HORNET BASKETBALL TAKES ON ROCKHURST IN NON-LEAGUE ACTION

Games #8
Emporia State Hornets (4-3, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Rockhurst Hawks (3-3, 0-1 GLVC)
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014 • 7:30 p.m.  • Emporia, Kan.  • Slaymaker Court/White Auditorium (5,000)
Series Record: ESU leads 44-30 Last Meeting: ESU 74, at Rockhurst 62 (Dec. 10, 2013)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM (7:10 p.m. pregame) Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video:  None
Live Stats  Complete Release in pdf
Up Next: at Southwest Baptist • Dec. 13, 2014 • 3:30 p.m.  •  Bolivar, Mo.  • Meyer Center

ON THE ROCKS
Emporia State steps out of MIAA play for the first of three non-conference games in White Auditorium when they play host to Rockhurst.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State was outscored 22-11 over the last 7:34 as Northwest Missouri took a 63-57 victory in the MIAA opener in White Auditorium. The Bearcats hit 14 of 16 free throws during the run. Northwest Missouri jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game before the Hornets answered with a 10-2 run of their own to pull within 13-12 with 12:36 left in the half.  The Bearcats pushed the lead back to ten points when Emporia State went on a 13-0 run to take a 25-22 lead with 3:27 left in the half. The Hornets would take a 31-27 lead into the break.  Terrence Sardin gave the Hornets a 48-47 lead with a pair of free throws at the 5:35 mark, but Conner Crooker hit four straight from the charity stripe to give Northwest the lead for good. Terrence Moore had 17 points to lead the Hornets and was joined in double figures by Jevon Taylor with 13 off the bench. Tyler Jordan led the Hornets with six rebounds.

THE COACHES
Shaun Vandiver is 44-48 in his fourth 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 1-0 against Rockurst.
Bill O'Connor is 268-299 in his 21st season at Rockhurst. He is 3-2 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 4-3 on the season. Terrence Moore is averaging 18.7 points per game while Jay Temaat and Jevon Taylor add 9.7 and 9.4 points per game respectively. The Hornets have come back from ten point deficits in each of their last two games to take a lead.

ABOUT THE HAWKS
Rockhurst is 3-3 on the season with two of the losses to MIAA teams. Dominique Washington leads three Hawks in double figures at 13.0 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 43-30 but have only met once since 2001. This is the first trip to White Auditorium for the Hawks since a 63-55 Hornet win on Jan. 23, 2000.

LAST TIME OUT VS. ROCKHURST
Playing their third road game in three days, Emporia State outscored Rockhurst 36-25 in the second half on the way to a 74-62 season opening win in Kansas City. The Hornets came out sluggish and trailed 19-9 with 12:46 left in the first half.  The Hawks led 32-25 with 4:09 remaining in the half when the Hornets went on a 13-3 run to take the lead. Wright scored 20 points to lead three Hornets in double figures. Paul Bunch had 18 points on nine of 12 shooting, 11 rebounds and was credited with two blocked shots.

UP NEXT
The Hornets return to MIAA play next Saturday when they travel to Southwest Baptist. Tip-off from the Meyer Sports Center in Bolivar, Mo. is set for 3:30 p.m.

FRIENDLY CONFINES
Emporia State went 13-2 at home last season and has won 128 of their last 168 games (.762) in White Auditorium. Twenty-nine of the 39 losses have been by less than ten points. The Hornets are 350-154 (.694) since 1979 in White Auditorium. The Hornets have had 11 winning home records in the past 12 years in White Auditorium.  

WE WANT MOORE
Guard Terrence Moore (Jr./Wichita, Kan.) was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick and member of the  MIAA All-Defensive Team last season. He injured his shoulder against Northwest Missouri and is not expected to play against Rockhurst. He had 17 points and four rebounds before leaving the game against the Bearcats. He was the MVP of the Pak-A-Sak Classic after recording 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals against West Texas A&M. He scored 12 points and had a team high eight rebounds against Eastern New Mexico. He led Emporia State with 20 points at Northwestern Oklahoma, hitting five of six free throws in the final 26 seconds to ice the win. He had 15 points at Newman with eight of them coming in the final two minutes. He led Emporia State with 21 points in the win against Concordia-St. Paul and 24 in the loss to St. Cloud State. He had nine points, three rebounds and two steals against Kansas. He is averaged 18.3 points per game and shooting 57.3% from the field in MIAA contests last year. He scored a career high 40 points against Southwest Baptist in the first round game. It is the third most points scored by an individual in an MIAA Tournament game and was the first 40 point game by a Hornet since Tim Niles scored 45 against Central Oklahoma in the first game of the 2009-10 season. He had a career high ten rebounds against Ft. Hays State in White Auditorium. He scored 28 points at Washburn and added four steals. He scored 20 points on seven of nine shooting at Ft. Hays State. He had 21 points, six boards, four assists and three steals against Central Oklahoma. He had 19 points with five assists against Central Missouri. He had 27 points and seven rebounds against Missouri Southern. He had a career high six steals against Newman. He scored 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 17 points in the exhibition win over UMKC and a team high 15 points at Wichita State. He scored 10 points off the bench with a team high three steals at Kansas as a freshman. He was the Hornets leading scorer at Tulsa with 12 points, and led the team with four steals.

HE'S SWANKY
Guard Micah Swank (Jr./Pratt, Kan.) scored six points with four assists against Northwest Missouri. He had a team high six rebounds to go with six points at Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored in double figures in each of the Hornets first two games. He had 12 points and five rebounds against St. Cloud State after posting ten points against Concordia-St. Paul. He pulled down five rebounds against Kansas. He had 11 points and five assists against Neb.-Kearney in White Auditorium. He had six assists against Central Missouri. He dished a career high seven assists and finished with seven points against Missouri Western. He scored 15 points including a nine of nine performance at the free throw line at Lincoln. He passed his career high with 16 first half points and ended with 18 against Southwest Baptist. He scored a then career high 11 points with three steals at Alaska. He matched his career high with seven assists and added three steals against Bethel. He had seven assists against McPherson. He had seven boards at Oklahoma State.  

TAYLOR MADE
Guard Jevon Taylor (So./Denver, Colo.) had 13 points on five of seven shooting against Northwest Missouri. He was four of five from the field and four of four from the free throw line for 14 points against West Texas A&M. He scored 14 points and was five of eight from the field at Newman. He scored 11 points off the bench against St. Cloud State after starting the season with eight points against Concordia-St. Paul. He shot 46.3% from the three-point line last season. He connected on two three-pointers at Washburn. He scored seven points against Central Missouri, hitting one of two three-point attempts. He was two of four from behind the arc at Lindenwood. He scored 19 points with four made three-pointers in his first career start at Lincoln. He scored a career high 20 points on six of seven shooting from the field at Northwest Missouri. 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.

THE BENTLEY OF BICYCLES
Forward Josh Pedersen (So./Olathe, Kan.) had eight points, five rebounds and four assists against Eastern New Mexico. He scored six points in 15 minutes at Northwestern Oklahoma. He had career highs of 15 points and six rebounds at Newman. He scored eight points with a career best eight of ten effort at the free throw line against St. Cloud State. He scored five points at Kansas. He scored nine points with five rebounds at Central Oklahoma last season. He was eight for eight from the free throw line against Pittsburg State. He scored nine points on two of three shooting from the three-point line against Central Missouri. He scored a then career high 12 points against Newman and twice tied the score on a pair of free throws in the final three minutes. He had three steals and two assists in his first career start against Southeastern Oklahoma. He had four rebounds at Oklahoma State.

WINDY CITY WILDMAN
Forward Terrence Sardin (So./Chicago, Ill.) scored eight points and was perfect from the field against Northwest Missouri. He had a career high four steals against West Texas A&M.  He pulled five rebounds and blocked two shots against Eastern New Mexico. He had career highs of ten points and six rebounds at Northwestern Oklahoma. He had seven points at Newman. He led Emporia State with a game high nine rebounds against Kansas and scored four points. He had a career high four blocked shots against Neb.-Kearney. He had three offensive rebounds against Northeastern State. He got his first career start at Lindenwood. He was five of seven from the free throw line on his way to seven points against Bethel. He averaged 12 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks for Perspectives Academy.  He had a triple double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and ten blocked shots against Brooks HS in the regional championship game.

JORDANAIRRE
Guard Tyler Jordan (So./Ballwin, Mo.) had a team high six rebounds against Northwest Missouri. He scored ten points against Eastern New Mexico. He had three assists at Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored nine points against St. Cloud State. Last year he scored ten points with seven rebounds at Ft. Hays State. He had eight points and four assists against Central Oklahoma. He had six rebounds against Pittsburg State in his second career start. He had three assists against Missouri Southern. He 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.

PERRY ON MY WAYWARD SON
Guard Perryonte Smith (Sr. /Milwaukee, Wis.) scored an Emporia State career high 12 points on three of four shooting, hitting both his three-point attempts, against Eastern New Mexico. He scored ten points with five steal at Newman. He scored four points with two steals at Kansas. He transferred to Emporia State from Newman. He played in all 26 games for the Jets, averaged 7.0 points, 2.7 rebounds per game and had a team high 82 assists on the season. He played in 33 games for at Otero Junior College and averaged 7.6 points, 3.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He shot .368 from three-point range at Otero.
 
TEMAAT MIGHT
Guard Jay Temaat (So./Lenexa, Kan.) was named to the All-Tournament team at the Pak-A-Sak Classic at West Texas. He had eight points and five rebounds against West Texas after scoring a career high 21 points, including a nine of ten performance at the free throw line against Eastern New Mexico. He scored 13 points and dished three assists at Northwestern Oklahoma. He hit six of eight free throws at Newman. He scored eight points against both St. Cloud State and Concordia-St. Paul. He led all scorers with 16 points off the bench at Kansas. He connected on three of seven three-pointers against the Jayhawks. He scored eight points with a pair of three-pointers at Central Oklahoma last season. He hit three of three free throws against Northeastern State. He scored nine points in less than two minutes in the first half at Neb.-Kearney. He scored 12 points, going three of four from the three-point arc and three of three from the free throw line against Pittsburg State. 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, hitting three of ten three pointers against the Cowboys.

SHARE THE WISDOM
Center McWisdom Badejo (Jr./Dallas, Texas) had six points in 17 minutes against West Texas A&M. He had four rebounds and two blocked shots in 14 minutes against Eastern New Mexico. He scored six points on three of five shooting from the field at Newman. He pulled five rebounds against St. Cloud State after getting four against Concordia-St. Paul. He had five rebounds at Kansas. He shot 71.8% from the field, going 28 of 39 last year. He had four rebounds at Ft. Hays State. He scored six points on three of three shooting against Central Oklahoma. He had four points on two shots and blocked a shot against Missouri Western. He scored a career high ten points against St. Mary's. 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 in 2012-13.

GALE FORCE
Forward Spenser Gales (Jr. /Wichita, Kan.) returned to action against Northwest Missouri  after missing five games with an ankle injury. He had four points and a team high six rebounds against Concordia-St. Paul before injuring his ankle. He scored six points at Kansas. He transferred to Emporia State from Coffeyville CC after starting his career at Houston Baptist. He played in 31 games for the Ravens, averaging 5.4 points and 4.0 boards per game. As a freshman at Houston Baptist he played in 15 games averaging 2.0 points and 3.0 rebounds a game. He was a four-year letterwinner at Wichita Northwest HS. He averaged 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks per game to earn all-state second-team and all-city honorable mention honors. He was member of the National Honor Society all four years and was among the top 10 percent in his class all four years.

A-MAYES-ING
Forward Nick Mayes (Jr. /Laramie, Wyo.) had three rebounds in seven minutes against Eastern New Mexico. He played 12 minutes in the win over Northwestern Oklahoma. He earned his first career start against Lincoln last year and pulled two rebounds. He 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. He played a season high 11 minutes at Pittsburg State on Feb. 15, 2012 and pulled down six rebounds.

CAPTAIN MORGAN
Forward Sam Morgan (Fr. /White City, Kan.) saw his first action of the season against Eastern New Mexico. He earned third-team All-State honors in Class 3A from the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.  He is the younger brother of former Hornet Mark Morgan.

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, 2014 after the City of Emporia approved a proclamation at their Feb. 20 city commission meeting.

HORNETS RANK 22ND IN NATION IN ATTENDANCE
The Emporia State men's basketball team continued a string of 12 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 1,549 fans to their 15 home games at Slaymaker Court in White Auditorium during the 2013-14 season to rank 22nd nationally. Emporia State outdrew 94 NCAA Division I schools during the 2013-14 school year, including two that made the NCAA Tournament and three that participated in the NIT Postseason Tournament. As a conference the MIAA drew 262,573 fans to the 199 games to lead all Division II conference in average attendance at 1,319 fans per game. The MIAA's total attendance was better than seven NCAA Division I conferences.

IN THE RAFTERS
On February 22, 2014 All-American Dale Cushinberry (1966-69) joined the five Hornets who have had their jersey's retired to the wall of White Auditorium. He was an All-American for Emporia State and became the first Hornet with 1,000 points and 700 rebounds.
•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.