Andrew Davison immediately crouched down, eyes focusing on the floor below him.
The game that didn’t matter still ended up hurting quite a bit.
Though Emporia State led by one with less than a minute to go, it couldn’t hold the advantage late in an 82-79 loss to conference-leading Southwest Baptist on Senior Night.
ESU’s final chance came from Davison, who missed a 23-footer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
Reality hit soon after.
“It kind of stings a little bit because I missed my last shot at White,” Davison said. “That kind of stings, but there will be another day.”
The Hornets knew before Saturday’s game that, regardless of the outcome, they would have to face off again against SBU in the MIAA Tournament this Friday.
It still wasn’t much consolation for ESU’s six seniors — Davison, Caleb Tegtmeier, Wes Book, Jordan Fithian, DeAndre Townsend and Marvin Lee — who suffered a loss in their final home game.
“We felt we always knew we could play with them,” Davison said. “They’re a great team, and they won the conference and everything — a real good team — but we feel like we’re a good team, too.”
D’Ante Harris’ three-point play gave SBU an 81-79 lead with 25.7 seconds left, and after a missed three by Townsend, Jim Grabowski made 1 of 2 free throws with 7.1 seconds remaining.
After Grabowski missed the second free throw, Davison initially bobbled a pass before his potential game-tying shot hit off the front of the rim.
“As soon as I got myself good,” Davison said, “I should have hit it.”
Though the Hornets stayed close, they will have to work on finding a way to contain SBU center Matthew Rogers if they hope to pull off the upset at noon on Friday in Kansas City, Mo.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore controlled the lane, posting 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting. He also had 11 rebounds, two blocks and affected numerous other shots with his size inside.
The 6-foot-7 Grabowski also hurt the Hornets, making 3 of 6 3-pointers to finish with 14 points.
ESU remained competitive thanks mostly to the play of three seniors.
Lee, who looked more aggressive attacking the basket, finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The output was one point off his season high.
“Coach (David Moe) told me if I can make plays, just go out and do what I can,” Lee said, “so that’s what I did.”
Meanwhile, Townsend had his best game distributing the basketball, contributing 18 points to go with 12 assists.
He nearly had his double-double at halftime, registering 10 points and eight assists before the break.
Tegtmeier added 18 points, going 7-for-10 from the floor.
The low point for ESU came at the 8:30 mark of the first half.
After hitting a runner in the lane, Book hobbled toward the sideline, apparently re-aggravating a foot injury he suffered Jan. 19 against Central Missouri.
“It didn’t look good, watching him limp out like that,” ESU coach David Moe said.
Though Book re-entered for a few moments in the first half, he sat out the entire second half. His status for Friday’s game has not yet been determined.
To reach a second straight NCAA Tournament, ESU (12-15, 7-11 MIAA) must win three games in the MIAA Tournament to gain the conference’s automatic bid.
“Next one’s the one that counts,” Lee said, “no matter what the records are.”
Southwest Baptist men 82, Emporia State 79
Saturday at White Auditorium
No. 23 SBU 47 35 — 82
ESU 44 35 — 79
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST (21-6, 14-4 MIAA)
Matthew Rogers 11-20 2-4 26, Tristan Steele 5-8 3-4 14, Jim Grabowski 4-12 3-4 14, D’Ante Harris 4-10 5-5 14, John Tiemeyer 2-2 2-2 6, Justin Brown 2-4 0-0 4, Nick Kovacevich 1-2 1-1 3, Steven Cunningham 1-1 0-0 2, Brandon Burgette 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-59 15-19 82.
EMPORIA STATE (12-15, 7-11 MIAA)
Marvin Lee 7-10 5-5 20, Caleb Tegtmeier 7-10 1-2 18, DeAndre Townsend 6-18 6-6 18, Andrew Davison 4-12 0-0 10, Jordan Fithian 4-6 1-2 9, Spencer Allen 1-2 0-0 2, Wes Book 1-2 0-0 2, Dustin Andrews 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 30-64 13-15 79.
3-point goals — Southwest Baptist 7-20 (Grabowski 3-6, Rogers 2-3, Harris 1-6, Steele 1-3, Kovacevich 0-1, Brown 0-1), Emporia State 6-21 (Tegtmeier 3-5, Davison 2-8, Lee 1-1, Andrews 0-3, Townsend 0-4). Fouled out — Southwest Baptist: None; Emporia State: Fithian. Rebounds — Southwest Baptist 34 (Rogers 11), Emporia State 30 (Lee 7). Assists — Southwest Baptist 19 (Steele, Grabowski, Kovacevich 4), Emporia State 14 (Townsend 12). Total fouls — Southwest Baptist 19, Emporia State 20. Att — 3,031.