HAYS — For a split second, Wes Book found himself trying to draw a foul.
The play was written up for him. With Emporia State down two and the clock running out, Book took a short dribble to the top of the key, then started to lean into defenders as he jumped up for the game-winning 3-pointer with less than 2 seconds left.
“You just try to gather yourself and throw it up,” Book said, “and pray it goes in.”
Only this prayer wouldn’t have an answer.
After looking on line for a moment, Book’s shot glanced off the right side of the rim, ending ESU’s hopes in a 79-77 loss to Fort Hays State on Wednesday night.
Book crouched down, pulling his jersey over the top of his nose while the Tigers jumped and screamed around him, celebrating their win.
“Just to see it clink off and hear that buzzer sound,” Book said, “it’s a bad feeling.”
Once again, the No. 23 Hornets were able to keep themselves in a close game. Once again, though, they found themselves on the losing end, their fourth defeat of the season by five points or less. Two of those came in overtime.
“It’s frustrating to keep battling back and come up short,” ESU guard DeAndre Townsend said, “but like any true warriors, we’re never going to continue to hang our heads or give up.”
With a frantic rally, ESU put itself back into a game that for all the world seemed lost.
After a Tyrone Evans 3-pointer, Fort Hays State led, 74-64, with just 3:13 remaining.
It was then that the Hornets started to fight their way back.
Four Townsend free throws cut the Tigers’ lead to six, and then after two FHSU freebies, Marvin Lee and Andrew Davison hit consecutive threes to pull ESU within two at 76-74 with 54.6 seconds remaining.
After another turnover by the Tigers — their fourth in the final four minutes — the Hornets completed the comeback.
Townsend drove the ball down the left baseline, but instead of trying a contested layup, he kicked it out to a wide-open Lee.
“I’ve got trust in my teammates,” Townsend said. “I know Marvin can hit that shot just as well as anybody on our team.”
Townsend’s faith was rewarded, as Lee drained the long-range shot to give ESU a 78-77 advantage with 32 seconds left.
The Hornets managed an 11-point swing in just 161 seconds.
“To even pull back and come in and go up one,” Townsend said, “was amazing.”
The lead wouldn’t last long.
After a timeout, Terry Jeffries drove down the lane for a layup to put FHSU back up one with 20.1 seconds left.
Townsend’s pass was deflected for a turnover on the next possession, and Lee’s fifth foul put LaTravis Turner on the free-throw line with 9 seconds left.
He hit 1 of 2 attempts, setting up Book’s potential game-ending three.
“There was probably contact, (but) I don’t know if I went up straight,” Book said. “It’s tough for a ref in that situation to call that foul. I thought I made the best play I could. It just didn’t work out.”
ESU now has lost five of its last six games after opening the season with four wins.
“It’s not a lack of effort,” ESU coach David Moe said. “It’s just unfortunate. That’s just the way it’s gone.
“We’ve just got to ride the storm out.”
Moe said the most frustrating part was that he wasn’t upset with how his team was playing. Though the Hornets were making some crucial mistakes — they had 15 turnovers against FHSU — he believed they had played much better in their last four games than their 1-3 record would suggest.
“A coach couldn’t ask a team to play more like he wants them to play,” Moe said. “It’s so disappointing being the coach that’s not winning with the guys that are doing their best.
“But if any team can handle losing, our team can because we have such great kids.”
Book led ESU, scoring 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He also connected on 4 of 6 attempts from the three-point line.
Townsend added 21 points, making 7 of 11 shots, while Lee posted 18.
FHSU, which had five players in double figures, went 24-of-47 from the field (51 percent).
The game’s end was eerily similar to last year’s contest at Hays, with the two teams swapping roles.
In that game, a 76-73 victory by ESU, the Hornets trailed by one until Donta Watson’s jumper with 28.7 seconds left gave them the lead.
He later hit two free throws with 5.5 seconds left before FHSU’s Jeff Pruitt missed a guarded three that would have tied it as time expired.
ESU will need to regroup quickly, as it travels to face Southwest Baptist on Saturday. The Bearcats defeated conference-favorite Northwest Missouri State, 67-66, on Wednesday.
“We’re going to keep battling night in and night out,” Townsend said. “The games are going to fall into our hands when we need them the most.”
Kelly leaves team
Emporia State guard Dane Kelly has left the team for personal reasons, Hornets coach David Moe confirmed Wednesday.
Kelly, a 6-foot-4 senior from Arkansas City, played in three games for ESU this season, scoring five points and averaging 6.7 minutes per contest.
Fort Hays State 79, Emporia State 77
Wednesday at Hays
No. 23 ESU 40 37 — 77
FHSU 37 42 — 79
EMPORIA STATE (5-5, 0-1 MIAA) — Wes Book 7-12 6-7 24, DeAndre Townsend 7-11 5-5 21, Marvin Lee 7-12 2-4 18, Andrew Davison 3-7 0-0 9, Caleb Tegtmeier 2-5 0-0 5, Jordan Fithian 0-3 0-2 0, Matt Boswell 0-2 0-0 0, Spencer Allen 0-1 0-0 0, Dustin Andrews 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-54 13-18 77.
FORT HAYS STATE (8-1, 1-0 MIAA) — Charles Robinson 2-4 6-8 12, Corbin Kuntzsch 3-7 3-4 12, Terry Jeffries 4-9 3-4 12, Shawn Emerick 4-6 3-3 11, Jake Sims 3-8 3-4 11, LaTravis Turner 2-2 2-4 6, Ryan Herrman 2-3 1-3 5, Rob Igbawua 2-3 0-0 4, Tyrone Evans 1-4 0-0 3, Tim Peintner 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 24-47 21-30 79.
3-point goals — Emporia State 12-24 (Book 4-6, Davison 3-6, Townsend 2-3, Lee 2-5, Tegtmeier 1-2, Allen 0-1, Boswell 0-1); Fort Hays State 10-22 (Kuntzsch 3-3, Robinson 2-4, Sims 2-7, Peintner 1-1, Evans 1-3, Jeffires 1-4). Fouled out — Emporia State: Tegtmeier, Lee; FHSU: Kuntzsch. Rebounds — Emporia State 30 (Fithian 6), Fort Hays State 27 (Turner 6). Assists — Emporia State 13 (Townsend 8), Fort Hays State 17 (Jeffries 6). Total fouls — Emporia State 21, Fort Hays State 17. Att — 1,586.