TOPEKA — Caleb Tegtmeier didn’t need a stat sheet to tell him what he already knew.
After hanging around in the first half, the Emporia State men’s dreadful second half was the difference in a 76-58 loss to Washburn on Saturday.
“We didn’t do anything right — defense, offense or rebounding,” Tegtmeier said. “There wasn’t any aspect of the game they didn’t beat us in during the second half.”
Without anything in front of him, the ESU forward ended up being right on.
The Hornets were outscored 38-23, out-rebounded 24-12, went just 7-for-16 from the free-throw line and made only 2 of 13 attempts (15 percent) from three-point range in the final 20 minutes.
On the other end, WU made 13 of 27 shots (48 percent).
“For us, it was more of the same story as it has been,” ESU coach David Moe said. “We never put the ball in the basket, and they did.”
The Hornets trailed just 38-35 at half, sparked by an offense that looked to be more in rhythm with a healthy DeAndre Townsend and Wes Book on the floor.
ESU shot 46 percent in the first half, with Tegtmeier’s 10 points leading the way.
The Ichabods didn’t let the Hornets stay in it for long after the break.
WU used a 17-3 run to build a 63-48 advantage with 6:46 left.
Meanwhile, ESU scored just one field goal during the 8-minute, 51-second stretch — a jump shot by Townsend.
“They’re a tough, physical team. They throw a lot of bodies at you,” Book said. “I just think they wore us down toward the end of the game.”
ESU, which is known as a good end-of-game team, once again wasn’t close enough late to make a run.
The Hornets couldn’t get the WU lead under double digits the rest of the way.
“It’s definitely a lot more frustrating when you come out here and get beat by 15 every game and don’t give yourself a chance to win down the stretch at all,” Book said.
Book and Townsend led ESU with 12 points each, while Tegtmeier and Andrew Davison both had 10.
The Hornets were out-rebounded in the game, 39-26.
WU received a boost from a pair of starters who both had season highs.
Grant Hargett had 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Paul Byers made 7 of 12 shots for 17 points.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for ESU over its rival.
“I didn’t think it would make me this mad to lose,” said Tegtmeier, who had never lost to WU. “I know some of those guys ... It’s not a game that I would ever want to lose.”
The Hornets (11-14, 6-10 MIAA) need one more win to secure a spot in the MIAA Tournament.
ESU plays at Truman on Wednesday before playing conference-leading Southwest Baptist at home on Saturday.
The Hornets have lost six straight contests.
“At some point, we’ve got to buck the trend,” Moe said. “We’ve got to be tougher and persevere.”
Washburn men 76, Emporia State 58
Emporia State 35 23 — 58
Washburn 38 38 — 76
EMPORIA STATE (11-14, 6-10 MIAA)
Wes Book 2-9 7-8 12, DeAndre Townsend 4-12 4-6 12, Caleb Tegtmeier 4-8 0-2 10, Andrew Davison 4-10 0-0 10, Jordan Fithian 2-3 2-2 6, Spencer Allen 1-2 2-3 4, Marvin Lee 1-4 2-8 4, Dustin Andrews 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Pyle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 17-29 58.
WASHBURN (17-8, 9-7 MIAA)
Grant Hargett 6-10 2-2 18, Paul Byers 7-12 2-2 17, Kyle Snyder 4-8 6-9 15, Mario Scott 3-7 0-0 8, Brady Sisk 3-9 0-0 6, Andrew Meile 1-3 2-2 5, Darnell Kimble 1-4 1-2 3, James Williams 0-4 2-2 2, Garrett Love 1-1 0-0 2, Moriba DeCoteau 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 15-19 76.
3-point goals — Emporia State 5-25 (Davison 2-7, Tegtmeier 2-4, Book 1-8, Fithian 0-1, Townsend 0-5), Washburn 9-23 (Hargett 4-6, Scott 2-5, Byers 1-4, Meile 1-3, Snyder 1-2, Williams 0-3). Fouled out — Emporia State: Tegtmeier; Washburn: None. Rebounds — Emporia State 26 (Fithian, Tegtmeier 5), Washburn 39 (Snyder 10). Assists — Emporia State 10 (Townsend 5), Washburn 15 (Hargett 4). Total fouls — Emporia State 17, Washburn 24. Att — 3,874.