After listening to Wes Book in his post-game interview, Jesse Shaw couldn’t help but make an observation.
“You just got a big win,” the Emporia State assistant coach said, “and you act like we just lost.”
Forgive Book if he wasn’t doing cartwheels after No. 23 ESU’s 89-73 victory over Eastern New Mexico on Thursday night.
Though happy with the victory, the senior knew his team would have to improve if it wanted to keep winning games.
“Our expectation level is pretty high. If they hit a few free throws and knock down a few open threes, I think we all believe that’s a one- or two-possession game,” ESU coach David Moe said. “I think (Wes) is disappointed because we have high expectations on how we want to perform, and everyone had some mistakes.
At times, ESU had lapses defensively and also had troubles getting back in transition.
Then, when it appeared the Hornets had control in the second half, they watched as their 17-point lead was cut to six in just 4 1/2 minutes.
“You can’t look at the scoreboard and then continue to play hard,” Book said. “That’s what good teams are. They get somebody on the ropes and knock them out. They don’t just let them stagger around the ring.”
Fortunately for the Hornets, their offense looked in mid-season form.
ESU made 52 percent of its shots (33 of 63) and also was hot from the three-point line, making 8 of 16 from long range.
The team was led by Book, who came just short of a triple-double.
The senior had 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He also made 4 of 5 three-point attempts.
“I just try to do everything I can for this team — whatever they need me to do,” Book said.
It also was a good debut for transfer Marvin Lee, who had 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The senior also added five rebounds.
“He does a great job and brings us a dimension we don’t have,” Moe said. “He has the physical strength to make plays on his own almost any time he wants.”
DeAndre Townsend had 16 points and eight assists, while Andrew Davison also hit double figures with 13.
ESU started slow, falling behind 21-15 nine minutes in before recovering to take a 12-point halftime lead.
“We came out awful defensively,” Book said, “and just let them have too many easy shots.”
A big play for the Hornets came on their final possession of the first half.
With the opportunity for the final shot, Moe called an isolation play for Townsend and told his point guard to run it with 6 seconds left on the clock.
The senior guard had his own plans.
With 18 seconds left, Townsend split defenders in the lane, then passed out to Davison for an open 3-pointer that made the score 45-33 and gave ESU the momentum back.
After calling the victory a “big win” for his team, Moe said there were a few areas that needed improvement, which included moving off screens on defense and also rebounding.
Still, the coach knew that Book and the rest of his players wouldn’t be satisfied with just playing OK.
“It’s good to have a team,” Moe said, “that understands that it has to get better.”
Emporia State men 89, E. New Mexico 73
Thursday at White Auditorium
E. New Mexico 33 40 — 73
No. 23 ESU 45 44 — 89
Eastern New Mexico (0-1) — Kevin Davis 7-15 1-5 16, Kendall Clark 5-10 3-4 13, Travis Cooper 4-6 4-6 12, Jamaal McCoy 5-11 0-0 11, Kenneth Ward 3-4 0-0 6, Justin Redman-Trotter 1-8 4-5 6, Chad Johnson 2-5 0-0 5, Marquis Ruffin 1-4 0-2 2, Matt Churchman 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-64 12-22 73.
Emporia State (1-0) — Wes Book 7-12 2-3 20, Marvin Lee 6-11 6-7 18, DeAndre Townsend 5-14 6-8 16, Andrew Davison 5-10 0-0 13, Jordan Fithian 4-7 1-3 9, Caleb Tegtmeier 4-7 0-2 8, Matt Boswell 1-1 0-0 3, Spencer Allen 1-1 0-0 2, Dustin Andrews 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-63 15-23 89.
3-point goals — ENMU 3-17 (McCoy 1-5, Johnson 1-2, Davis 1-3, Trotter-Redman 0-4, Cooper 0-1, Clark 0-2); ESU 8-16 (Book 4-5, Davison 3-7, Boswell 1-1, Townsend 0-2, Lee 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — ENMU 37 (Davis 7); ESU 33 (Book 10). Assists — ENMU 19 (Trotter-Redman 6), ESU 23 (Townsend 8). Total fouls — ENMU 23, ESU 20. Att — 1,333.