It didn’t take much time reviewing this weekend’s tape to confirm what Emporia State coach Brandon Schneider already knew.
“We had a lot of success when our post players got touches,” Schneider said. “They didn’t always have to take shots, but good things happened at a high percentage for us when we got those guys the ball.”
Tuesday proved it once again.
With an increased emphasis on getting the ball to its talented frontcourt players, ESU saw the immediate benefits in a 105-61 victory over Missouri Valley at White Auditorium.
“That’s definitely something that we talked about, just trying to get the ball,” ESU forward Casey Henningsen said. “Not necessarily to get us shots, but just to get us to working our offense.”
The Lady Hornet offense looked just fine, rolling up 100 points for the first time this season.
ESU took control early by using its advantage inside.
After building a 12-8 lead, the Lady Hornets went on an 11-0 run, with 10 of those 11 points coming from post players.
Denisa Svarova started the stretch, stepping across the lane and finishing with a left-handed layup.
Following an Andrea Leiker free throw, Casey Henningsen scored on an up-and-under move and also a lay-in to push the ESU lead to 11.
Svarova added a turn-around jumper, and Henningsen contributed a layup off a feed from Leiker to finish the spurt.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good front line,” Schneider said. “They can finish the ball, especially when they’re one-on-one, but I think they’re good enough decision-makers and unselfish enough that if they do draw a double-team or see an open man on the perimeter, they’re capable of finding them.”
Svarova saved her best play for the second half, determined to compete better after a pushing and bumping Holly Silverling took her out of her game early.
“She has a tendency to get a little frustrated whenever she gets into those one-on-one matchups where they get a little bit physical,” Schneider said. “We just told her the best way to combat that is to go out and play well.”
Svarova showed how dominant she could be midway through the second half, scoring eight straight points for ESU in a 2 1/2-minute span.
Following a pair of turn-around jumpers, the senior put in her next two after snatching away an offensive rebound from a defender. She scored 15 seconds later after running the floor on a fast-break, receiving a pass from point guard Cassondra Boston and finishing with the right hand to make it 84-43 with eight minutes remaining.
After scoring just six first-half points, Svarova exploded for 17 in the second half, ending with a career-high 23 points.
“The first half I got a little distracted with No. 44,” Svarova said. “I tried to stay focused and do what I was supposed to do. I know I can score, I just had to focus.”
ESU led by as many as 48 before making substitutions late in the game.
The Lady Hornets were able to run effectively, mostly because they forced numerous mistakes by the Lady Vikings.
Missouri Valley finished with 31 turnovers compared to ESU’s eight. The miscues also directly led to the Lady Hornets’ 45 points off turnovers.
ESU added 32 assists, meaning the team’s assist-to-turnover ratio was an impressive 4:1.
Carolyn Dorsey added 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Henningsen contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.
Six players in all scored in double figures for the Lady Hornets, including Leiker (13), Boston (12) and Michelle Stueve (11).
ESU (3-0) will enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action next Tuesday against Harris-Stowe.