Women's Basketball | 2/15/2012 12:33:00 AM
FOUNDER'S DAY
The #20 Lady Hornets take on #8 Pittsburg State on Emporia State's Founder's Day. This will be the sixth top 25 opponent for ESU this season, with the Lady Hornets 3-2 in the previous five contests.
LAST TIME OUT
The #21 Emporia State Lady Hornets shot .500 from the field for the game while holding Missouri Southern to just .333 shooting in a 79-65 win by ESU on Saturday night in White Auditorium. Rachel Hanf hit three straight three pointers for ESU to turn a 10-10 game into a 19-10 lead for ESU with 7:32 left in the first half. MSSU would come back to take a two point lead on Haley Weathers lay-up with 53 seconds left in the half. Heather Robben then hit a three pointer with 32 seconds left to send ESU to the locker room up 27-25. In the second half a 12-1 run put the Lady Hornets ahead by 20 at 61-41 with 7:39 left in the game. Jocelyn Cummings had a team high 15 points on seven of eight shooting for ESU and was joined in double figures by Kathryn Flott with 14 and Heather Robben with 11 points. Flott had a game high ten rebounds for her first career double-double.
THE COACHES
Jory Collins is 37-14 in his second year as the head coach of the Lady Hornets and is 5-4 vs. Top 25 teams. This is his 11th season on the Lady Hornet coaching staff and ESU has advanced to the NCAA tournament in eight of his ten previous seasons. He is 0-3 against PSU.
Lane Lord is 73-52 in his fifth year at PSU and is 4-5 against ESU.
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is 22-2 on the year, 16-1 in the MIAA and ranked #8 in the nation. They have won seven in a row overall and are 10-1 in John Lance Arena. Lizzy Jeronimus is their leading scorer on the year at 14.3 points per game and is averaging 15.6 points per game in conference action.
THE SERIES
The Lady Hornets lead the all-time series 48-22, but have lost four straight for the first time since dropping five in a row from 1988-90. ESU has won 20 of 34 meetings in Pittsburg.
LAST TIME VS. PITTSBURG STATE
The #19 Lady Hornets were out-scored 37-31 in the second half of a 66-60 loss to #13 Pittsburg State in White Auditorium. ESU jumped out to a 9-1 lead to start the game and led by as many as ten in the first half. PSU ended the half on a 13-4 run as the teams went to the locker rooms tied at 29. The Gorillas scored the first four points of the second half and their largest lead of the second half was at eight points with 5:54 left in the game. ESU pulled within four points four times in the final five minutes but would miss five of eight free throws in the final three minutes. Merissa Quick led ESU with 16 points and ten rebounds. She was joined in double figures by Heather Robben with 15 pointts and Jocelyn Cummings with 11 points. Brooke Conley led Pittsburg State with 17 points.
UP NEXT
The #20 Lady Hornets travel Jefferson City, Mo. on Saturday to take on Lincoln. Tip-off from Jason Gym is set for 1:00 p.m.
