Better late than never: ESU women take down No. 23 Shaw
By Jesse Newell
Originally published 01:51 p.m., December 18, 2007
Updated 01:51 p.m., December 18, 2007
Alli Volkens found a way to pass the time while waiting for Shaw to show up at the Hoop ’n’ Surf Classic on Monday in Honolulu.
“Me and Jamie (Augustyn) got in a game of ‘Pig’ before the game,” Volkens said, “and I didn’t do so good.”
Luckily for Volkens, it turned out she was just saving her shooting touch for the game.
The freshman had a breakthrough performance Monday, contributing a career-high 24 points and nine rebounds as No. 14 Emporia State held off No. 23 Shaw, 93-86.
Volkens, who admitted the impromptu shooting game helped her to loosen up, posted the gaudy statistics with only 21 minutes of playing time.
The forward finished 8-of-11 from the floor with two blocks. Coming into the Classic, she had averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
“The last few games, I’ve really been struggling,” Volkens said. “I’m in Hawaii. I’m going to have fun with it. I just went out and had fun.”
The fun for Volkens and the Lady Hornets was delayed for 45 minutes because of a misunderstanding.
Shaw arrived late at the gym because its coaches believed the game started at 8 p.m. Hawaiian time, as they saw that time listed on the ESU athletics Web site.
On the ESU Web site, however, all times are listed in Central Standard Time to accommodate fans.
After showing up late, Shaw had just 20 minutes to warm up before playing.
Meanwhile, the Lady Hornets were forced to sit around and wait for their opponent to arrive.
“I like the fact that we were able to overcome a lot of adversity,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said. “There are a lot of distractions here, then the late start of the game, that doesn’t help, just the waiting around.
“Shaw’s really athletic and terrific on the glass, and we were fortunate to make enough plays to have a chance.”
ESU was able to withstand a monumental offensive rebounding effort from Shaw.
The Lady Bears grabbed 31 offensive boards and attempted 90 field goals, which was 33 more than the Lady Hornets.
Still, ESU made just as many shots (30) as Shaw.
“I’ve never seen a team get 90 shots before,” Schneider said. “For us to still win the game, it’s a credit to our kids who continued to compete and fight.”
ESU also scored 93 despite turning the ball over 29 times.
A major help was the Lady Hornets’ shooting percentage. ESU made 53 percent of its shots from the floor, 50 percent of its threes (9-for-18) and 77 percent of its free throws (24-for-31).
After Shaw scored the first basket, Lacy Corker and Michelle Stueve contributed back-to-back threes, and ESU never trailed again.
Stueve’s strong first half paced ESU, as she had 18 points and seven rebounds before the break.
“Pass Stueve the ball, and she’s going to make it,” Volkens said. “That’s how I see it.”
The Lady Hornets took their largest lead at 86-72 with 3:23 remaining and held on from there.
ESU received strong outings from both Corker and Andrea Leiker.
Corker finished with nine assists and just three turnovers against Shaw, which used a pressure defense for most of the game.
Point guard Cassondra Boston returned to the lineup for 7 minutes but still was slowed by an ankle injury.
Leiker, meanwhile, had 16 points, three assists and no turnovers.
Monday also marked the first game for transfer Ida Edwards, who became eligible at semester.
After starting, she finished with eight points in 33 minutes. She also had seven turnovers.
“She’s a presence, and her teammates have a lot of confidence in her,” Schneider said. “I think she found out there’s a big difference between practice shape and game shape. She had some turnovers and missed shots that were just the result of being tired.”
ESU will play Oklahoma Panhandle State at 8 (CST) tonight in its final game of the two-day Classic.
Hoop ’n’ Surf Classic
ESU women 93, Shaw 86
Monday at Honolulu
No. 23 Shaw 36 50 — 86
No. 14 ESU 42 51 — 93
SHAW (5-5)
Na’Keiha Anthony 11-26 2-2 24, Tanisha McGaughey 6-8 6-6 21, Jamie Goshen 4-17 8-11 16, Nicky Souter 3-6 1-3 7, Tammy Lanier 2-5 0-0 5, Jessica Davis 1-9 2-3 4, Jan’el Baxter 2-9 0-0 4, Khandi Joeseph 1-1 0-0 2, KeyAuna Jenkins 0-7 2-2 2, Jihan Howard 0-1 1-2 1, Rebeca Hyppolite 0-1 0-0 0, Nichelle Manson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-90 22-29 86.
EMPORIA STATE (6-2)
Michelle Stueve 10-16 2-3 26, Alli Volkens 8-11 8-10 24, Andrea Leiker 4-10 6-6 16, Ida Edwards 3-9 2-6 8, Jamie Augustyn 1-1 2-2 5, Lacy Corker 2-5 0-0 5, Allie Renberg 1-1 2-2 4, Bree Kisner 1-3 0-0 3, Cassondra Boston 0-0 2-2 2, Becky Zabel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-57 24-31 93.
3-point goals — Shaw 4-21 (McGaughey 3-5, Lanier 1-2, Davis 0-1, Baxter 0-2, Goshen 0-5, Anthony 0-6); Emporia State 9-18 (Stueve 4-7, Leiker 2-4, Kisner 1-1, Corker 1-3, Augustyn 1-1, Zabel 0-1, Edwards 0-1). Fouled out — Shaw: Souter, Baxter; Emporia State: Volkens. Rebounds — Shaw 46 (Baxter 9), Emporia State 45 (Volkens 9). Assists — Shaw 11 (Baxter 2, Davis 2, Anthony 2, Lanier 2), Emporia State 21 (Corker 9). Total fouls — Shaw 26, Emporia State 26. Att — 107.