Schneider: Road victories will be difference in close MIAA
By Jesse Newell
Originally published 02:12 p.m., January 29, 2008
Updated 02:12 p.m., January 29, 2008
Emporia State coach Brandon Schneider believes he’s figured out the criteria needed to take the MIAA title.
It doesn’t sound too complicated, either.
“The best road team’s probably going to win it,” Schneider said. “You say that and it sounds like a cliché, but when you have a league that is as good as this one and there’s as much parity, I think people are going to play better at home.”
Last weekend confirmed his beliefs, as the MIAA home teams went 4-1.
With that in mind, Schneider said that Wednesday’s road matchup against first-place Northwest Missouri State had extra significance for his Lady Hornets.
“I think it’s critical,” Schneider said. “If we would go up there and play well, it would sure give us some momentum going into the second round (of MIAA play).”
The Bearcats come in at 6-2 in the conference, tied with Washburn for the top spot. NWMSU is 6-2 in its home arena this season.
Meanwhile, ESU hasn’t been a good road team. The Lady Hornets are 3-2 on other teams’ home floor, with victories coming over Fort Hays State, Cameron and Central Missouri.
One of the road defeats came last week, an ugly 90-71 loss to Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo.
“Win or lose, I’d like to be able to walk into the locker room and say, ‘Hey, we played well on the road,’” Schneider said. “We’ve yet to do it. We’ve got to win some key games on the road.”
Northwest, which likes to change defenses constantly to give its opponent different looks, is led by 6-foot center Mandi Schumacher’s 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Five-foot-four guard Kelli Nelson (10.9 points per game) and 5-11 guard Meghan Brue (10.5 ppg) also average in double figures.
The biggest concern for ESU once again will be turnovers, as the Lady Hornets are still averaging a league-high 21.5 giveaways per contest.
ESU had nine turnovers in the first seven minutes against Missouri Western before settling down in the second half to finish with 20.
“I think the main thing we’re trying to focus on is ourselves,” Stueve said, “and the things we need to fix.”
With a win, the Lady Hornets would move into at least a tie for second place in the conference. If Washburn were to lose to Missouri Southern on Wednesday, an ESU win would pull it into a tie for first, even with three conference losses.
Hornets hope to break Bearcats’ dominance
To put it simply, the Northwest Missouri State men have dominated ESU in the teams’ last few meetings.
The Bearcats have won the last six games in the series, which means no current Hornet player has ever beaten Northwest.
“That’s definitely one of those games if you don’t get up for, you might as well not even show up,” ESU guard DeAndre Townsend said.
The Hornets should have some confidence after winning Sunday without Wes Book.
ESU had been 0-2 without the Emporia senior, who was averaging 15.4 points per game before spraining his right foot against Central Missouri two games ago.
“We miss Wes dearly, and he knows that,” Townsend said, “but if we could have him for March or the end of February when we need him the most, that would be real important for our team.”
The Hornets, after picking up their overtime win Sunday over Missouri Western, once again find themselves in the thick of the conference race.
At 4-4 in the league, the Hornets are tied for fifth but are just one game out of second place.
“The MIAA’s crazy this year,” ESU guard Spencer Allen said. “It’s so close. The teams you think are going to run away with it lose, and the guys off the bottom take off the top guys.
“It’s just crazy.”
Northwest, which was the unanimous pick by coaches to win the MIAA in the preseason, has been one of the league’s inconsistent teams.
The Bearcats are just 2-3 at home during the conference season.
NWMSU is led by reigning MIAA MVP Hunter Henry, who averages 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Point guard Lance Sullivan, last year’s MIAA freshman of the year, has contributed 11.8 points and four rebounds per contest.
OutofTowner (anonymous) says...
When did Cameron join the conference?
January 29, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )