DeAndre Townsend said things just didn’t feel right against No. 22 Nebraska-Omaha.
Emporia State’s leading scorer, Wes Book, sat out his first full game with a thumb dislocation. Coach David Moe didn’t make the trip because he was serving a one-game suspension.
“It just,” Townsend said, “was a little different tonight.”
It ended up being more than the seventh-ranked Hornets could overcome, as ESU fell, 105-91, to UNO on Saturday in Omaha, Neb.
For a while, the Hornets looked as if they would hang with the Mavericks.
After falling behind 12-6, ESU responded with a run of its own in the first half, grabbing a 37-28 lead in the first half on a layup by Jordan Fithian.
“Then,” ESU assistant coach Ben McCollum said, “we stopped working for shots.”
It showed on the scoreboard.
UNO went on a 22-5 run over the next 6 minutes, 9 seconds, taking a 50-42 advantage into the locker room.
The Mavericks (7-0) delivered the knockout blow shortly after, starting the second half on a 14-3 spurt to grab a 64-45 cushion.
With Book out and one less player in the rotation, ESU struggled with conditioning. The Hornets also were hurt by the fact that UNO only had one media timeout per half, compared to the four automatic stoppages in play ESU was accustomed to.
“Had we worked it offensively and taken good shots, that would have helped our defense,” McCollum said. “Instead, we took average, early shots. Those will get you beat.”
ESU especially showed its fatigue late, allowing 41 points in the final 11 minutes, 19 seconds.
The Hornets battled back into striking distance, getting the deficit down to 89-81 with 2:05 left, but the team couldn’t get any closer from there.
ESU was led by Townsend, who scored a career-high 39 points on 12-of-21 shooting. He was 6-for-11 from three-point range and had five assists.
After the game he still wasn’t pleased with his own effort.
“I don’t play for points; I play for wins,” Townsend said. “It looks good for they guys that are into statistics, but the one thing that stands out to me is my nine turnovers. ...
“I feel like I’ve definitely got to go back to the drawing board as a point guard and figure out ways to get other guys involved.”
Jordan Fithian added 13 points — which all came in the first half — while Andrew Davison also contributed 13.
Matt Boswell had 10, while Marvin Lee pitched in a career-high 12 rebounds.
ESU (4-2) has lost two straight and has a difficult road ahead. The Hornets play their next five games away from White Auditorium.
Townsend said the team remained confident.
“We’re all going to continue to work hard and bounce back from this,” Townsend said. “This is no big deal for us. We’ll definitely bounce back.”
Nebraska-Omaha 105, Emporia State 91
Saturday at Omaha
No. 7 ESU 42 49 — 91
No. 22 UNO 50 55 — 105
Emporia State (4-2)
DeAndre Townsend 12-21 9-10 39, Andrew Davison 5-11 1-1 13, Jordan Fithian 6-12 1-2 13, Matt Boswell 4-6 0-0 10, Marvin Lee 4-13 1-2 9, Caleb Tegtmeier 3-9 1-2 7, Dustin Andrews 0-1 0-0 0, Spencer Allen 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Stout 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-74 13-17 91.
Nebraska-Omaha (7-0)
Denny Johnston 9-13 2-5 23, Andrew Bridger 5-10 6-10 18, Mitch Albers 5-8 4-4 15, Justin Petersen 4-6 5-5 15, Tyler Albers 3-7 5-5 11, Jerry Bennett 4-6 3-4 11, Michael Jenkins 2-6 4-6 9, Ryan Pace 1-1 1-1 3, Matt Newman 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Owen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-57 30-40 105.
3-point goals — Emporia State 10-29 (Townsend 6-11, Davison 2-8, Boswell 2-4, Tegtmeier 0-4, Andrews 0-1, Lee 0-1); Nebraska-Omaha 9-24 (Johnston 3-5, Petersen 2-3, Bridger 2-6, Albers 1-2, Jenkins 1-5, Albers 0-3). Fouled out — Emporia State: Davison, Andrews, Tegtmeier; Nebraska-Omaha: Jenkins. Rebounds — Emporia State 37 (Lee 12), Nebraska-Omaha 36 (Bennett 12). Assists — Emporia State 14 (Townsend 5), Nebraska-Omaha 21 (Bridger 8). Total fouls — Emporia State 29, Nebraska-Omaha 21. Att — 985.