It didn’t take Donta Watson long to figure out that this NAIA opponent wasn’t going to back down from the Emporia State Hornets.
“Friends,” Watson said, “wasn’t so friendly.”
Though ESU struggled to find its offensive rhythm most o• the night, it still came up with the needed plays down the stretch to secure an 83-71 victory over Friends Thursday night.
The win moves the Hornets to a perfect 10-0 overall. The team finished its non-conference portion o• the schedule with an unblemished 9-0 mark.
It wasn’t easy for ESU. The game was tied at 65 with 5:17 to go before the Hornets used an 8-0 run to pull away.
The Hornets hadn’t played a game since Dec. 16.
“Practice this week was trying to get back into the flow,” Watson said. “Maybe we didn’t get into it as good as we should have.”
Friends, which entered the game with a 5-7 record, gave ESU all it could handle.
Sparked by the shooting o• reserve guard Justin Speer, the Falcons put together a 14-2 run to take a 27-24 lead with 6:56 remaining in the first half.
The final nine points in the stretch came from the 6-foot-3 Speer, who seemed to increase his degree o• difficulty with each additional three-point shot. His first came on a step-back 3-pointer, his second on a shot from the deep corner, and his third on a 24-foot guarded shot over the outstretched arm o• ESU’s Wes Book. All three shots came in a span o• 50 seconds.
“He shot lights out,” ESU forward Ed Desir said. “He came of• screens and got his own shot. Most o• them fell. That was impressive.”
A pair o• Desir offensive rebounds and putbacks helped ESU respond with a 9-0 run o• its own, as the team regained a 33-27 advantage. The Hornets extended that mark to 41-32 at halftime.
Moe benched his starters to begin the second half, putting in five reserves for the first 2 minutes and 49 seconds. Friends took advantage, going on an 11-5 run to narrow the deficit to 46-43 before ESU’s regulars were allowed back into the game.
Watson said the time on the bench was effective in catching the players’ attention.
“It definitely woke us up a little bit,” Watson said. “I give our second team credit for going out there and playing hard.”
Friends grabbed a 51-49 lead on a four-point play by Justin Rone before Watson started to take over for ESU.
After a DeAndre Townsend three from the top o• the circle, Watson hit a pair o• treys from the right side to rebuild the Hornets’ lead back to 58-51.
“I wanted the ball some, but then I feel like I should have hit some shots that I missed,” Watson said. “Luckily, I was hitting the second chances I was getting.”
Another Watson three made it 65-60, but the Falcons refused to fold. A bank shot from Rone, followed by a guarded three knotted the score at 65 with just over five minutes remaining.
“They came out and gave us their best shot,” Desir said. “They really did play hard. I was very impressed.”
Once again, Watson stepped up for the Hornets.
The senior drained a 23-footer, starting an 8-0 ESU run over the next two minutes.
Jordan Fithian put the final touches on the victory with 1:19 remaining. On a breakaway, the ESU forward was fouled hard by Speer on his way up for a shot. Fithian still managed to get the shot to fall through, and Speer was slapped with a flagrant foul, giving ESU two additional free throws and the ball.
Fithian connected on both shots, and Book made a pair o• free throws on the subsequent possession to stretch a 73-67 lead to 79-67.
“I think it’s a good wake-up call for us to realize that without the intangibles, we’re very average,” Moe said. “With our intangibles, we’re very competitive.”
Watson led ESU, scoring 21 points. He made four o• his eight three-point attempts in the second half.
Townsend added 16, while Desir finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds of• the bench.
Friends was paced by Speer, who ended with 23 points. He finished his night 7-for-13 from beyond the arc.
“We left him open a couple times, and he definitely made us pay for it,” Watson said. “We’ve got to do a better job o• locating the shooter like that.”
ESU will start MIAA play for good on Saturday, playing host to Southwest Baptist for a 3:30 p.m. tipoff.