning, and hopefully they’ll start packing up the stands.”
On the women’s side, ESU will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season, facing NAIA St. Gregory’s (Okla.) tonight at 5:30.
The Lady Hornets fell, 76-70, to Metro State on Saturday in the Coors Classic in Denver, losing their No. 1 ranking a week after they received it. This week, ESU dropped to No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN rankings.
“We did a lot of soul-searching as a team,” ESU forward Casey Henningsen said. “I think it was obvious that we didn’t play anywhere near how we would like to play against Metro.”
ESU coach Brandon Schneider sat his players down on Monday and made them watch the entire Metro State game tape. As uncomfortable as it was, Henningsen said the study session was necessary.
“We needed to force ourselves to sit through it, as much as we didn’t want to have to watch the film again,” Henningsen said. “It was obvious after watching it that we didn’t play with the mentality that we want to play with, so we need to get that fixed.”
After Saturday’s game, Schneider was most frustrated with his team’s defensive intensity and effort. The Lady Hornets allowed 48 points in the second half to the Roadrunners.
“We weren’t trying to be the more athletic, more aggressive team on defense, and that kind of sets everything up for us,” Henningsen said. “If we’re not doing that well, then we’re not going to be playing offense well, either.”
ESU also failed to get the ball to Henningsen inside. Despite playing 16 second-half minutes, the forward attempted no shots in the second half against Metro State.
The Lady Hornets should find the competition a little less daunting tonight, facing a St. Gregory’s team that has lost four straight games by an average of 31.5 points.
ESU will use the game as a final tune-up before facing Fort Hays State on Saturday in the MIAA opener. The Lady Tigers are a perfect 6-0 heading into tonight’s game with Newman.