Defensive Surge
Thursday, February 1, 2007
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Emporia State’s lead was slipping, and Michelle Stueve was determined to not let her team lose.
Problem was, she had to get in the ballgame first.
After a tough shooting start, Stueve was benched by ESU coach Brandon Schneider in the second half to help clear her mind.
The junior came back more focused than ever, contributing seven points, three rebounds and two steals in the final 6 minutes to lead the No. 11 Lady Hornets to a 60-46 victory over Northwest Missouri State on Wednesday.
“She came in and obviously was a really good spark on the glass and with hustle plays,” Schneider said. “It’s funny how when you start to do those things, the ball starts going in for you.”
With ESU leading 44-40 and just over 6 minutes remaining, Stueve checked in and immediately had an effect on the game.
She scored the next seven Lady Hornet points — including a pair of pull-up jumpers three from the left side — to rebuild the advantage to 51-42 and force a Northwest timeout.
“It was getting a little scary when they pulled it to within four,” Stueve said. “I thought we could beat them by more than that, and we needed to seal it.”
Stueve made sure ESU would by sacrificing her body down the stretch.
The All-American slid face-first on the floor after a loose ball to gather a steal with 2:31 remaining, then fell hard again on a drive to the basket on the subsequent possession, earning herself a fresh floorburn on her forearm.
“She played hard,” ESU guard Cassondra Boston said. “She was diving for every loose ball and getting every offensive rebound.”
Boston helped ESU put it away, scoring the final eight Lady Hornet points to build the lead back to double digits. Boston and Stueve combined to score the team’s final 16 points.
The Lady Hornets (15-4, 8-2 MIAA) earned their advantage and also kept it thanks to a solid defensive performance.
It started in the first half, when ESU forced 14 turnovers and registered five blocks to hold Northwest to 21 first-half points.
“We knew last game they had beat us back in transition,” Boston said. “This time, we wanted to stop them from getting so many transition points, and that’s what we did.”
ESU grabbed a 31-21 advantage at the break and led by as many as 15 in the second half before going on a scoring drought.
After Carolyn Dorsey’s jumper at the 14-minute mark to make it 43-32, the Lady Hornets went 6:34 without a point and 8:12 without a field goal.
Still, Northwest only cut the lead to 44-40 thanks to ESU’s work on the defensive end.
“On a night where offensively we were a little sluggish, lethargic and couldn’t make shots,” Schneider said, “it was nice to see our defense keep us in it.”
Stueve checked in shortly after, helping ESU to extend its lead.
The junior recorded her 10th double-double of the season, posting 15 points and 10 rebounds. She contributed nine points and seven boards in the second half.
Boston added a team-high 17 points to go along with four steals.
ESU returns to White Auditorium on Saturday for a rematch with No. 2 and undefeated Missouri Western. The Lady Hornets lost the first matchup, 63-53, in St. Joseph, Mo., two weeks ago.
No. 11 ESU 60, NWMSU 46
No. 11 Emporia State 31 29 — 60
NW Missouri State 21 25 — 46
EMPORIA STATE (15-4, 8-2 MIAA)
Boston 5-10 6-8 17, Stueve 7-15 0-1 15, Glasper 4-6 0-0 8, Henningsen 2-4 3-4 7, Stuart 2-8 1-2 6, Svarova 1-4 1-2 3, Dorsey 1-3 0-0 2, Leiker 1-5 0-0 2, Corker 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 23-59 11-17 60.
NW MISSOURI STATE (12-9, 5-6 MIAA)
Brue 5-12 1-2 11, Nelson 3-7 3-4 11, Baker 2-6 2-2 6, Williams 1-6 4-4 6, O’Grady 2-7 0-0 5, Schumacher 2-13 0-0 4, Burton 1-4 1-2 3, Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Bayer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-57 11-14 46.
3-point goals — Emporia State 3-17 (Stueve 1-5, Stuart 1-4, Boston 1-2, Dorsey 0-1, Leiker 0-4, Corker 0-1), NW Missouri State 3-14 (Nelson 2-4, O’Grady 1-2, Williams 0-3, Burton 0-2, Miller 0-1, Bayer 0-1, Baker 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Emporia State 39 (Stueve 10), NW Missouri State 43 (Brue 8). Assists — Emporia State 9 (Stuart 3), NW Missouri State 9 (Williams 6). Total fouls — Emporia State 13, NW Missouri State 16. Att — 961.