KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The tears that Wes Book brought to the press conference didn’t come from sadness or sorrow.
Instead, they came from helplessness.
“It’s tough. I don’t know if we’re done or not,” Book said. “I don’t know what to think.”
The Emporia State men suffered their third consecutive defeat on Thursday, never challenging Truman late in an 88-75 loss in the first round of the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.
Now, exactly 40 days after starting the season 16-0, the Hornets’ NCAA Tournament chances rest solely with the South Central regional committee.
“I’m speechless. I don’t know what to think,” ESU guard DeAndre Townsend said. “We’re all confused.”
Even if the Hornets don’t make the NCAA tournament, they’ll know they had at least had an opportunity to.
The latest chance came Thursday night, as in a must-win game, ESU looked timid and shell-shocked to start against Truman.
The Bulldogs, who average only 67.9 points per game, hit 4 of their first 6 3-pointers to take a 22-11 lead in the opening 6 minutes, 35 seconds.
“We executed on offense and were patient but still aggressive,” Truman coach Jack Schrader said. “It’s hard to be patient sometimes and still aggressive. I thought we did a good job of that.”
It only got worse for ESU.
A bank-shot from Andy Calmes gave Truman a 37-20 lead with 3:35 left, as ESU went through a 4-minute, 53-second stretch without a field goal.
“I thought we were ready to play,” ESU coach David Moe said, “and we didn’t play well.”
The Hornets responded late in the first half to keep themselves within striking distance. A three-point play from Townsend and a three from Book contributed to an 8-0 ESU run that cut the deficit to 39-31.
Truman led, 42-31, at the break, helped by Nick Certa’s 14 points. The junior, who averages 13.9 points per game, was 5-for-7 in the opening 20 minutes and 3-for-4 from three-point range.
“He did the same thing he does every night: sits in the corner and hits threes,” Book said.
ESU closed the gap to 71-61 with 4:44 remaining before Calmes sealed it. The senior scored nine consecutive points for his team — with six coming on layups — for a personal 9-5 run that made it 80-66 with 2:06 left.
The Hornets didn’t challenge after that.
Townsend led ESU with 20 points, while Book added 18.
Calmes paced Truman, scoring 26 while grabbing 13 rebounds and adding eight assists. He was 12-for-14 from the floor.
Certa contributed 21, going 4-for-8 from three-point range.
ESU, which dropped from sixth to seventh in the regional rankings on Thursday because of an error made in the originally distributed poll, will now have to wait until Sunday to see if it claims an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Hornets will at the very least need to hang on to the No. 7 spot in the region and hope that the favorites win both the Lone Star and MIAA Tournament Championships.
The top eight teams in the regional rankings make the playoffs after the Heartland, Lone Star and MIAA Conference tournament winners secure automatic berths.
“I know we’re not the judge,” Townsend said. “Hopefully, the (committee) will make the right decisions.”
“We had a great run early,” Moe said. “I can’t imagine three teams not coming from the MIAA.”
TRUMAN 88, EMPORIA STATE 75
Truman 42 46 — 88
Emporia State 31 44 — 75
TRUMAN (16-12)
Calmes 12-14 1-1 26; Certa 8-16 1-2 21; Kirby 5-9 4-5 17; Agbo 4-6 4-6 12; Estridge 2-4 4-6 8; Grimm 0-5 2-2 2; Fandja 1-3 0-0 2; Taylor 0-0 0-0 0; Landau 0-0 0-0 0; Kern 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 32-57 16-24 88.
EMPORIA STATE (21-7)
Townsend 8-12 2-3 20; Book 6-16 3-4 18; Watson 5-15 0-1 12; Andrews 3-5 3-3 10; Davison 2-7 2-2 6; Fithian 2-4 2-3 6; Tegtmeier 1-4 0-0 2; Elliott 0-2 1-2 1; Desir 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-66 13-18 75.
3-point goals — Truman 8-15 (Certa 4-8; Kirby 3-6; Calmes 1-1), Emporia State 8-26 (Book 3-7; Watson 2-7; Townsend 2-3; Andrews 1-3; Tegtmeier 0-1; Davison 0-5). Fouled out — Truman: Kern; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Truman 38 (Calmes 13), Emporia State 31 (Book 7). Assists — Truman 23 (Estridge 11); Emporia State 12 (Townsend 5). Total fouls — Truman 19, Emporia State 21. Att — 1245.