JOPLIN, MO. — Emporia State had it all wrong.
Ahead by 23 in the second half, the Hornets started throwing Hail Marys, when the team without a prayer’s chance of winning — Missouri Southern — should have been the ones throwing the desperate heaves.
But when the Lions went to a fullcourt press to try to find a way to at least make the score respectable, the Hornets panicked, threw long passes all over the court and put together a collapse of biblical proportions.
What once was a 23-point lead turned into a 77-71 loss in a game Emporia State (15-9, 9-8 MIAA) needed to win to keep its NCAA tournament chances alive. Missouri Southern (17-9, 7-9) had lost seven of its last eight games and appeared headed for a fifth straight loss.
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