EMPORIA STATE MEN READY FOR MISSOURI SOUTHERN

Men's Basketball | 12/20/2013 1:32:00 PM

Game #13
 Emporia State Hornets (8-4, 1-1 MIAA)
vs. Missouri Southern Lions (8-1, 2-0 MIAA)
Saturday, December 21, 2013 • 3:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • Slaymaker Court/White Aud (5,000)
Series Record: MSSU leads 46-30 Last Meeting: MSSU 68, at ESU 66 (March 4, 2013 - MIAA Tourney)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM (3:10 p.m. pregame) Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: americaonesports.com ($8)
 Up Next: at Lincoln • Jan. 4, 2014 • 3:30 p.m. • Jefferson City, Mo. • Jason Gym

HERE WE GO AGAIN
Emporia State takes on Missouri Southern in a rematch of last year's MIAA Tournament first round game. It will also be Lions coach Robert Corn's last trip to White Auditorium.

LAST TIME OUT
The Emporia State men used a 14-2 run to turn a two point second half deficit into a ten point lead on the way to a 75-67 win over Southwest Baptist on Wednesday in White Auditorium.  Both teams were hot in the early going with the score tied at 13 less than four minutes into the contest. The Bearcats led 55-53 with 11:20 remaining when a Jevon Taylor three-pointer ignited a 14-2 Hornet run to take a 67-57 lead with 5:47 left. Micah Swank led Emporia State with a career high 18 points and added six assists and five rebounds.  Paul Bunch scored 14 points with ten rebounds and tied his career record with seven blocked shots while Kaleb Wright added 16 points.

THE COACHES
Shaun Vandiver is 30-36 in his third season at Emporia State. A first round draft pick by the Golden State Warriors in 1991 spent ten years as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. As a player he led Hutchinson CC to the 1988 NJCAA National Championship before earning first-team All-Big 8 honors at Colorado. He is 2-3 against Missouri Southern.
Robert Corn is 396-300 in his 25th and final year at Missouri Southern. He is 20-19 in his career against the Hornets.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State has five players averaging over 8.5 points per game led by Kaleb Wright at 16.2 points per game. Terrence Moore leads the MIAA in steals and Paul Bunch leads the league in blocked shots. The Hornets lead the MIAA in scoring defense and are second in defensive field goal percentage.

ABOUT THE LIONS
Missouri Southern is 8-1 on the year, 2-0 in the MIAA. They have won six straight and scored over 100 points in four of the wins. Six Lions average in double figures in MIAA play led by Slim Magee at 20.0 points and 7.5 boards per game in conference action.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 77th meeting between the two teams with Missouri Southern holding a 46-30 overall advantage. The Hornets have won nine of the last 13 in White Auditorium,

LAST TIME VS. MO. SOUTHERN
Emporia State saw a ten point half time lead disappear in a 68-66 loss to Missouri Southern in the first round of the MIAA Tournament on Slaymaker Court in White Auditorium.  Marquis Addison hit two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to give the Lions the win. Chris Sights led Emporia State with 15 points while Terrence Moore added 13 points and a team high six rebounds. Missouri Southern went 30 of 34 from the foul line to off set a 16 of 18 performance from the stripe by Emporia State.

UP NEXT
The Hornets will be off until a road trip to Lincoln on January 4, 2014. Tip-off in Jefferson City is set for 3:30 p.m.

FRIENDLY CONFINES
Emporia State has won 120 of their last 157 games (.764) in White Auditorium. Twenty-eight of the 37 losses have been by less than ten points. The Hornets are 342-151 (.694) since 1979 in White Auditorium. The Hornets have posted a winning home record for ten of the past 11 years in White Auditorium.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Guard Kaleb Wright (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) is ranked ninth in the MIAA in scoring and 12th in free throw percentage. He had 16 points against Southwest Baptist. He scored a career high 35 points with a career high five made three-pointers against Newman. He scored ten points with three assists at Northwest Missouri. He had four steals against St. Mary's. He scored 12 points on four of five shooting from the three point line against Southeastern Oklahoma. He scored 18 points including a career best 12 of 13 from the free throw line against Mary. He had a career high 27 points against Fresno Pacific. He was six of ten from the field and scored 15 points against Sterling. He led Emporia State with 20 points at Rockhurst. He scored 17 points in the exhibition win over UMKC. He earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors after scoring 14.4 points and 2.9 assists per game last year. He scored 23 points at Missouri Southern. He had ten points, seven rebounds and career high seven assists at Neb.-Kearney. He had 19 points against Missouri Southern. He scored 16 points with a career high four steals against Missouri Western. He scored 20 points and three assists at Central Missouri. He scored 18 points on 8 of 13 shooting against Missouri S&T. He led the Hornets with 20 points at Western Oregon and had 17 points, going 4 of 6 from three point range against Saint Martin's. He scored 22 points at Missouri S&T. He had a team high 11 points at K-State.

BIG PAUL
Center Paul Bunch (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) leads the MIAA and is ranked sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game. He had a double-double with 14 points, ten rebounds and tied his career high with seven blocks against Southwest Baptist. He blocked four shots, including a potential game winner against Newman. He had three blocks at Northwest Missouri. He was four of four from the field for 13 points in 19 minutes at St. Mary's. He scored ten points off the bench on three of five shooting against Southeastern Oklahoma. He set the Alaska Invitational single game and tournament record with six blocked shots in the first game against Fresno Pacific and ended with 12 blocks in the three games. He scored 13 points with five rebounds and two blocks against Alaska. He had 18 points and 11 rebounds at Rockhurst in the Hornets opener. He had 20 points and eight boards in Emporia State's win at UMKC. He had nine points and nine rebounds with three blocks at Oklahoma State.  He was named to the MIAA All-Defensive Team as well as being an Honorable Mention All-MIAA selection last season. He was ranked third in the nation in blocks last season. He scored 15 points with ten rebounds and four blocked shots against Washburn. He scored 12 points on six of eight shooting with seven rebounds and seven blocks against Northeastern State. He had six blocks against Pittsburg State. He had 16 points and 12 rebounds at Missouri Southern in Joplin. He had 12 points and ten rebounds against Lindenwood. He scored 14 points with eight rebounds and five blocks against Central Oklahoma. He had 18 points with nine rebounds against Missouri Southern. He had a career high 23 points to go with 13 rebounds at Southwest Baptist. He had 14 points, ten rebounds and three blocks at Washburn. He had 16 points and 15 rebounds at Central Missouri.

WE WANT MOORE
Guard Terrence Moore (So./Wichita, Kan.) leads the MIAA in steals per game and is sixth in the country in total steals. He is 12th in the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio and is 24th in scoring. He scored ten points with six rebounds and a career high six steals against Newman. He scored nine points with six rebounds and three assists against Southwest Baptist. He scored 15 points with five assists and three steals against Southeastern Oklahoma. He scored a career high 24 points on six of ten shooting from the field and 12 of 14 from the free throw line against Mary. He matched his career high with five steals at Alaska. He had 15 points and five steals against Bethel. He scored 18 points with four three-pointers, three steals and four assists against McPherson. He scored 11 points with three steals at Rockhurst. He had 17 points in the exhibition win over UMKC and a team high 15 points at Wichita State. He scored 13 points with six rebounds and two steals in the Hornets MIAA Tournament game last season against Missouri Southern. He scored ten points with six rebounds and a pair of steals at Southwest Baptist. He scored 11 points on five of seven shooting against Ft. Hays State. He scored a then career high 19 points on nine of ten shooting against Southwestern. He scored 10 points off the bench with a team high three steals at Kansas. He was the Hornets leading scorer at Tulsa with 12 points, and led the team with four steals.

HE'S SWANKY
Guard Micah Swank (So./Pratt, Kan.) is ranked tenth in the MIAA in three-point percentage, 14th in assist to turnover ratio and 15th in steals. He passed his career high with 16 first half points and ended with 18 against Southwest Baptist. His three-pointer with less than 13 seconds left gave Emporia State the lead against Newman. He was two for two from the three-point line for eight points with four assists against Southeastern Oklahoma. He scored a career high 11 points with three steals at Alaska. He matched his career high with seven assists and added three steals against Bethel. He scored ten points against Sterling.  He had seven assists against McPherson. He had seven boards at Oklahoma State. He had six points on two of three shooting from the three-point line against Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament last year. He had a team high four assists at Washburn. He scored six points in his first start at Missouri S&T.  

BROWN AND SERVE
Forward Gavin Brown (Sr./Junction City, Kan.) is 12th in the MIAA in rebounding. He had nine points and nine rebounds against Southwest Baptist. He scored 12 points with seven rebounds, six of them offensive, against St. Mary's. He matched his season high with seven points at Alaska. He pulled 11 rebounds and dished three assists against Bethel. He had a career high 16 rebounds against Sterling. It was the most rebounds by a Hornet since 2009. He led Emporia State with 11 assists in the three exhibition games. He scored 11 points with a career best three of three effort from the three point line against Northeastern State last season. He had then career highs of 13 rebounds and seven assists against Lincoln. He scored 12 points on five of seven shooting with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks at Northwest Missouri. He had 13 points and ten rebounds against Missouri Western. He had 15 points and 12 rebounds while adding five assists and three steals against Missouri S&T. He led the team with six rebounds and added eight points at Kansas State. He also led Emporia State with 14 points and six rebounds at Kansas.
 
TAYLOR MADE
Guard Jevon Taylor (Fr./Denver, Colo.) leads in the MIAA in three point field goal percentage and is ranked 11th in three point makes. He had a career high 20 points on six of seven shooting from the field at Northwest Missouri. He has scored in double figures in five of his last eight games. He was five of seven from behind the three-point line for 15 points against Southeastern Oklahoma. He scored 12 points against Mary and had ten points and four rebounds at Alaska. He had 15 points on six of seven shooting against Bethel. He averaged 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.4 assists per game for George Washington HS last year.  He connected on 74 of 164 three-point attempts to lead Colorado Class 5A in makes. He was first-team All-Denver Public League and an honorable mention All-State player.

THE BENTLEY OF BICYCLES
Forward Josh Pedersen (Fr./Olathe, Kan.) scored a career high 12 points against Newman and twice tied the score on a pair of free throws in the final three minutes. He had two rebounds and two steals at Northwest Missouri. He had three steals and two assists in his first career start against Southeastern Oklahoma. He scored five points against McPherson. He had four rebounds at Oklahoma State. He averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds for Class 5A state champion Shawnee Mission South
HS.  He was a first-team KBCA Class 5A All-State selection as a senior.

JORDANAIRRE
Guard Tyler Jordan (Fr./Ballwin, Mo.) scored 11 points on four of five shooting with three assists at Northwest Missouri. He grabbed a career high six rebounds with four assists against Bethel. He dished a career high seven assists and had five rebounds against McPherson. He had seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals at Oklahoma State. He averaged 13.2 points, four rebounds and three assists per game as a senior for Eureka (Mo.) HS last year.  He was a three-time All-Suburban West Conference and All-District performer.  He led Eureka HS to conference and district championships his senior year.   

WINDY CITY WILDMAN
Forward Terrence Sardin (Fr./Chicago, Ill.) was two of two from the field at Northwest Missouri. He was five of seven from the free throw line on his way to seven points against Bethel. He averaged 12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks for Perspectives Academy last season.  He had a triple double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and ten blocked shots against Brooks HS in the regional championship game.
 
SHARE THE WISDOM
Center McWisdom Badejo (So./Dallas, Texas) is shooting 80% from the field, going 20 of 25 on the year. He hit his only shot at Northwest Missouri. He scored a career high ten points against St. Mary's. He had six points and four rebounds in nine minutes against Bethel. He was four of five from the field for eight points in 13 minutes against McPherson. He scored eight points at Wichita State. He is a 6-9 transfer from Florida A&M. He averaged 1.1 points and 1.3 rebounds for the Rattlers with a season high ten points and six rebounds against Allen.  He was listed as one of the top names in college basketball last season.

TEMAAT MIGHT
Guard Jay Temaat (Fr./Lenexa, Kan.) is shooting 83.3% from the free throw line this season. He was four of five from the line against Southeastern Oklahoma. He hit both three-pointers he took against Mary.  He had 12 points on three of seven shooting from beyond the arc against Bethel. He scored 18 points on six of nine shooting with five three-pointers in 14 minutes against McPherson. He was the leading scorer for the Hornets at Oklahoma State with 12 points in 13 minutes.  He hit three of ten three pointers against the Cowboys. He averaged 17 points and four assists per game for Shawnee Mission West HS last season on his way to honorable mention All-State honors at the Class 6A level.

A-MAYES-ING
Forward Nick Mayes (Jr. /Laramie, Wyo.) scored two points and pulled three rebounds against Bethel. He was two of two from the line at Kansas last season. He saw action in five games in 2011-12 as a reserve. He played a season high 11 minutes at Pittsburg State on Feb. 15 and pulled down six rebounds.

SLAYMAKER COURT
The court at William L. White Auditorium was formally named Ron Slaymaker Court at half-time of the Hornets win over Washburn on Feb. 28 after the City of Emporia approved a proclamation at their Feb. 20 city commission meeting.

HORNETS RANK 19TH IN NATION IN ATTENDENCE
The Emporia State men's basketball team continued a string of 11 straight years ranking in the top 25 in attendance among the nearly 300 NCAA Division II basketball playing schools. The Hornets drew an average of 1,678 fans to their 13 home games in White Auditorium during the 2012-13 season to rank 19th nationally. Emporia State outdrew 95 NCAA Division I schools. As a conference the MIAA drew 254,543 fans to the 186 games to lead all Division II conference in average attendance at 1,369 fans per game. The MIAA's total attendance was better than nine NCAA Division I conferences.

IN THE RAFTERS
Five Hornets have had their jersey's retired to the wall of White Auditorium.
•Wilbur Reeser (1944-48) - Reeser was named an NAIB All-American and was the Hornets leading scorer as the won a conference championship in 1948.
•Ron Slaymaker (Player 1954-60, Coach 1970-98) - As a player Slaymaker was named All-Conference and All-American during the 1957-58 season. As a coach he won an ESU leading 464 games from 1970-98.
•Jim Fraley (1956-60) - Fraley was the school's all-time leading scorer (1,509) until Brian Robinson broke his record in 1985. He was named Second-team NAIA All-American.
•Doug Glaysher (1960-64) - Glaysher was named an All-American after leading the Hornets to the NAIA National Semi-finals in 1964. He graduated as the second leading scorer in ESU history.
•Brian Robinson (1984-86) - Robinson was named a first team All-American in both his junior and senior season. He is the ESU all-time leading scorer with 2,533 career points.