When the Emporia State Lady Hornets lined up to cut down the nets on Saturday at White Auditorium, someone forgot to get the scissors.
That’s kind of how Emporia State’s MIAA championship-clinching night went. It wasn’t the smoothest performance, but the fifth-ranked Lady Hornets found a way to hold off Fort Hays State, 73-68, and they are the outright MIAA regular season champions for the first time since 2001.
“We executed when we had to,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said. “I obviously didn’t really like how we played in the second half, but at least we made enough plays down the stretch in the last four minutes to make sure we won the game.”
The first half, at least, was cause for celebration. Emporia State (23-4, 17-3) opened the game on a 15-5 run, forcing the Tigers into six turnovers in their first 10 possessions.
Fort Hays State (12-15, 8-12) looked to be in awe of the the Lady Hornets’ precision on offense and pressure on defense. The Tigers played a zone, and the Lady Hornets moved the ball until they found an open shooter.
ESU senior guard Andrea Leiker turned down several open jumpers early and heard about it from Schneider during several timeouts. Leiker eventually started shooting and made 5-of-6 3-pointers in the first half, scoring 17 of her team-high 21 points and helping ESU get out to a 47-33 halftime lead.
“If I’m open, I’m going to take shots and I kind of got yelled at a couple times for not shooting the ball,” Leiker said. “I guess I’ll listen to my coach.”
The halftime score was nearly identical to the halftime score when the two teams played on Jan. 21. Emporia State led 47-31 at half that day and went on to win 90-51. This game had the same feel, but the Tigers showed in the second half that they’re not the same team they were then.
The Tigers came into Saturday’s game with three straight wins — including a blowout win at Pittsburg State on Thursday — and they did not roll over for Emporia State in the second half.
The Lady Hornets’ letdown with a big lead has been one of their only downfalls this year, and they nearly let the Tigers spoil senior night, which would have resulted in another sharing of the MIAA championship with Washburn.
Hays cut the lead to two twice in the second half, but as has been the case in most games, Emporia State found a way to get stops and make plays when they needed to. After Hays cut the lead to two the first time with 5:17 left, the Tigers came up empty on their next four possessions. Brittney Miller pushed the lead to five with a layup off a feed from Ida Edwards. Miller scored nine of her 12 points in the second half.
“I feel like my team has confidence in me so when it’s there, I step up and make it,” Miller said.
Audra Binford cut the ESU lead to two again with a 3-pointer with 1:30 left, but Leiker followed with a layup that hung on the rim for several seconds before falling in to seal the game.
The MIAA title is Emporia State’s seventh in the last 12 years. After sharing the title last year with Washburn, the Lady Hornets returned everyone except for MIAA all-time leading score Michelle Stueve, a big reason why they were picked to finish second in the league behind Washburn in the preseason coaches poll.
But the Lady Hornets had plenty of talent left on the roster, including Edwards, who continued to be one of the most dominant forces in the league on Saturday. She scored nine points and had 16 rebounds.
Edwards’ big moment came when she got to participate in her first net-cutting ceremony.
“Some of the people have been champions, but I’m one of the ones who haven’t been one,” Edwards said. “I’m probably going to frame my piece of the net and hang it on my wall forever.”
Saturday at White Auditorium
Ft. Hays State 33 35 — 68
Emporia State 47 26 — 73
FORT HAYS STATE (12-15, 8-12 MIAA)
Bancroft 7-18 2-2 21, Biel 8-13 1-2 18, Binford 6-12 3-4 18, Clark 1-5 4-4 6, Klug 1-6 1-2 3, Cornett 1-4 0-0 2, Bessert 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-58 11-14 68.
EMPORIA STATE (23-4, 17-3)
Leiker 8-12 0-0 21, Miller 5-7 0-0 12, Edwards 3-10 3-6 9, Boston 1-9 6-8 8, Renberg 4-9 0-0 8, Lenard 3-4 0-0 8, Volkens 1-4 3-5 5, Corker 1-4 0-0 2, Augustyn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-61 12-19 73.
3-point goals — Fort Hays State 9-27 (Bancroft 5-15, Binford 3-7, Biel 1-2, Klug 0-3), Emporia State 9-25 (Leiker 5-9, Miller 2-2, Lenard 2-3, Renberg 0-1, Corker 0-3, Augustyn 0-2, Boston 0-5). Fouled out — Fort Hays State: None, Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Fort Hays State 29 (Klug 8), Emporia State 43 (Edwards 16). Assists — Fort Hays State 15 (Klug 6), Emporia State 21 (Corker, Boston 7). Total fouls — Fort Hays State 14, Emporia State 15. Att. — 3,377.
What’s next
The Emporia State men open the MIAA tournament on Thursday against Washburn at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The game is the final one of the day and scheduled for 8:15 p.m.
The Emporia State women open the MIAA tournament on Friday against Southwest Baptist at noon, the first game in the women’s bracket.
Baptist gave ESU its only home loss this season, and ESU won the last meeting between the teams in Bolivar, Mo. If the Lady Hornets win, they will play the winner of Central Missouri and Missouri Southern on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The ESU men swept Washburn this year, and with a win in the first round, they will play the winner of Central Missouri and Missouri Southern at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday.
The men’s championship will be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday and the women will follow at 3:15 p.m.