HAYS — It was preparation in practice that helped build the Emporia State Lady Hornets’ lead against Fort Hays State on Saturday.
It was a shot that Cassondra Boston never practices, though, that sealed the deal in ESU’s 89-60 victory over the Tigers.
After a 6-0 FHSU run had cut the ESU deficit to 65-51 with 7:31 remaining, Cassondra Boston retreated towards the half-court line to retrieve an errant pass.
“I knew the shot clock was going down,” Boston said, “so I had to throw it up.”
After grabbing it, the point guard pivoted and heaved a 32-footer with 1 second remaining on the shot clock.
The leaning toss somehow found its way into the net, rebuilding the lead to 18 and, more importantly, giving the Lady Hornets momentum.
ESU outscored FHSU 24-9 the rest of the way.
“It had been going our way most of the game,” Boston said. “Then that shot just went in.”
The Lady Hornets earned the victory partly by strong preparation.
ESU was ready for FHSU’s full-court press and zone defenses after working to break them in practice.
“We expected it,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said. “We got a recent tape where they’d ran it the whole game against Missouri Southern, and we anticipated with their numbers being a little down that they might throw it at us as well.”
The Tigers did, but not with much success.
The Lady Hornets made 31 of 64 shots from the floor (48 percent) and also were effective shooting over the zone, draining 12 of 26 three-point attempts (46 percent).
“I thought we moved the ball really well to get people open shots,” ESU junior Michelle Stueve said.
ESU benefited from a fast start. FHSU scored the first three points, but Tegan Stuart responded with a 3-pointer and Genae Glasper contributed three consecutive layups to give the Lady Hornets a 9-0 run and 9-3 lead.
“We knew we had to get it going the first half,” Stueve said, “or they could hang around and get back.”
ESU never trailed again, taking a 36-26 advantage into the break before leading by as many as 29 points in the second half.
Stueve led the Lady Hornets, scoring 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting. She also made 4 of her 9 three-point attempts.
Boston added 18 points to go along with four assists and just one turnover. Andrea Leiker also hit double figures with 13 points.
ESU won despite having foul problems in the post.
Denisa Svarova was the target of many of those whistles, as she picked up her first four fouls in a combined 1 minute of game action. She later fouled out after playing just 4 minutes.
“I feel bad for her,” Schneider said, “because that can be really frustrating.”
FHSU’s Ashlee Gustin scored 18 points, but ESU still managed to keep her in check. The forward was just 5-of-15 from the field, earning eight of her points at the free-throw line.
With the victory, the Lady Hornets put together back-to-back blowouts for the first time since the non-conference season.
Schneider said the team’s more consistent play was encouraging.
“I think in the last two games, we’ve had every player contribute things we expect them to contribute,” Schneider said. “We’re playing a lot more together and a lot more like the person next to me needs me.”
EMPORIA STATE women 89, FT. HAYS STATE 60
No. 11 Emporia State 36 53 — 89
Fort Hays State 26 34 — 60
EMPORIA STATE (14-4, 7-2 MIAA)
Stueve, Michelle 7-15 4-4 22; Boston, Cassondra 7-12 1-1 18; Leiker, Andrea 3-7 7-7 13; Stuart, Tegan 3-6 0-0 9; Glasper,Genae 3-6 2-2 8; Henningsen, Casey 3-9 1-1 7; Dorsey, Carolyn 2-4 0-0 5; Corker, Lacy 2-2 0-1 5; Svarova, Denisa 1-1 0-0 2; Chilson, Shelby 0-0 0-0 0; Commons, Tina 0-0 0-0 0; Augustyn, Jamie 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-64 15-16 89.
FORT HAYS STATE (10-8, 2-8 MIAA)
Gustin, Ashlee 5-15 8-14 18; Bancroft, Naomi 4-8 0-0 12; Boling, Raychel 3-4 2-3 8; Mason, Meshia 3-7 2-2 8; Klug, Kayla 2-7 0-0 4; Kuntzsch, Sheena 0-1 3-4 3; King,Kacy 0-2 3-4 3; Matteson, Kendra 1-3 0-0 2; Rausch, Katie 1-6 0-0 2; Huston, Madison 0-1 0-4 0. Totals 19-54 18-31 60.
3-point goals — Emporia State 12-26 (Stueve, Michelle 4-9; Stuart, Tegan 3-4; Boston, Cassondra 3-8; Corker, Lacy 1-1; Dorsey, Carolyn 1-1; Augustyn, Jamie 0-1; Leiker, Andrea 0-2), Fort Hays State 4-11 (Bancroft, Naomi 4-6; Mason, Meshia 0-1; King, Kacy 0-1; Matteson, Kendra 0-1; Rausch, Katie 0-2). Fouled out — Emporia State: Svarova, Denisa; Glasper, Genae, Fort Hays State: None. Rebounds — Emporia State 8 (Mason, Meshia 4). Total fouls — Emporia State 23, Fort Hays State 17. Att — 2200.
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