Dustin Andrews spent the end of practice last Thursday asking a couple of his teammates for their allotted tickets to Saturday’s must-see game against rival Washburn at White Auditorium.
As it turned out, Andrews and the Hornets made sure that his family, friends and all 4,294 in attendance witnessed a game that was worth the hype.
Andrews made two improbable shots, scored a career-high 19 points and helped Emporia State (13-3) make a 15-point comeback in a 85-75 win to remain tied for first place with Southwest Baptist in the MIAA at 7-2.
“It was one of those nights that you always hope for,” Andrews said.
Hope was nearly squashed by Washburn (10-7, 6-4) to start the second half. With the game tied at 41 at halftime, Washburn opened the half on a 14-0 run.
After WU guard Scott Malone drove coast to coast for a layup with no one getting in his way for the 14th unanswered point, ESU coach David Moe called timeout. Washburn’s players hopped and hollered back to their huddle, DeAndre Eggins yelling, “Get ’em out of here,” as he passed the ESU bench.
The Hornets, meanwhile, looked shocked.
“I’m thinking we’re down six,” Jeremiah Box said. “It didn’t seem like we were down that much. I look at the scoreboard and we’re down 14, and I’m like, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’”
Minutes later, the game took another you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me turn when the Ichabods took their biggest lead (15) and the Hornets answered with a 10-0 run to get back in the game.
During the timeout that followed Washburn’s 14-0 run, Moe had decided to run his patented passing game offense. The Hornets had been running a ball-screen offense that has become their primary set this season.
But in need of an adjustment, Moe went back to the old faithful passing game.
“We work on it every day, and it’s not something I’ve ever been comfortable giving up,” Moe said.
The Hornets also started mixing in a zone and a run-and-jump trapping defense, both defenses that they had not run all season. Combined with the passing game, the Hornets made the Ichabods’ scouting report obsolete.
“I think it actually worked, because it threw them off, especially when you get tired and you’ve got to keep chasing people,” Lamar Wilbern said. “Passing game is hard to guard — even in practice — and we run it. ... Moe did a great job of just switching it up and keeping them on their heels when we started to make that run.”
Andrews gave the Hornets their first lead of the second half, capping a 22-6 run with the second of his no-chance 3-pointers. He was already having a career night, surpassing his previous career high (13) by halftime.
“I was in the moment tonight the whole game,” Andrews said. “I was feeling it. ... The rim was big.”
Andrews made five 3-pointers, including a double-clutch desperation heave with two seconds left on the shot clock during the first half.
When he got the ball with the shot clock winding down again in the second half, he dribbled right around a screen and let go a fall-away jumper from 25 feet out. The ball swished through the net, bringing the crowd to its feet, and Emporia State led 65-64 with 9:29 left in the game.
“It reminded me of the first one, because there really wasn’t a lot of hope that it was going in,” Moe said. “Then when it did go in, that’s what happens with such a great crowd, it takes you over the top, and that kind of just made us feel invincible.”
After Andrews’ 3-pointer, Eggins answered with a 3-pointer to take a two-point lead, and the Ichabods would lead by two twice more.
Paul Byers gave Washburn a two-point lead for the final time with 3:06 left. Moe contemplated calling timeout following Byers’ basket, but instead, he decided to see if his team could respond — as they had done all night.
Robert Moores made Moe look like a smart man, burying a 3-pointer to give the Hornets a 72-71 lead.
Box followed with another 3-pointer and then got a steal near midcourt and scored on a layup to give the Hornets a 77-71 lead, and they made 8-of-10 free throws in the final 1:13 to put the game away.
In the Hornets’ last four wins, they have had to make a second-half comeback.
“I think we tend to kind of play better from behind for some reason,” Wilbern said. “They came out and they were so good those first two minutes. They capitalized on every mistake we made. They just made plays.
“I always talk about fighting through adversity because Moe talks about it, and it’s so huge for us. Just to keep grinding it out; they were going to let us back in the game. They let us back in and we got out of here with a win.”
Saturday at White Auditorium
Washburn 41 34 — 75
Emporia State 41 44 — 85
WASHBURN (10-7, 6-4 MIAA)
Eggins 11-23 4-5 31, Kimble 5-9 0-2 10, Carter 4-8 0-1 10, Malone 4-12 0-0 10, Scott 3-8 1-3 7, Williams 1-6 0-0 3, Stutz 1-1 0-0 2, Byers 1-5 0-0 2, Daniels 0-0 0-0 0, McNeill 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-72 5-11 75.
EMPORIA STATE (13-3, 7-2 MIAA)
Andrews 7-9 0-0 19, Wilbern 7-13 1-2 18, Moores 4-8 5-6 15, Box 5-9 0-0 13, Holthaus 4-7 2-4 10, Niles 0-5 5-6 5, Ping 1-3 1-2 3, Allen 1-1 0-0 2, Pyle 0-0 0-0 0, Boswell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-55 14-20 85.
3-point goals — Washburn 10-29 (Eggins 5-11, Malone 2-4, Carter 2-5, Williams 1-3, Byers 0-3, Scott 0-3), Emporia State 13-26 (Andrews 5-7, Box 3-6, Wilbern 3-6, Moores 2-4, Niles 0-3). Fouled out — Washburn: None; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Washburn 37 (Malone 8), Emporia State 34 (Wilbern 7). Assists — Washburn 16 (Scott 5), Emporia State 19 (Andrews 5). Total fouls — Washburn 19, Emporia State 14. Att. — 4,294.