How do you forget a 35-point loss?
The Emporia State men spent Tuesday night at the bowling alley. They were not drinking away their sorrows, but rather bowling them away and trying to loosen up for tonight’s game against Missouri Southern.
“This is great,” Jeremiah Box said. “It helps to get away from some things and do some team bonding and have some fun.”
The Hornets have needed a pick-me-up this week after losing on Saturday at home to No. 2 Southwest Baptist, 104-69.
“That was kind of embarrassing,” Box said. “We played probably our worst game ever.”
It does not get much easier tonight. The Lions are ranked 12th nationally and their only loss was at Southwest Baptist.
The Hornets know it could turn ugly quick against the Lions if they don’t come out focused and loose. The Lions employ a full-court press and try to force opponents into playing tentative and tight with their pressure defense. Their opponents are averaging a league-high 20.8 turnovers, and much of their offense comes from capitalizing on turnovers.
“I think we’ll be alright,” Dustin Andrews said. “The main thing is not to get nervous and speed up. We want to be strong with the ball when you’re getting trapped and find the open man. If you break it a lot and score, it’s real discouraging for them.”
Emporia State is one of the better teams in the MIAA at taking care of the ball, averaging only 12.8 turnovers per game. The Hornets play the perfect lineup to handle pressure. They start four guards, and coach David Moe rarely plays two big men at the same time.
“You would think that would help,” Moe said. “We’ve cut back on our turnovers the last three or four games. We really haven’t been turning it over as much, but you’ve still got to score.”
Scoring was an issue against Southwest Baptist. When the Hornets have trailed by a significant margin in conference play — against Baptist and at Central Missouri — they have resorted to playing one-on-one basketball instead of team basketball.
“We got really out of sync and just took bad shots, rushed things,” Box said. “Our success all year has been working the ball and getting good shots, and we just took bad shots and we missed them and they capitalized on our mistakes.”
Moe has pointed to the Lions as an example of how to bounce back after getting blown out by Southwest Baptist. Missouri Southern lost to Baptist by 40 on Dec. 29 and bounced back with home wins over Missouri Western and Pittsburg State last week.
The Hornets have bounced back after their three loses this season and have yet to lose two straight.
“I think we’ve responded as good as can be expected the next games,” Moe said. “I expect us to play hard, match their intensity and it should be a good game.”
With a win, Emporia State could move into a tie with Missouri Southern for second place in the conference. It’s also an important game considering four of the Hornets’ next five after the Southern game are on the road.
On Tuesday, none of that mattered for the Hornets. They tried to stay away from any basketball discussion and instead focused on bowling.
Moe tried to play head games so his team would win, focusing on disrupting Andrews’ team.
Andrews owns his own bowling shoes and bowling ball, and he played in a pro shot bowling league this summer. He also once rolled a 250. But he had one teammate who believed he was going to take Andrews’ crown.
“Right now I’ve got a 102 in the fifth frame,” Box said. “So I’m not saying anything but you can look up there and tell.”
If the Hornets play with Box’s confidence and looseness tonight, maybe they too will pull off the upset.
“I think (tonight) will be a lot better,” Box said. “We’re ready to get back out there.”