Lady Hornets get past Ft. Hays, 77-64
By Jesse Newell
Originally published 02:07 p.m., February 4, 2008
Updated 02:07 p.m., February 4, 2008
The start didn’t sit well with Emporia State coach Brandon Schneider.
Luckily for the Lady Hornets, the end was good enough to help them to a 77-64 victory over Fort Hays State on Saturday at White Auditorium.
“I’m not really pleased,” Schneider said, “with how we played.”
Most of the coach’s frustration came from the opening minutes of the game.
After stressing to his team the importance of rebounding and playing tough, Schneider watched as his team gave up three offensive rebounds in the Tigers’ first four possessions.
“It’s disappointing that their first six points of the game are second-chance points when we stress over and over that Hays is the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the conference,” Schneider said. “That’s coming off a game in which we give up 22 offensive rebounds.
“I’m not happy about how we play against teams that are physical. Hays is a very physical team. We’ve played them twice now and haven’t played well.”
Things were seriously in doubt for ESU with 16:27 left, as the Tigers posted a 9-0 run with three consecutive 3-pointers from the same spot on the right wing.
The flurry gave FHSU a 42-37 lead and forced an ESU timeout.
The Lady Hornets took control from that point on by turning up the heat on defense.
By closely contesting FHSU players — sometimes as far as 30 feet away from the basket — ESU’s defense started to frustrate the Tigers.
“I thought we played a lot harder than we did in the first half defensively,” ESU senior Michelle Stueve said. “We pressured a lot harder. It seemed like we had a lot more help defense. We got some stops so we could go on a little run.”
That run — a 14-2 spurt midway through the second half ended by a Stueve 3-pointer — gave the Lady Hornets a 59-52 advantage they would never relinquish.
Meanwhile, ESU’s defense held FHSU 6 minutes and 21 seconds without a field goal.
“I’ve been pretty happy with our defense all year long,” Schneider said. “I think we play with good energy and intensity. We don’t always make the best decisions, but I think we’re playing hard.”
Andrea Leiker made sure ESU kept its lead, scoring her team’s final 10 points. She finished with 20 points, adding a 9-for-10 performance from the free-throw line.
“It reminds me a lot of her performance against Hays at their place,” Schneider said. “I didn’t feel like she played a very good first half, but it’s nice to see her come out and respond and play better in the second.”
The Lady Hornets stayed afloat in the first half thanks to Ida Edwards and Stueve.
Edwards dominated early, scoring seven of ESU’s first 13 points before having to sit with two fouls. She also added four rebounds, three steals and a block in just 9 minutes.
Stueve got going late after a slow start.
In the final 2:19 of the half, the senior scored the Lady Hornets’ final seven points, helping her team to a 35-31 halftime lead.
Stueve had 12 first-half points despite only having four field-goal attempts.
“I felt early I wasn’t getting many shots with their physical play,” Stueve said. “When I got them, I tried to take advantage of it.”
Stueve had a team-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Edwards contributed a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds in just 25 minutes.
“I got in a little foul trouble,” Edwards said, “so while I was out there, I was trying to block out every possession.”
ESU out-rebounded FHSU, 38-33, but the Tigers did finish with 17 offensive rebounds.
The Lady Hornets will get a rematch with Northwest Missouri State at 5:30 Wednesday at White Auditorium.
ESU won the first matchup, 90-76, last Wednesday in Maryville, Mo.
ESU women 77, Fort Hays State 64
Saturday at White Auditorium
Fort Hays State 31 33 — 64
No. 24 ESU 35 42 — 77
FORT HAYS STATE (9-10, 3-7 MIAA)
Kayla Klug 8-15 1-2 23, Brianna Willhite 6-14 5-10 17, Erica Biel 4-6 1-2 9, Naomi Bancroft 2-8 0-0 6, Sheena Kuntzsch 0-10 4-6 4, Meshia Mason 2-7 0-0 4, Ashley Cornett 0-1 1-2 1, Alyse Bessert 0-0 0-0 0, Raychel Boling 0-1 0-0 0, Angela Long 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-62 12-22 64.
EMPORIA STATE (14-5, 7-3 MIAA)
Michelle Stueve 6-8 6-8 22, Andrea Leiker 4-10 9-10 20, Ida Edwards 5-8 3-4 13, Cassondra Boston 2-9 3-3 7, Lacy Corker 2-3 1-2 6, Bree Kisner 2-6 0-0 4, Alli Volkens 0-1 2-3 2, Allie Renberg 1-2 0-2 2, Jamie Augustyn 0-2 1-2 1, Becky Zabel 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-49 25-34 77.
3-point goals — Fort Hays State 8-23 (Klug 6-11, Bancroft 2-6, Kuntzsch 0-5, Mason 0-1), Emporia State 8-20 (Stueve 4-5, Leiker 3-6, Corker 1-1, Kisner 0-3, Augustyn 0-2, Boston 0-3). Fouled out — Fort Hays State: Kuntzsch, Willhite; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Fort Hays State 33 (Willhite 9), Emporia State 38 (Edwards 13). Assists — Fort Hays State 12 (Klug 4), Emporia State 15 (Corker, Boston, Leiker 3). Total fouls — Fort Hays State 27, Emporia State 22. Att — 3,142.