ESU men find offense against Truman; play way into MIAA Tourney
By Jesse Newell
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Emporia State’s DeAndre Townsend, center, puts up a shot over the outstretched arm of Truman’s Ethan Freeman while Truman’s Banks Estridge looks on during Wednesday night’s game in Kirksville, Mo. Townsend scored 27 points to lead ESU to an 84-72 victory.
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — All through the Emporia State men’s six-game losing streak, coach David Moe was just waiting for his team to break out of its scoring funk.
The Hornets picked a good time to do it Wednesday, shooting 68 percent in the second half of an 84-72 victory over Truman.
With the win, ESU (12-14, 7-10) clinched a spot in next week’s MIAA Tournament to be held in Kansas City, Mo.
“We’ve been getting good looks, but we never made anything,” Moe said. “It was good to finally score again.”
After falling behind 21-10 to start the game, the Hornets’ comeback started with a crucial stretch in the final 30 seconds of the first half.
ESU trailed by six before DeAndre Townsend drove for a layup, then Wes Book hit a long 3-pointer with 6 seconds left to close the gap to 33-32 at halftime.
On Truman’s Senior Night, it ended up being ESU’s upperclassmen that took over the game in the final 20 minutes.
Book contributed the Hornets’ first 10 points of the second half, scoring on a layup, a 3-pointer, a three-point play and a jumpshot to give his team a 42-39 lead.
“I was just trying to do everything I could for my team to try to get us (to the tournament),” Book said. “That’s what it took tonight. I had to make some shots, and I had to play a little defense.”
He later was helped out by fellow seniors Andrew Davison and Townsend.
Emporia State’s Wes Book dribbles against a Truman defender during Wednesday night’s game in Kirksville, Mo.
Davison went a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range after halftime, and Townsend took over down the stretch.
The senior nearly had a double-double in the second half alone, making 5 of 9 shots for 15 points to go along with seven assists.
“We kept it in (DeAndre’s) hands so he could make a lot of plays,” Moe said, “and he did that.”
Davison added 15 second-half points of his own, while Book had 12.
The Hornets made 17 of 25 shots in the second half, including an impressive 8 of 10 from three-point range.
ESU made up the one-point halftime deficit despite allowing Truman to shoot 58 percent after the break.
“It’s always tough to come in here and play,” Townsend said. “Here in their building, they play their game. You have to kind of slow your game down and play at their pace.
“Tonight, I thought not only did we play at their pace, we did it and played well.”
Townsend led ESU with 27 points and nine assists, while Book added 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Davison also had 19 points.
The Hornets finished 27-of-49 from the floor (55 percent).
ESU will play host to Southwest Baptist at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in what will be the first of two consecutive games against the Bearcats.
The Hornets — because of Pittsburg State’s win on Wednesday — clinched the No. 8 seed in the tournament. SBU will enter the postseason tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the MIAA regular-season championship outright.
Saturday’s game will be the final home game for six ESU seniors: Townsend, Davison, Book, Caleb Tegmeier, Marvin Lee and Jordan Fithian.
Emporia State men 84, Truman 72
Wednesday at Kirksville, Mo.
Emporia State 32 52 — 84
Truman 33 39 — 72
EMPORIA STATE (12-14, 7-10 MIAA)
DeAndre Townsend 10-16 6-7 27, Wes Book 7-10 4-5 21, Andrew Davison 6-8 3-4 19, Marvin Lee 2-8 1-2 6, Caleb Tegtmeier 1-3 2-4 5, Jordan Fithian 0-2 4-8 4, Dustin Andrews 1-2 0-1 2, Spencer Allen 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Pyle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-49 20-31 84.
TRUMAN (5-21, 4-13 MIAA)
Nick Certa 7-13 9-12 24, Patrick Fandja 8-9 1-4 17, Banks Estridge 2-10 4-6 9, Ethan Freeman 3-7 1-4 7, Stefan Garrison 3-7 0-0 7, Mark Misiewicz 2-3 0-0 5, Josias Flynn 1-4 1-1 3, Gabe Landau 0-1 0-0 0, Alex Henderson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-55 16-27 72.
3-point goals — Emporia State 10-19 (Davison 4-5, Book 3-4, Townsend 1-4, Lee 1-2, Tegtmeier 1-3, Andrews 0-1), Truman 4-12 (Garrison 1-1, Estridge 1-4, Certa 1-2, Misiewicz 1-2, Flynn 0-3). Fouled out — Emporia State: Tegtmeier; Truman: Fandja. Rebounds — Emporia State 33 (Lee, Fithian 9), Truman 33 (Certa 9). Assists — Emporia State 13 (Townsend 9), Truman 17 (Estridge 5). Total fouls — Emporia State 20, Truman 25. Att — 539.
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