On Cruise Control
Lady Hornets get big halftime lead, coast to victory over Jennies
By Jesse Newell
Saturday, March 3, 2007
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Emporia State women’s basketball team played so well in the first half against Central Missouri, it didn’t need to do much in the second half to secure the victory.
It’s a good thing, too.
After a dominating first half that saw the No. 11 Lady Hornets lead by as many as 27, ESU coasted to a 67-50 victory Friday in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.
ESU coach Brandon Schneider said his team’s locker room celebration at halftime — when the Lady Hornets were up 46-19 — came a little prematurely.
“There was just a lot of back-slapping going on,” Schneider said, “and not enough understanding that there was another half to play.”
After ESU’s first 20 minutes, the players had the right to be at least a little pleased.
The Lady Hornets shut down UCM’s offense, holding the Jennies to 19-percent (6-of-31) shooting in the first half.
“We let their pressure get to us a lot,” UCM coach Dave Slifer said. “That’s what Emporia does to you.”
The Jennies went on a 6-minute, 10-second scoring drought, and ESU took advantage with a 9-0 run that made it 25-12.
Meanwhile, the Lady Hornets were a model of efficiency on offense.
With an increased emphasis on getting the ball inside, ESU made 18 of 29 shots (63 percent) in the opening 20 minutes, ending the half on a 13-0 run to take a 46-19 halftime lead. ESU had 30 first-half points in the paint to Central’s two.
“We just came in with the approach of making sure we brought the fight to them,” ESU forward Casey Henningsen said.
The second half was a different story, as in the final 7 minutes, Central used a 15-2 run to cut a 26-point deficit to 13 with 1:35 remaining.
ESU scored just 21 points in the last 20 minutes while resting some of its starters in preparation for a possible three-games-in-three-days stretch.
“Because of how we were at halftime, I don’t think it would have mattered who we played in that second half. We weren’t going to be very good,” Schneider said. “You just can’t go in and have the kind of celebration that they were having in the locker room and expect to come out and be very sharp.
“We didn’t handle that with very much maturity. We learned our lesson there.”
ESU caught a break, as Central’s Kim Battle did not play. The senior, who averages 11 points per game, was held out because of illness.
“She threw up on the bus,” Slifer said, “so that was not a good start on the way here.”
Andrea Leiker led the Lady Hornets with 12 points, while Michelle Stueve added 11. Henningsen and Genae Glasper both added double figures with 10.
No Lady Hornet logged more than 27 minutes in the game.
The victory sets up a rematch tonight at 8:15 in the semifinals against rival and sixth-ranked Washburn.
The Lady Blues rolled over Southwest Baptist, 78-53, earlier on Friday.
“The thing about Washburn is, you just have to be awesome on offense if you’re going to beat them,” Schneider said. “They’re so good defensively and make you earn every basket. You really have to be clicking on all cylinders to have a chance to win that game.”
ESU won the last meeting between the two schools, overcoming a 16-point second-half deficit to take a 74-67 victory on Feb. 17 at White Auditorium.
“It’ll be tough. It always is the third time playing them,” Stueve said. “We look forward to it.”
EMPORIA STATE women 67, CENTRAL MO. 50
Central Missouri 19 31 — 50
No. 11 Emporia State 46 21 — 67
CENTRAL MISSOURI (14-14)
Jones 4-13 5-8 13; Maple 1-6 6-8 9; Vincent 3-6 2-2 8; Millham 3-9 0-0 8; Schoenfeld 2-10 0-0 6; Fromm 2-11 0-1 4; Cook 0-6 2-2 2; Ross 0-0 0-2 0; Brooks 0-1 0-0 0; Hicks 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 15-64 15-23 50.
EMPORIA STATE (22-6)
Leiker 3-8 4-4 12; Stueve 4-10 2-2 11; Glasper 4-8 2-4 10; Henningsen 3-5 4-4 10; Svarova 3-7 0-0 6; Boston 3-6 0-0 6; Stuart 2-5 0-0 6; Corker 3-6 0-0 6; Chilson 0-0 0-0 0; Commons 0-1 0-0 0; Dorsey 0-2 0-0 0; Augustyn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 12-14 67.
3-point goals — Central Missouri 5-26 (Schoenfeld 2-5; Millham 2-5; Maple 1-4; Cook 0-4; Brooks 0-1; Fromm 0-5; Vincent 0-2), Emporia State 5-23 (Leiker 2-4; Stuart 2-4; Stueve 1-6; Boston 0-1; Corker 0-3; Commons 0-1; Dorsey 0-2; Augustyn 0-2). Fouled out — Central Missouri: None; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Central Missouri 43, (Jones 16), Emporia State 47 (Svarova 10). Assists — Central Missouri 11 (Millham 5), Emporia State 16 (Stuart 6). Total fouls — Central Missouri 12, Emporia State 17. Att — 1363.