BOLIVAR, Mo. — Casey Henningsen turned a couple more feet into a mile’s worth of production Saturday night against Southwest Baptist.
With an emphasis on getting deeper in the lane during her post up, Henningsen dominated the second half, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the final 20 minutes of Emporia State’s 82-68 victory over SBU.
“I’m playing with quite a bit of confidence now,” Henningsen said. “I went through a stretch where I wasn’t for awhile, and I realized I just needed to fix what I was doing and work harder on getting position so the shots were easier.”
After being held without double-digit scoring in five consecutive games in late January and early February, the forward has come to life as of late.
Henningsen has averaged 14.2 points per game in her last five outings.
ESU coach Brandon Schneider said the coaching staff noticed her positioning in film sessions and worked with her to correct it.
“We kind of gave her some tips to work a little bit smarter so that she wasn’t catching the ball three or four feet off the block,” Schneider said. “I thought tonight we got her the ball in position where she could finish plays.”
It didn’t hurt that even after seeing her four years, SBU decided not to double-team Henningsen at the most crucial of times.
The Bearcats rallied to take their second lead of the game with 12:16 left, as an Erika Souza layup made it 47-45.
Immediately Henningsen responded, getting position before making a quick move under the basket for a lay-in to tie the score.
The senior later dominated to help put it out of reach.
With ESU leading 62-58, Henningsen received the ball three consecutive times in scoring position, draining two jumpers and getting fouled on the third possession.
Her five consecutive points helped the Lady Hornets build their lead to nine with 4:03 left.
When the Bearcats finally overcorrected and double-teamed, the ESU guards made them pay.
With the defense sucked inside, Cassondra Boston and Tegan Stuart hit open 3-pointers in the final 3 minutes, 12 seconds to secure the victory.
ESU also was helped offensively by major contributions from Michelle Stueve and Genae Glasper.
Stueve contributed 22 points, while Glasper had a career-high 18 on 6-of-9 shooting.
The forward scored most of her points in transition, out-running SBU players to the other end despite being defended by a guard.
“This is the most important time,” Glasper said. “I’m just trying to play well going into the tournament.”
Henningsen finished with a double-double, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds.
An encouraging sign for ESU entering the postseason was that it played well down the stretch in a close game.
After facing a 10-point deficit, SBU tied the game after hitting four 3-pointers in the opening 5:03 of the second half.
The contest was tied again at 55 with 8:47 left before the Lady Hornets ended on a 27-13 run.
“It’s nice to see us, in a tight road game, make some timely stops and obviously make some plays on the offensive end,” Schneider said.
SBU made its living from the three-point line, connecting on 10 of its 30 shots from long range.
ESU earned the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament and will face Central Missouri at 8:15 p.m. Friday in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
The Lady Hornets lost to the Jennies on the road, 65-59, before routing them 106-62 one week ago at White Auditorium.
“That’s a little scary,” Schneider said of the matchup. “We made a bunch of shots against them, and they didn’t play particularly well.
“They’re much better than what they played, and we understand that.”
EMPORIA STATE women 82, SW BAPTIST 68
No. 11 Emporia State 36 46 — 82
Southwest Baptist 28 40 — 68
EMPORIA STATE (21-6, 14-4 MIAA)
Stueve 6-13 7-8 22; Glasper 6-9 6-7 18; Henningsen 6-12 3-6 15; Boston 3-10 6-8 13; Leiker 2-4 0-0 4; Svarova 1-2 1-2 3; Stuart 1-5 0-0 3; Dorsey 0-2 2-2 2; Corker 1-2 0-0 2; Chilson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 25-33 82.
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST (15-12, 7-11 MIAA)
Shewmaker 9-16 3-3 25; Brito 5-13 5-7 16; Wheeler 5-11 0-0 13; Bybee 2-7 0-0 6; Souza 2-10 2-2 6; Hanchey 1-5 0-0 2; Reinkemeyer 0-3 0-0 0; Reeves 0-3 0-0 0; Creed 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-69 10-12 68.
3-point goals — Emporia State 5-12 (Stueve 3-5; Stuart 1-2; Boston 1-5), Southwest Baptist 10-30 (Shewmaker 4-9; Wheeler 3-8; Bybee 2-5; Brito 1-3; Hanchey 0-1; Souza 0-4). Fouled out — Emporia State: None; Southwest Baptist: None. Rebounds — Emporia State 48 (Henningsen 11), Southwest Baptist 34 (Brito 7). Assists — Emporia State 14 (Stuart 4; Henningsen 4), Southwest Baptist 11 (Hanchey 3; Bybee 3). Total fouls — Emporia State 12, Southwest Baptist 21. Att — 713.
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