HAYS — The play called for Donta Watson to shoot a 3-pointer.
Admittedly, though, Watson wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention to details.
“Improvisation,” Watson said. “When the game’s on the line like that, you really can’t think, you’ve just got to go out there and see what you’ve got.”
Evidently Watson — and ESU — had what it took on Saturday, as the senior guard split two defenders and hit a leaning, 12-foot, game-winning jump shot with 28.7 seconds left to help give the Hornets a 76-73 victory over Fort Hays State.
“You’ve got to have confidence,” Watson said. “If you don’t have confidence, it’s not going to go in.”
The senior’s two gave ESU a 74-73 advantage, but he wasn’t quite done with his heroics yet.
FHSU’s Jeff Pruitt received the ball on the ensuing possession, putting up a shot from the right baseline that hit the rim twice before bouncing away.
Somehow, the 5-foot-11 Watson came out of the scrum underneath with the rebound. After being fouled, he calmly sank two free throws to put ESU up by three with 5.5 seconds remaining.
Pruitt’s guarded three from the right side clanged off the rim as the buzzer sounded to finish off ESU’s victory.
The Hornets overcame a 13-point first-half deficit and also some shaken confidence after losing their first game of the season against Northwest Missouri State, 89-72, on Wednesday.
Despite moving the ball well, ESU made just 7 of 22 (32 percent) shots in the first half, falling behind 34-21 after John Rogers’ drive and lay-in with two minutes left in the frame.
The Hornets also went through the first 20 minutes without showing much of their characteristic emotion.
“We were doing the right things in the first half, but we weren’t having any fun,” Watson said. “We did the right things in the second half and had fun, and it showed out there on the court.”
The mood quickly changed for the Hornets.
Jordan Fithian hit a turn-around to start the second half, and immediately the ESU bench rose to its feet to start a defense chant.
ESU (17-1, 8-1 MIAA) was on the offensive the rest of the game.
Starting at the 15-minute mark, the Hornets went on a 19-5 run to turn a 44-37 deficit into a 57-49 advantage.
“We were trying to re-establish how we play,” ESU coach David Moe said. “We had to get back into our system the belief that we can win and have success.”
The Hornets led 72-65 with 4:39 left before an 8-0 Tiger run gave FHSU a 73-72 lead with 47.7 seconds remaining.
Watson scored on the ensuing possession after Moe called timeout to set up the play. ESU was without late-game specialist Wes Book, who had fouled out two minutes earlier.
Watson had the final four points despite suffering through an off shooting night before then. The senior finished with 18 points, making 6 of his 20 shots from the floor.
DeAndre Townsend added 17, while Caleb Tegtmeier had 13, going 11-of-15 from the free-throw line. Ed Desir contributed 14 rebounds.
Moe said he was pleased with how his team responded to its first loss, even though it trailed in the first half.
“We weren’t playing well, but we were playing the right way,” Moe said. “I told the team at halftime, win or lose, if we play this way, we’re going to win games down the road.”
ESU will travel to Maryville, Mo., on Wednesday for a rematch with Northwest.
Townsend said with the FHSU victory, the Hornets were once again a confident bunch.
“We knew that the game (last) Wednesday wasn’t going to dictate our whole season,” Townsend said. “It was a slip and a fall, but we got back up.”
EMPORIA STATE men 76, FORT HAYS STATE 73
No. 7 Emporia State 24 52 — 76
Fort Hays State 34 39 — 73
EMPORIA STATE (17-1, 8-1 MIAA)
Watson, Donta 6-20 2-2 18; Townsend, DeAndre 5-11 6-9 17; Tegtmeier, Caleb 1-5 11-15 13; Book, Wes 2-3 3-4 8; Fithian, Jordan 3-5 2-2 8; Davison, Andrew 3-4 0-2 8; Desir, Ed 1-2 2-4 4; Elliott, Scott 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 26-38 76.
FORT HAYS STATE (9-10, 2-8 MIAA)
Pruitt, Jeff 9-14 0-0 20; Wagstaff, Kevin 4-15 1-1 13; Davenport, Alex 4-7 1-2 11; Rogers, John 3-7 5-7 11; Peintner, Tim 3-3 0-0 7; Owens, Loranja 1-6 4-4 6; Herrman, Ryan 0-1 2-4 2; Grant, Anthony 0-3 2-4 2; Olberding, Colin 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 24-58 16-24 73.
3-point goals — Emporia State 8-23 (Watson, Donta 4-12; Davison, Andrew 2-3; Book, Wes 1-1; Townsend, DeAndre 1-4; Tegtmeier, Caleb 0-3), Fort Hays State 9-24 (Wagstaff, Kevin 4-10; Pruitt, Jeff 2-5; Davenport, Alex 2-4; Peintner, Tim 1-1; Grant, Anthony 0-1; Olberding, Colin 0-2; Owens, Loranja 0-1). Fouled out — Emporia State: Book, Wes, Fort Hays State: Owens, Loranja. Rebounds — Emporia State 42 (Desir, Ed 14), Fort Hays State 36 (Rogers, John 9). Assists — Emporia State 13 (Watson, Donta 3; Book, Wes 3), Fort Hays State 13 (Owens, Loranja 6). Total fouls — Emporia State 23, Fort Hays State 25. Att — 3104.