David Moe knows his team probably didn’t deserve to win after playing like it did for the first 35 minutes against Pittsburg State on Wednesday.
Then again, the Hornets probably didn’t deserve to lose the way they did after miraculously making up a 13-point deficit in just under 4 minutes.
With the game tied and time running out, PSU’s Ed Morris picked up a loose ball that was fumbled by teammate Joe Bridges and put in the game-winning jumper with 5 seconds left in the Gorillas’ 91-88 victory at White Auditorium.
“I feel sad for our players,” the ESU coach said, “that they got a chance to win the game and it didn’t come out.”
With a chance for the last shot and the game tied at 88, Bridges started his approach toward the basket when he dribbled the ball too far in front of his body.
ESU guard DeAndre Townsend snatched for it, finally going into an all-out dive for the ball that had been knocked loose.
“I don’t know how Bear (DeAndre) didn’t end up getting the ball,” Moe said.
Instead, it found its way to Morris, whose leaner from the lane rolled on the rim before falling in.
“We didn’t really let it slip away, but it’s just disappointing to have them make a play like that,” ESU guard Andrew Davison said. “We really feel like we should have won that game. That’s how it bounces sometimes.”
ESU’s Donta Watson lost the ball on the next possession, and after a Carlos Taylor free throw, the Hornets had one last chance to tie it with 3.3 seconds left.
Townsend pushed the ball upcourt, but his 30-footer at the buzzer was blocked.
“It was really disappointing,” Davison said, “just because we fought so hard to come back.”
Trailing by as many as 16 in the second half, the Hornets faced a 79-66 hole with 4:37 left before rallying with a furious full-court press.
Baskets from Caleb Tegtmeier and Townsend cut the lead to 10, and two free throws from Townsend chiseled PSU’s advantage to 80-72 with 2:56 left.
A Davison three from the left side cut it to six before Cory Abercrombie’s three-point play made it 84-75 with 2:12 remaining.
Townsend contributed the next eight points — four on jumpers and four on free throws — for a personal 8-3 spurt to make it 87-83 with 48.1 seconds left.
That’s when the Hornets made their final push in almost no time at all.
Taylor made one of two free throws before ESU’s Ed Desir was fouled on a dunk attempt. After the forward sank two free throws with 39.7 seconds left, the Hornets’ Scott Elliott stole the inbounds pass, giving it up to Davison.
The 6-foot-3 guard released a 3-pointer from the left side, jumping up twice in excitement after shooting it.
“I was wishing it in,” Davison said. “It felt good when it left the hand. I know Bear (Townsend) was wanting it, but I was taking this one.”
The ball fell through the net, producing a roar from the crowd and tying the game at 88 with 33 seconds left.
“It was maybe one of the biggest shots I’ve ever hit,” Davison said. “I was so excited. I was just hoping so much we could get the last stop.”
It would never come for ESU.
The Hornets positioned for their press once again, but Moe furiously waved his players back to a half-court set even though the pressure had caused so many problems for the Gorillas.
“We got done what we needed to get done,” Moe said. “Once you get back in it, you need a stop. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened. It’s just a mishandle that went against us.”
Townsend finished with 29 points for ESU — with 23 of those coming in the final 16 minutes.
Watson added 18 and Tegtmeier contributed 11.
PSU built its lead with outside shots.
The Gorillas hit 10 of their 18 three-point attempts (56 percent) despite being ranked 228th in Division II with an average of 4.96 3-pointers per game coming in.
PSU was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Morris had a team-high 21 points, while Taylor added 18 and Abercrombie chipped in 17.
PITTSBURG ST. men 91, EMPORIA STATE 88
Pittsburg State 43 48 — 91
No. 19 Emporia State 35 53 — 88
PITTSBURG STATE (14-10, 7-8 MIAA)
Morris 6-13 9-11 21; Taylor 6-11 3-6 18; Abercrombie 7-9 3-3 17; Roe 3-3 0-0 9; Blair 2-4 4-6 8; Bridges 3-4 0-3 7; Hutchingson 2-7 0-0 5; Lang 1-1 0-1 3; Windom 1-5 0-0 3. Totals 31-57 19-30 91.
EMPORIA STATE (19-4, 10-4 MIAA)
Townsend 9-18 11-12 29; Watson 6-14 0-0 18; Tegtmeier 4-7 3-4 11; Davison 3-8 0-0 9; Fithian 4-7 0-0 8; Desir 1-1 3-4 5; Book 2-4 0-0 4; Elliott 2-3 0-0 4; Andrews 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-62 17-20 88.
3-point goals — Pittsburg State 10-18 (Taylor 3-7; Roe 3-3; Lang 1-1; Hutchingson 1-2; Windom 1-4; Bridges 1-1); Emporia State 9-25 (Watson 6-12; Davison 3-8; Book 0-1; Townsend 0-4). Fouled out — Pittsburg State: Abercrombie. Emporia State — Watson. Rebounds — Pittsburg State 32 (Blair 7), Emporia State 25 (Book 4; Desir 4; Tegtmeier 4). Assists — Pittsburg State 21 (Bridges 7), Emporia State 19 (Townsend 4; Watson 4). Total fouls — Pittsburg State 15, Emporia State 28. Att —1978.