Fast start leads Hornets past Griffons
Monday, December 8, 2008
ESU men continue hot shooting at home, off to 2-0 start in MIAA
Emporia State coach David Moe said at the beginning of last week that if the Hornets were going to contend for a conference championship this season, they had to win their first two games in the MIAA at home.
Moe’s Hornets delivered with a 88-77 victory over Missouri Western to remain one of four teams with a perfect conference record.
“This is a big boost for the ball club having new guys and no one knowing how we were going to do in this league,” Lamar Wilbern said. “So far we’re holding our own.”
The Hornets did more than hold their own in the first three halves of basketball they played in conference. After a 79-56 blowout win in the MIAA opener against Northwest Missouri, Emporia State was equally as impressive in the first half against Missouri Western, jumping out to a 51-25 lead at half.
The Hornets dominated both ends. They held the Griffons to 30.3 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers. They shot 63.6 percent from the field, made 5-of-9 3-pointers and shared the ball — all seven players who played scored.
The Hornets went on runs of 10-0, 7-0, 11-3 and 10-0 in the first half to build a lead that ballooned to 27 at one point.
“The first half we did everything well,” Robert Moores said. “We executed.”
The second half the Hornets did not do much of anything well, other than shooting. They made 60 percent of their second-half shots, but took eight fewer.
Missouri Western, meanwhile, made 60 percent of its shots and outrebounded ESU 20-12. Emporia State forced only six turnovers and allowed Ken Goodwin five straight open 3-pointers to let the Griffons pull to within eight with 2:07 left.
“The second half we let our guard down, thought we had the game won,” Moores said. “And they did a great job of fighting back and not letting their heads get down.”
Sensing his team needed a lift, Moores provided one down the stretch. Moores scored eight of ESU’s final 15 points and also had an assist on a 3-point play by Dustin Andrews. When the Griffons cut the lead to eight, Moores scored four straight to push the lead back to 12.
Moores finished with a game-high 20 points after scoring only five in the first half.
But other than Moores, the Hornets didn’t have a lot going right.
“We really weren’t prepared to come out and play the second half,” Moe said. “The defense was atrocious. The rebounding was atrocious. And I think it’s great that every lesson we’ve learned up to this point are things that we’ve fixed and we haven’t had an issue of things happening over and over again.”
Everything almost played out ideally for Moe, who still has his team’s full attention after a 2-0 start in the league. Plus, the Hornets learned their lessons and didn’t have to do so losing the game.
“We’ve been successful as a team rebounding, playing defense and making the other team guard,” Moe said. “The second half we came out and didn’t do any of those things and it just goes to show how bad you can be when you don’t do any of the things that you’re supposed to do.”
The Hornets may get their biggest test in their next two MIAA games as they hit the road for the first time in conference. After a non-league game against Central Christian at home on Wednesday, Emporia State travels to Central Missouri on Saturday and then to Truman on Dec. 29 with another non-league game sandwiched in between.
Central Missouri is 0-2 in the MIAA, but the Mules were picked to finish second in the league in the preseason coaches poll and lost on Saturday at Missouri Southern on a buzzer-beater. Moe will make it clear to his team this week that they cannot let their guard down on the road, especially against the Mules.
“You’ve got to be tighter, you’ve got to be more solid and you’ve got to be better to go win on the road,” Moe said. “We’ve got two opportunities to win on the road and we’ll see how it goes.”
Saturday at White Auditorium
Missouri Western 25 52 — 77
Emporia State 51 37 — 88
MISSOURI WESTERN (2-4, 1-1 MIAA)
Bush 4-9 1-4 9, Thurston 7-18 0-0 16, Rhodes 4-8 2-5 10, Parker 1-1 0-2 2, Johnson 5-12 2-2 13, Noblin 3-8 0-0 7, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Nolan 0-3 0-0 0, Jones 1-1 0-0 3, Goodwin 6-7 0-0 17. Totals 31-68 5-13 77.
EMPORIA STATE (6-1, 2-0)
Ping 4-5 1-2 9, Box 6-12 0-1 15, Andrews 3-3 1-1 9, Boswell 0-1 2-4 2, Wilbern 8-15 2-7 19, Allen 0-0 0-0 0, Moores 9-13 0-1 20, Niles 2-3 2-2 6, Holthaus 4-6 0-0 8. Totals 36-58 8-18 88.
3-point goals — Missouri Western 10-26 (Goodwin 5-6, Thuston 2-6, Jones 1-1, Noblin 1-5, Johnson 1-6, Rhodes 0-1, Smith 0-1), Emporia State 8-15 (Box 3-5, Andrews 2-2, Moores 2-3, Wilbern 1-3, Niles 0-1, Holthaus 0-1). Fouled out — Missouri Western: None; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Missouri Western 40 (Thuston 10), Emporia State 32 (Holthaus 6). Assists — Missouri Western 20 (Parker 8), Emporia State 22 (Andrews 6). Total fouls — Missouri Western 19, Emporia State 14. Att. — 2,231.