Hornet men show long-range touch in exhibition victory over alumni
By Jesse Newell
Monday, November 13, 2006
Because it was only an exhibition game, the Emporia State promotions department did not toss a T-shirt into the crowd after each made three-pointer by the Hornets during Saturday’s preseason tune-up against the ESU Alumni team.
It’s a good thing, because the way ESU shot from long-range Saturday, a new shipment might already have been needed.
The ESU men defeated the Alumni team, 121-97, but the story was the Hornets’ ability to shoot from the outside.
ESU made 17 of its 33 long-range attempts (52 percent), including 12 of its 18 shots behind the arc in the second half (67 percent).
“We were all pretty on tonight,” ESU guard DeAndre Townsend said. “We were all having a lot of fun. It was great.”
The biggest boost came from Hornet bench player Andrew Davison. After entering halftime with just three points, the guard caught fire, draining 5 of 7 three-point attempts on his way to 22 points.
All five of his treys came within a six-minute stretch in the second half, helping to turn an 67-62 lead into a 22-point cushion.
“It felt good tonight. I’m glad they were falling,” Davison said. “Those other guys played really hard in the first half.”
ESU also watched as alum Robbie Ballard returned to light up the nets in typical fashion.
The guard started strong, making 4 of his first 5 three-point attempts and leading his team with 22 points heading into the break.
“It kind of surprised me, because none of us really play that much anymore,” Ballard said. “Once you get back out there, you’ve just got to do what you can do.”
The guard — who now lives in Denver with his wife, former ESU women’s basketball player Jamie Blakely — made 9 of 12 shots overall in the first half. The shooting barrage helped give the Alum team a 47-43 lead at intermission.
“Ballard, man, he’s a handful,” Townsend said. “He came back with the intentions that this was his homecoming. He wanted to show that he could still play and that he wasn’t totally done with basketball.”
The advantage wouldn’t last for the Alumni team, which lost its legs in the second half.
ESU exploded for 78 points in the final 20 minutes, making 63.4 percent of shots during that time frame.
Donta Watson led the Hornets with 26 points, adding four three-pointers in the second half.
Townsend added 18, while Wes Book contributed three treys in a 17-point effort.
Jordan Fithian posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Ballard led the Alums, scoring 33 points in just 32 minutes. He finished 6-of-9 from three-point range.
“I’d heard stories about him,” Davison said, “but tonight, he put on a performance.”
The Alums also shot well from three, making 19 of their 37 attempts. The two teams combined for 36 made shots from beyond the arc.
ESU opens regular-season play at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a home game against Ottawa.