The Run Is Done
Thursday, January 25, 2007
By Jesse Newell
newell@emporiagazette.com
No scouting report could have prepared Donta Watson for this.
Sure, he knew about Northwest Missouri State and its reputation coming in.
But now, looking out into the empty seats at White Auditorium, the senior remained somewhat stunned by what he had just seen.
“Coach (David Moe) told us coming in that they were going to be a mentally tough team,” Watson said, “and they weren’t going to back down.”
He still never could have expected this out of the Bearcats — or any team for that matter.
Facing a 16-point deficit early, No. 19 NWMSU remained unfazed, dominating the rest of the game in an 89-72 victory over No. 7 ESU Wednesday night.
The loss snapped the Hornets’ school-record winning streak at 16 games.
“We just got out-toughed in every facet of the game,” Watson said.
It sure didn’t look as if it would start out that way, as ESU put together its best opening stretch of the season to build momentum and a huge advantage.
Watson kicked off the scoring with a three from the corner, and jumpers from DeAndre Townsend and Caleb Tegtmeier gave ESU a 7-0 lead and forced a Northwest timeout 75 seconds in.
The Hornets came out just as hot after the break. Townsend hit a three from the left side and Watson connected on a pair of guarded 3-pointers to give ESU a 16-0 advantage, bringing the crowd to its feet as NWMSU coach Steve Tappmeyer used a second timeout just 2 minutes, 50 seconds into the contest.
“We talked about trying to play a whole game tonight,” Watson said, “and we definitely played a great first 3 minutes.”
Northwest started to earn its “tough” reputation after that.
The Bearcats wasted no time cutting into the lead. Andy Peterson hit two threes, and Victor James followed with a pair of jumpers during a 12-0 Northwest run that cut the deficit to 21-18.
After an Andrew Davison 3-pointer, the Bearcats went back to work. Matt Withers’ layup, followed by Hunter Henry’s two buckets and free throw completed the comeback, as Northwest took a 25-24 lead with 8:02 remaining in the half.
NWMSU (14-4, 7-2 MIAA) needed just 9 minutes to completely erase ESU’s 16-point advantage.
“They were down 16-0, and they didn’t fold,” Watson said. “That says a lot about their team. That says a lot about the character of their program.”
A Lance Sullivan three completed Northwest’s second 10-point run of the first half, and the Bearcats took a 39-34 lead into halftime.
From there, ESU was shot out of its own gym by the streaky Bearcats.
Sullivan hit two more threes before the first media timeout, keying another 10-0 Northwest run that made it 53-40.
ESU never got its deficit down to single digits the rest of the way. The Bearcats, who averaged 6.8 3-pointers per game coming in, made 7 of their 8 shots (88 percent) from beyond the arc in the second half alone.
Overall, Northwest was 12-of-18 (67 percent) from three-point range.
“They played great defense, and on the other end they come out hitting shots,” Townsend said. “They thrive off defense, so on offense they’re confident when they take their shots.”
NWMSU’s 89 points was its second-highest total this season and more than 15 points above its average. The Bearcats are now 10-0 when scoring 70 points.
After its initial outburst, ESU (16-1, 7-1) never did find its rhythm offensively against Northwest’s pressure defense. The Hornets made 22 of 52 shots overall (42 percent) with 16 turnovers.
“When we have trouble passing the ball, we’re going to be in trouble,” Moe said. “We had no answers. Even the shots we made are not the shots you win with.”
Townsend finished with 26 points for ESU, while Watson contributed 24. Caleb Tegtmeier was the only other Hornet in double figures with 10.
Sullivan tied his career-high with 20 points, while Peterson (22) and Withers (15) came up one point short of their personal-bests.
ESU will learn a lot about itself during this weekend’s trip to play Fort Hays State. For the first time this season, the Hornets will have to try to regroup after a loss.
“The biggest thing,” Moe said, “is that we can’t afford to let one game hurt us for two, three or four games.”
Though the streak came to an end, Townsend said the Hornets’ run this season wasn’t over yet.
“It was crazy — definitely crazy,” Townsend said. “It won’t stop. We’ll continue to work hard in practice and continue to get better for the postseason.”
NORTHWEST MO. STATE men 89, ESU 72
No. 19 Northwest Missouri 39 50 — 89
No. 7 Emporia State 34 38 — 72
NORTHWEST MISSOURI (14-4, 7-2 MIAA)
Peterson,Andy 8-12 1-2 22; Sullivan,Lance 6-12 3-4 20; Withers,Matt 6-9 3-3 15; Henry,Hunter 4-10 6-7 14; James,Victor 4-6 0-0 8; Hawkins,John 2-2 0-0 5; Larsen,Mike 1-8 2-4 5; McKinnie,Rashad 0-0 0-0 0; McFall,Clint 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-59 15-20 89.
EMPORIA STATE (16-1, 7-1 MIAA)
Townsend,DeAndre 8-14 5-6 26; Watson,Donta 6-15 7-7 24; Tegtmeier,Caleb 3-4 3-3 10; Davison,Andrew 1-2 0-0 3; Book,Wes 1-8 0-1 3; Desir,Ed 1-2 0-0 2; Fithian,Jordan 1-4 0-0 2; Elliott,Scott 1-3 0-0 2; Andrews,Dustin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 15-17 72.
3-point goals — Northwest Missouri 12-18 (Sullivan,Lance 5-7; Peterson,Andy 5-7; Larsen,Mike 1-3; Hawkins,John 1-1), Emporia State 13-27 (Townsend,DeAndre 5-8; Watson,Donta 5-11; Book,Wes 1-5; Davison,Andrew 1-2; Tegtmeier,Caleb 1-1). Fouled out — Northwest Missouri: None, Emporia State: Watson,Donta. Rebounds — Northwest Missouri 36 (Larsen,Mike 7), Emporia State 23 (Desir,Ed 6; Fithian,Jordan 6). Assists — Northwest Missouri 19 (Larsen,Mike 8), Emporia State 15 (Fithian,Jordan 5). Total fouls — Northwest Missouri 19, Emporia State 21. Att — 3217.