The prize fight between No. 4 Emporia State and No. 3 Washburn never lived up to expectations.
In fact, if you ask ESU coach Brandon Schneider, only one team was really fighting in the first half of Washburn’s 69-62 victory Wednesday at Lee Arena.
“We didn’t give out any blows whatsoever. We just took them,” Schneider said. “We just looked like the boxer that’s hoping the round’s going to end soon so he can go rest and quit getting his face kicked in.
“That’s what we looked like in the first half.”
ESU didn’t have an answer for Washburn’s physical play in the first 20 minutes. The Lady Hornets turned it over 10 times in the first half compared to the Lady Blues’ one turnover.
Add to that All-American Michelle Stueve finishing the opening frame with just two points on 0-of-5 shooting, and ESU might have been lucky to only be down 40-29 at the break.
“We were really, really soft,” Schneider said. “They got all the loose balls, even when we had numbers on loose balls. We shied away from getting screened. They just physically whipped us in the first half.”
Washburn started strong with some help from good fortune.
After taking an 8-6 advantage, Washburn extended the lead on a 29-foot, bank-shot heave from Brooke Ubelaker.
The desperation attempt came after ESU’s defense forced the Lady Blues to recover the ball and put it up quickly with the shot clock expiring.
“She’s a good shooter. I think she can shoot that shot,” Stueve said. “To a lot of people it seemed like a prayer, but I don’t think it was.”
Washburn extended its lead to 11 at intermission, but it would have been worse if Cassondra Boston not put together her best offensive half of the year.
Boston had 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, making 6 of 7 shots from the field during that stretch. She also took over the ESU scoring late, posting 10 of the Lady Hornets’ final 13 points in the first half.
“Brandon just told me to keep pushing the ball, so that’s what I was doing,” Boston said. “I had open shots, so I was taking them.”
Stueve’s slow start wasn’t from a lack of trying. The Lady Hornets consistently tried to get the ball to her in the post, but WU made it difficult for the forward to receive those passes and then convert.
“I just wasn’t being strong enough,” Stueve said. “In the first half, I was a little weak.”
ESU picked up its defense in half two, as Washburn made just 6 of its 28 attempts for a frigid 21.4 percent.
Still, the Lady Hornets were held at bay themselves, never able to make a run to get back into the game.
ESU came closest at the 6:34 mark, with Genae Glasper’s layup off a fast break cutting the deficit to 51-48. After a WU timeout, Cindy Keeley hit a pair of free throws and Amanda Holmes made a lay-in to push the lead back to seven.
A Boston 3-pointer with 52.7 seconds remaining brought ESU within six, but the Lady Hornets would not come any closer.
Boston led ESU with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Casey Henningsen added nine points.
Stueve finished with nine points as well, ending her night 2-for-10 from the floor and 1-of-5 from three-point range.
“We tried to get it inside, and we probably overdid it,” Schneider said. “We forced it, but they were being physical.”
Holmes tied a career-high with 16 points for Washburn. Ubelaker added 12, while Jessica Aebi hit double figures with 10.
ESU (9-3) lost its first conference game this season after opening with wins against Fort Hays State and Southwest Baptist at home.
After the game, Schneider took full responsibility for his team’s play.
“If a team lacks toughness, then that’s the coach’s fault,” Schneider said. “It’s nobody else’s responsibility other than the coach’s to build toughness in the program.”
Washburn has won six of the last seven meetings between the two schools.
This time, ESU was unable to pull off a second-half comeback at Lee Arena. The Lady Hornets trailed 31-20 at halftime last season before rallying for a 61-59 victory in the Regional Championship.
“We can’t expect to let them get a big lead every time and try to come back,” Stueve said. “They’re a good team, and they deserve a lot of respect. You’re not going to catch them at the end every time.”
ESU will travel to play Pittsburg State on Saturday.