While waiting for his turn on the radio, DeAndre Townsend pressed both hands against the table, squinting to look at the statistics sheet below him.
He’d just had his best offensive performance as a Hornet in Emporia State’s 89-79 victory over Missouri Western Saturday night.
It still wasn’t enough to keep him happy.
“Man,” he said, shaking his head while still looking down, “I’m only a free throw away from 31.”
He was right. The junior did miss a free throw — one out of his 14 attempts — to keep him stuck on the 30-point mark and prevent him from matching his jersey number in points.
The other 13 successful attempts, however, were the real key in keeping the Hornets ahead of the upset-minded Griffons Saturday night.
Townsend’s appearance at the free-throw line — along with the rest of the Hornets — proved to be the difference for ESU. Just one game after shooting a season-low 10 free throws in a loss to Northwest Missouri State, the Hornets attempted an astounding 43 freebies against Western, making 32 of them to shoot 74 percent.
Meanwhile, the Griffons had just 19 free-throws, making 18 of theirs.
“They were calling the game tight and continued to call it tight, and that makes a big difference for us,” ESU coach David Moe said. “If hand checks are called, and we go to the line, we’re going to make it tough on anybody.”
Though ESU struggled defensively, the team was able to more than make up for it on the offensive end against Western.
The Hornets scored 52 points in the second half, making 23 of their 29 free-throw attempts (79 percent) after the break.
“It’s a great sign for us,” ESU guard Wes Book said. “Whenever you’re getting to the free-throw line, you’re getting free shots.”
Even with the offensive outburst, ESU only led 83-79 with 1:26 remaining after a jumper from Ricky Quarles.
Moe used a timeout to set up a play for Townsend, who had broken down Western’s defense with dribble penetration all night.
“Coach has total confidence in me, and I like that,” Townsend said. “That feels good.”
The junior didn’t disappoint in crunch time, coming off a screen and getting all the way to the rim for a layup to push the lead back to six.
J.R. Reed missed on the other end for Western, and four combined free throws from Donta Watson and Scott Elliott provided the final deficit.
Western’s 32 whistles resulted in four foul-outs.
Though the Griffons entered tied for last in the MIAA, they pushed the Hornets to the end for the second consecutive game.
MWSU held a 53-52 advantage with 13:42 left and also forced seven ties and 13 lead changes.
“We know Western is a team that’s not going to give up,” Townsend said. “They’re going to fight through some adversity.”
The Griffons have now lost nine of their last 10 games after starting the season 8-3.
Townsend’s 30 points included four assists and an 8-of-12 performance from the field.
The junior made his first six field-goal attempts.
Book added 19 points, while Watson had 14. Jordan Fithian came up just short of his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
ESU (18-2, 9-2 MIAA) also received a spark from bench player Dustin Andrews, who posted seven points in 13 minutes, going 2-of-2 from the floor.
“He did a great job,” Moe said. “He’s done a nice job in practice, and he finally got the opportunity to play extended minutes tonight. He needed that, and he deserved it.”
For the second time this season, ESU responded from a loss against Northwest Missouri State with a victory.
The Hornets dropped a 63-58 decision to the Bearcats in Maryville, Mo., on Wednesday.
“When you lose, you definitely lose your swagger a little bit,” Book said. “We’re trying to get that back. We’re trying to establish that and play with a little more confidence.”
Northwest, meanwhile, continued its strong play, defeating No. 2 and previously undefeated Central Missouri 82-64 on Saturday.
EMPORIA STATE men 89, MO. WESTERN 79
Missouri Western 36 43 — 79
No. 9 Emporia State 37 52 — 89
MISSOURI WESTERN (9-12, 2-10 MIAA)
Manthe 5-10 6-7 19; Quarels 8-12 0-0 16; McFarland 4-5 7-7 15; Reed 4-13 1-1 11; Brown 3-6 4-4 10; Kirschner 2-3 0-0 6; Videau 1-3 0-0 2; Sisto 0-2 0-0 0; Anderson 0-0 0-0 0; Oliver 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-56 18-19 79.
EMPORIA STATE (18-2, 9-2 MIAA)
Townsend 8-12 13-14 30; Book 4-12 8-8 19; Watson 4-10 2-6 14; Fithian 4-7 2-4 10; Andrews 2-2 2-3 7; Desir 1-2 2-4 4; Tegtmeier 1-7 1-2 3; Elliott 0-1 2-2 2; Davison 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-55 32-43 89.
3-point goals — Missouri Western 7-19 (Manthe 3-5; Reed 2-4; Kirschner 2-3; Brown 0-2; Sisto 0-2; Oliver 0-2; Quarels 0-1), Emporia State 9-22 (Watson 4-9; Book 3-7; Townsend 1-3; Andrews 1-1; Davison 0-1; Tegtmeier 0-1). Fouled out — Missouri Western: Manthe; Brown; Oliver; Reed; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Missouri Western 26 (Manthe 6), Emporia State 39 (Fithian 9). Assists — Missouri Western 15 (Brown 4), Emporia State 17 (Watson 4; Townsend 4). Total fouls — Missouri Western 32, Emporia State 19. Att — 3902.