There were cheers and high-fives, congratulations and smiles.
And through it all, Michelle Stueve couldn’t make her way to the interview room.
The hallway outside the Emporia State locker room had turned into a parade, with Stueve and Cassondra Boston and Brandon Schneider having to weave their way through a mob of well-wishers after their 74-67 victory over Washburn on Saturday.
Forget the two losses in a row and the questions about this team’s toughness.
It’s amazing what a 16-point comeback against a bitter rival on national television can do for confidence — and for fanfare.
“It’s a great feeling to know we beat a great team,” Stueve said, “after having some pretty low times.”
After trailing, 40-24, with 19 minutes left, ESU looked to be on its way to a third consecutive setback.
Stueve had no points, Washburn had hit 7 of 13 3-pointers in the first half, and not even a raucous crowd of 4,642 — the third-largest in school history — could seem to get ESU out of its funk.
It all changed innocently enough when Stueve was fouled on a jumpshot, draining a pair of free throws for her first points at the 17:41 mark of the second half.
“It really got her head up,” WU coach Ron McHenry said, “and got her some confidence.”
The All-American played like one the rest of the way.
Though she had been held to 7.6 points per game and 25 percent shooting in her previous eight games against Washburn, Stueve scored the next 11 points for ESU, helping the Lady Hornets on a 16-4 run to close the deficit to 45-42 with 13:32 left.
“When I got the ball, I didn’t second-guess a shot,” Stueve said. “I just took what they gave me instead of worrying about making a special play. I think that’s why I had success.”
ESU completed the improbable comeback eight minutes later, as Stueve hit a three and Andrea Leiker followed with a three-point play to give the Lady Hornets a 58-57 lead with 4:58 left.
Washburn cut the deficit to 68-67 on a pair of Amanda Holmes free throws with 1:49 remaining, but ESU responded with its unintimidated freshman Boston.
Though most in attendance might have wondered whether the ball was going to Stueve or Casey Henningsen, Boston went behind a screen at the top of the circle and drained a step-back 3-pointer to push the lead back to 71-67 with 1:33 remaining.
“That was a huge play,” Stueve said. “We didn’t have to set up in anything. She was open, and she needs to take those shots.”
ESU wasn’t challenged after that point, with Stueve tossing the ball up in the air after the final horn.
“I hope it really gives us a jolt,” Schneider said. “We’ve tried really hard not to dwell on the last two games and accentuate some of the positives going into this game. Our kids have proven to themselves, most importantly, that ... they’re capable of competing with anybody in the country.”
The rally was spurred by an unwavering crowd that rattled the walls of White Auditorium in the first national TV game in its 66-year history.
“Our fans, I think, are the best in the country,” Schneider said. “They’re phenomenal. When there’s a big-time game, they show up.”
“It was a great experience,” Boston said. “I think the fans gave us so much energy, and they helped us out a lot.”
The enthusiasm surrounding the game actually might have slowed ESU early, as the Lady Hornets looked jittery and nervous while falling behind, 38-24, at halftime.
ESU had 11 turnovers in the first 12 minutes.
Washburn-beater Henningsen single-handedly kept ESU in it.
The senior forward made 4 of 5 shots from the floor for 12 first-half points, while the rest of the team made just 3 of 17 shots (18 percent).
Last year, Henningsen scored 25 points in the second half and overtime of ESU’s 61-59 victory over Washburn in the South Central Regional Finals.
Boston’s 20 points led ESU, while Stueve contributed all 18 of her points in the second half.
Henningsen and Leiker both added 14 points each.
Washburn hit only 2 of its 12 three-point attempts in the second half.
The game, which was televised by CSTV, was the first MIAA regular-season game ever to be shown to a national audience.
“I think it’s a great thing for our league and a great thing for our two universities,” Schneider said, “because that’s a big-time environment at a small college.”
EMPORIA STATE women 74, WASHBURN 67
No. 3 Washburn 38 29 — 67
No. 9 Emporia State 24 50 — 74
WASHBURN (22-3, 13-3 MIAA)
Ubelaker 6-17 1-1 16; Keeley 5-10 2-4 16; Stiger 4-12 0-0 9; Aebi 4-8 0-0 9; Sullivan 4-7 0-0 8; Holmes 1-4 4-4 6; Mainz 0-1 3-4 3; Holmes 0-0 0-0 0; Germano 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 24-59 10-15 67.
EMPORIA STATE (18-6, 11-4 MIAA)
Boston 6-16 6-6 20; Stueve 5-9 6-7 18; Henningsen 5-9 4-6 14; Leiker 3-6 8-9 14; Glasper 1-3 2-2 4; Dorsey 0-1 2-2 2; Stuart 1-2 0-0 2; Svarova 0-2 0-0 0; Corker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-48 28-32 74.
3-point goals — Washburn 9-25 (Keeley 4-7; Ubelaker 3-9; Aebi 1-2; Stiger 1-6; Holmes 0-1), Emporia State 4-12 (Boston 2-7; Stueve 2-4; Stuart 0-1). Fouled out — Washburn: Holmes; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Washburn 33 (Ubelaker 6; Stiger 6), Emporia State 31 (Svarova 5; Stueve 5; Glasper 5; Henningsen 5). Assists — Washburn 18 (Sullivan 5), Emporia State 12 (Stuart 6). Total fouls — Washburn 22, Emporia State 14. Att — 4642.