Men's Basketball | 3/4/2013 11:16:00 AM
ENTER THE MADNESS
The Hornets play host to an MIAA Tournament game for the first time in school history as they take on Missouri Southern. This is the fourth meeting in the MIAA Tournament between the two.
THE COACHES
Shaun Vandiver is 22-31 in his second 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 2-2 against Missouri Southern. He is 0-1 in the MIAA Tournament.
Robert Corn is 387-297 in his 24th year at Missouri Southern. He is 19-19 in his career against the Hornets.
LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State gave up 45 second half points in an 82-55 loss at Pittsburg State on Saturday. The Hornets led 17-16 with 8:37 left in the first half when Pitt State went on an 8-0 run to take the lead for good. Emporia State trailed 37-29 at the half and the Gorillas opened the second period on a 17-4 run to take control of the game. Kaleb Wright scored 16 points to lead Emporia State and was joined in double figures by Terrence Moore and Tre Boutilier with ten points each.
ABOUT EMPORIA STATE
The Hornets are 13-13 on the season, 8-10 in the MIAA and are the eighth seed in the MIAA Tournament. They are 9-3 at home this season and have had leads in the last eight minutes of every home game.
ABOUT MISSOURI SOUTHERN
The Lions are 12-14 on the season and finished 7-11 in the MIAA. They went 3-10 away from the Leggett & Platt Center with MIAA wins at Truman and Lincoln. As a team Mo. Southern is third in the MIAA in steals and offensive rebounds. Marquis Addison averages 17.7 points per game to lead the Lions.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 76th meeting between the two teams with MSSU holding a 45-30 overall advantage. The Hornets have won nine of the last 12 in White Auditorium, but are 0-3 against the Lions in MIAA Tournament play. The first two tournament meetings came in Joplin, while the Lions won the only meeting in Kansas City 99-98 in 2003. The winner of this game will join Central Missouri as the only men’s program to play in every MIAA Postseason Tournament in Municipal Auditorium
LAST TIME VS. THE LIONS
Emporia State shot 65% from the field in the second half as they overcame an 11 point halftime deficit to defeat Missouri Southern 69-66 in Joplin, Mo. The Hornets trailed 40-31 at the half but used a 13-0 run early in the second half to go ahead 46-45 with 14:32 left. The lead went back and forth for the rest of the game until the Hornets took the lead for good with 2:08 left. Kaleb Wright had 23 points and Paul Bunch had his fifth double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
UP NEXT
The winner will advance to Kansas City to play top-seeded Ft. Hays State on Thursday afternoon. Tip-off from Municipal Auditorium is set for 12 noon.
