Hornet Houdini
Thursday, February 8, 2007
The Missouri Southern ball boy, no more than 10 years old at the end of the bench, used both hands to shield his eyes from what was about to come.
Sure, his team was up one, the crowd was roaring and his team only needed one stop to secure a victory.
It was almost like he’d seen ESU play before — and knew exactly what DeAndre Townsend was about to do.
With the seconds ticking down, the 5-foot-8 ESU guard somehow still made his way to the basket, shuffling between four Southern defenders and into the clear for the game-winning layup with 8.5 seconds left in the Hornets’ 73-72 victory over the Lions on Wednesday.
Townsend scored the final five points for ESU in what proved to be its greatest Houdini act yet this season.
“These two months are huge. I will not let us lose,” Townsend said. “If that means I have to go out and kill myself out there on the court, then that’s what I’ll do. We can’t afford to let up.”
ESU didn’t on the subsequent possession, when Southern still had a chance to win it.
After MSSU got it past half-court, Townsend and Wes Book communicated well on a ball screen, working together to trap Matt Habermehl at the top of the key.
In desperation, the 6-foot-8 senior heaved a high-arching shot toward the basket — one that clanged off the back iron as time expired.
Things looked bleak for ESU late, as after a missed Wes Book shot and Deonte Cox rebound, Southern had possession with a 72-68 lead and only 57 seconds remaining.
It was then Townsend started to make every play for his team.
Though he stands as the last man back on defense, the junior rushed up quickly after a pass to Habermehl, dropping his hand to strip the ball and come away with the steal with 55 seconds left.
“Basically, I was just gambling,” Townsend said, “and it was on my side tonight.”
Following a miss by Book and offensive rebound by Jordan Fithian, Townsend received the ball in the corner and was fouled going up for a three with 43 seconds left.
The junior, who leads the MIAA in free-throw percentage at 86 percent, calmly sank all three attempts at the line to pull the Hornets to within one.
ESU tried to trap on the subsequent possession, with Donta Watson fouling Cox once he received the ball in the frontcourt.
Cox, a 52 percent free-throw shooter, missed the front end of the 1-and-1, and after a scramble, ESU gained possession after the ball went out of bounds.
Moe took a timeout, and for the second consecutive game set up a play down the stretch for his quick point guard.
“Coach Moe, when it comes to his point guard, he loves me I guess,” Townsend said. “He drew up a play before that one that I had messed up. I made a mistake, and he came back to me on the second time.”
Townsend didn’t disappoint, getting his drive stopped once before he picked a different lane and went all the way to the rim for the left-handed layup.
ESU won despite once again having first-half struggles. The Hornets trailed 42-37 at the break after allowing the Lions to shot 58 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
Cox also dominated the lane, going off for 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the first half.
The ESU defense locked down in the second half, holding MSSU to just 9 made shots on 23 attempts (39 percent).
Watson led the Hornets with 18 points, while Townsend added 15. Book contributed 13 points and three steals, with Caleb Tegtmeier also posting double figures with 12.
ESU also survived a career game from Southern’s Daniel Hurst. The 6-foot-1 freshman, averaging only 5.9 points per game, made 6 of 8 3-pointers for a season-high 21 points.
It was only Moe’s second victory against Southern at the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center. Northwest Missouri State, which has given ESU its only two losses, dropped a 59-57 decision to the Lions at the same location last month.
The Hornets (19-2, 10-2 MIAA) still continue to get no respect in the regional rankings. ESU dropped to sixth in the region this week, falling behind three teams with more than two losses and two that are unranked.
“The only thing we can control,” Moe said, “is how we act and how we conduct ourselves and how hard we play when it’s time to play.”
EMPORIA STATE men 73, MO. SOUTHERN 72
Emporia State 37 36 — 73
Missouri Southern 42 30 — 72
EMPORIA STATE (19-2, 10-2 MIAA)
Watson 6-14 2-2 18; Townsend 5-9 5-5 15; Book 6-19 0-2 13; Tegtmeier 4-7 4-4 12; Desir 4-7 0-0 8; Elliott 2-2 2-3 6; Fithian 0-2 1-2 1; Andrews 0-1 0-0 0; Davison 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 27-64 14-18 73.
MISSOURI SOUTHERN (9-13, 4-9 MIAA)
Hurst 6-8 3-5 21; Cox 8-12 4-8 20; Britton 7-10 2-2 17; Ryerson 3-7 0-0 7; Habermehl 2-7 0-0 5; Rice 1-3 0-0 2; Hunter 0-2 0-0 0; Miles 0-1 0-0 0; Savage 0-0 0-0 0; Titsworth 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 27-54 9-15 72.
3-point goals — Emporia State 5-19 (Watson 4-10; Book 1-5; Davison 0-2; Townsend 0-2), Missouri Southern 9-21 (Hurst 6-8; Ryerson 1-4; Britton 1-1; Habermehl 1-5; Titsworth 0-2; Rice 0-1). Fouled out — Emporia State: None, Missouri Southern: None. Rebounds — Emporia State 32 (Desir 7; Watson 7), Missouri Southern 37 (Cox 9). Assists — Emporia State 10 (Townsend 3; Fithian 3), Missouri Southern 22 (Ryerson 11). Total fouls — Emporia State 15, Missouri Southern 16. Att — 1124.