Men's Basketball | 3/2/2012 3:23:00 PM
Box Score
March 2, 2012-With the all-time series between long-time rivals Emporia State and Washburn tied at 99 games apiece entering the MIAA Tournament, it was fitting that the score at the half was tied at 26-26. Twelve second half turnovers spelled the end for the Hornets in a 67-51 loss to the top-seeded Ichabods.
The game started out tight with three ties and two lead changes in the first five minutes. The Hornets took a four point lead at 13-9 on a Travis Dykman free throw with 13:02 left in the half. The Ichabods answered with a 12-1 run to go ahead 21-14 with 8:24 remaining. ESU came back with a 10-1 run of their own to take a 24-22 lead on Antonio DiMaria's three-pointer at the 3:59 mark. Jeff Reid's rebound tip dunk tied the score at 24 with 3:35 left. Both teams went into a scoring drought before Justin Ikhide gave the Hornets a 26-24 lead as the shot clock was winding down with 1:26 left. MIAA MVP Will McNeill then scored iwth 1:09 left to send the teams to the locker rooms tied at 26. There were a total of five ties and four lead changes in the first 20 minutes.
The game remained tight through the first five minutes of the second half. The Hornets took a 33-30 lead with 17:40 left on Troy Pierce's lay-up. After trading buckets and free throws, McNeill gave WU a 38-36 lead on an old fashioned three point play with 15:04 left. Christian Simmons answered with the last of his career high 11 points on a layup as the shot clock was winding down with 14:32 left to tie the score at 38. The Ichabods then took advantage of three Hornet turnovers and hit three three-point shots in an 11-0 run to take control of the game.
ESU was led by Taylor Euler with 12 points and was joined in double figures by Simmons with 11 and Antonio DiMaria with ten points.
The Hornets end their season 9-18 after advancing to the MIAA Tournament for the tenth straight year. ESU will lose four seniors and return three of their top six scorers next season.
