Hornets play dream-killers
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
With the way Emporia State opened the game on Monday night in the exhibition opener — a 108-81 win over Livin’ The Dream — it was clear how much a year playing together has done for the Hornets.
They made their first five shots and jumped out to a 20-4 lead. Defensively, the Hornets pestered Livin’ The Dream into several turnovers with their ball pressure, and on offense, the Hornets’ five starters, all returners, moved in sync.
“It’s huge,” senior Lamar Wilbern said of having a team with experience, “because you know guys’ tendencies. I know if Tim (Niles) comes off a screen, he’s going to shoot. I know (Adam Holthaus) likes to roll. We know where to get guys the ball, and it’s so much easier when everyone is comfortable playing with each other.”
Senior point guard Tim Niles looked more comfortable than anyone early on. Niles scored seven points during ESU’s initial 20-4 run, and he scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the first half.
ESU coach David Moe has been getting on Niles at practice for turning down shots, and he was certainly not shy on Monday with 14 attempts.
“He got a little carried away at times, yeah, but I’d rather see that than running in there and making wild plays,” Moe said. “That will just set him up where his opportunity to drive and making plays for everybody else will be that much more available.”
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