LADY HORNETS MOVE ON TO REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

Women's Basketball | 3/15/2014 12:12:00 PM

Game #33 (NCAA Tournament)
#7 Emporia State Lady Hornets (29-3, 16-3 MIAA)
vs. #11 Wayne State Wildcats (28-4, 19-4 NSIC)
Series Record: ESU leads 22-6 Last Meeting: at ESU 78, WSC 50 (1989-90)
Saturday, March 15, 2014 • 5:00 p.m. • Searcy, Ark. •  Rhodes Fieldhouse (3,000)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM (4:40 p.m.) Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: ncaa.com  
Up Next: Winner in Championship Game • March 17, 2014 • 7:00 p.m. • Searcy, Ark.
Lady Hornets Regional Tournament Media Supplement

SEMIFINAL SATURDAY   
The #7 Lady Hornets take on #11 Wayne State in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament semifinals. It will be the only match-up in the eight regional semifinals nationwide featuring two top 15 teams in the national rankings and features two teams that have been to the Elite Eight in the last five years.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
The Lady Hornets erupted for 97 points in a 32 point win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional Tournament in Searcy, Ark. Emporia State jumped in front 27-5 to start the game. After SWOSU cut the lead to 11 in the second half Emporia State used a 19-1 run to take back control of the game. Laura Patrick had 27 points and hit five three-pointers to lead three Lady Hornets in double figures. Merissa Quick had a double double with 17 points and 11 rebounds with three blocks and three assists.

THE COACHES
Jory Collins is 95-30 in his fourth year as the head coach of the Lady Hornets. He has 17 career wins against Top 25 teams with ten wins in the last 12 match-ups. This is his 13th season on the Lady Hornet coaching staff and Emporia State has advanced to the NCAA tournament in 12 of those seasons. He is 10-2 in MIAA Tournament games, and the first person to make it to the championship game in each of his first four years. He is 5-2 in the NCAA Tournament. This is his first meeting with Wayne State.
Chris Kielsmeier is 144-39 in his sixth year at Wayne State and 323-83 in his 14th season overall. He is 5-3 in the NCAA Tournament. This is his first meeting with Emporia State.

ABOUT THE LADY HORNETS
Seventh ranked Emporia State is 29-3, 16-3 in the MIAA and the #1 seed in the Central Region.  Laura Patrick was a unanimous first-team All-MIAA performer while Merissa Quick earned second-team All-MIAA and All-Defensive Team honors and was the MOP of the MIAA Tournament. Kelly Moten was named to the All-Tournament team after setting career highs in scoring in the semis and finals. The Lady Hornets are making their 16th trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last 18 years. Emporia State is 31-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and are 10-3 all-time in regional semifinal games.
 
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Wayne State is 28-4 on the year and went 19-4 in the NSIC to win the regular season title. They are led by Jordan Spencer at 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. This is their sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament and fourth in the last five years.
 
THE SERIES    
The Lady Hornets lead the all-time series 22-6 and have won five straight but are meeting for the first time since the 1989-90 season. The two were members of the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) from 1977-90.

LAST TIME VS. WAYNE STATE
The Lady Hornets posted a 78-50 in White Auditorium during the 1989-90 season.

UP NEXT
The winner will play for the regional championship on Monday night against the winner of the game between Central Missouri and Concordia-St. Paul. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.

ROAD WARRIORS
Emporia State is 212-82 (.721) away from home, 74-24 (.755) in neutral site games and 45-11 (.804) against non-MIAA teams at neutral sites since 1997-98 with four of the losses in the Elite Eight. The Lady Hornets have gone on the road to defeat the #1 ranked team in the nation twice in regional tournaments and have eliminated the host team in five regional tournaments. The Lady Hornets are 110-43 (.719) on the road in MIAA league play since 1997-98.

THE NATURAL STATE    
This is Emporia State's fifth trip to Arkansas for the NCAA Tournament with the first four trips being in the Elite Eight.  The Lady Hornets played for the 1998 National Championship in Pine Bluff and also made it to the Final Four and Elite Eight in Pine Bluff during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.  The last trip to Arkansas came in the 2006 Elite Eight. Emporia State is now 4-4 in NCAA play in Arkansas.

QUICKEN
Merissa Quick (Jr./Cheney, Kan.) was a Second-Team All-MIAA pick and member of the All-Defensive Team. She is ranked 12th in the nation in blocked shots. She leads the MIAA in field goal percentage, is second in the MIAA in blocked shots, tenth in rebounding, and 18th in scoring. She had 17 points and 11 rebounds against Southwestern Oklahoma State in the first round. She had 18 points and six rebounds against Central Missouri and became the first player to earn back to back Most Outstanding Player honors at the MIAA Tournament. She scored 16 points on seven of nine shooting against Southwest Baptist in the semis. She had 13 points and 11 rebounds against Washburn. She had ten points, 11 rebounds, six blocks at Central Oklahoma. She went for 23 against Northeastern State. She scored 15 points against Ft. Hays State. She scored 16 points on eight of 11 shooting, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked six shots at Washburn. She scored 13 points on six of ten shooting with eight rebounds at Ft. Hays State. She scored 15 points on six of seven shooting with nine rebounds against Pittsburg State. She had 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks against Central Missouri. She had 12 points on six of seven shooting with 11 rebounds and four blocked shots at Lindenwood. She scored 26 points in 22 minutes against Baker. She opened the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds against Indianapolis. She had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds at Kansas. She was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection last season. She scored 18 points with eight rebounds against Augustana in the Regional Championship game. She had 17 points and nine rebounds against Washburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She scored 22 points in the MIAA Championship game against Central Missouri. She scored 11 points and had a career best 20 rebounds against Washburn in Emporia. She scored a career high 31 points on 13 of 20 shooting against Pittsburg State and added eight rebounds. She scored 19 points on nine of 12 shooting at Central Missouri. She had 222 rebounds as a freshman, the most by a Lady Hornet freshmen since Emporia State joined the MIAA. She is sixth in freshman scoring at ESU with 341 points and ranks fourth since joining the MIAA. She is third in career and single season blocked shots list  at Emporia State with 200 blocks in 96 games and 84 this season. She has 1,114 points to rank 23rd on the all-time scoring list at Emporia State.
 
THE BIG SHOW
Laura Patrick (Sr./Hutchinson, Kan.) was a unanimous First-Team All-MIAA selection. She is ranked 26th in the nation and leads the MIAA in made three-pointers. She is fifth in the MIAA in three-point percentage, eighth in blocks, tenth in scoring, and 13th in assist to turnover ratio. She scored 27 points with five made three-pointers against Southwestern Oklahoma State. She had 20 points with four three-pointers at Pittsburg State. She had 12 points and 13 rebounds at Central Oklahoma. She had a season high 28 points at Neb.-Kearney. She scored 16 points and had six rebounds against Central Missouri. She was six of nine from behind the three-point arc for 22 points at Lindenwood with a career high five blocked shots. She had 21 points, going five of eight from the three point line against Missouri Southern with five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks. She was the MIAA Player of the Week after scoring a game high 21 points against West Texas. She had 20 points and a career high 14 rebounds at Newman. She was a third-team All-MIAA selection and was named to the MIAA and Central Regional All-Tournament Team. She had 18 points with nine rebounds against Minnesota State. She scored 20 points against Washburn in the first round NCAA game. She scored 14 points and was four of five from behind the three-point line against Washburn in the MIAA semifinals. She scored 22 points on six of eight shooting from the field against Missouri Southern. She had her first double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds at Southwest Baptist. She scored a career high 29 points with seven made threes against Abilene Christian. She earned second-team NJCAA All-American honors for Hutchinson CC and was named Jayhawk Conference West MVP.  She began her collegiate career at Sterling College and was named first-team All-KCAC and was the KCAC Freshman of the Year. She is third and fourth on the Lady Hornets single season list with 87 made three pointers this season and 83 last year. She has 170 made three pointers to rank sixth in career makes at Emporia State and leads all two year players. She has scored 929 points at Emporia State and 1,268 in her career at four year schools.

EGG HER ON
Rheanna Egli (Sr./Ankeny, Iowa) was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection. She is ranked fourth in assists and fifth in assist to turnover ratio in the MIAA. She had four assists and four steals against Southwestern Oklahoma State. She tied the MIAA tecord for most tournament games played with 12. She scored 16 points against Southwest Baptist in the semis. She had eight assists against Washburn. She was five of six from the field for 12 points and had five assists against Neb.-Kearney. She scored 11 points with three three-pointers at Central Oklahoma. She had 15 points on six of nine shooting with three steals against Northeastern State. She had ten points, six assists and just one turnover against Central Oklahoma. She scored a team high 16 points with eight assists against Pittsburg State. She had a season high 17 points at Lindenwood. She scored 14 points at Lincoln. She scored 15 points against Midwestern State. She scored 11 points against Concordia-St. Paul. She was four of four from behind the three point line against Central Methodist. She averaged 13.5 points and 3.0 assists per game in tournament games last March. She scored 17 points in the regional final against Augustana last year. She scored 13 points against Minnesota State. She had 16 points against Washburn in the NCAA Tournament. She scored 10 points with seven assists against Central Missouri in the MIAA Championship Game. She scored 11 points against Washburn in the semifinals. She had 14 points, three assists and three blocks against Truman. She tied her career high with nine assists with no turnovers and 11 points against Central Oklahoma. She had nine assists with two turnovers against Abilene Christian. She scored 14 points at West Texas and had a career high five steals. She had 17 points with a career record 11 of 14 effort at the free throw line at Central Missouri. She scored a career high 20 points including a four of five effort from the three-point arc against Kansas Wesleyan. She scored her season high ten points against Washburn in the MIAA Championship game as a sophomore. Her 245 points in 2010-11 rank 12th all-time among freshmen at Emporia State. She has 123 made three-pointers in her career to rank tenth on the Lady Hornet career list.

SHE'S GRRRREEEAATT!
Kionna Kellogg (Sr./Ames, Iowa) was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick. She scored seven points with seven rebounds against Southwestern Oklahoma State. She had a team high ten rebounds against Central Missouri in the MIAA Championship game. She scored 11 points against Southwest Baptist in the semifinals. She had 13 points on six of ten shooting against Washburn. She scored ten points with a pair of made three-pointers against Neb.-Kearney. She had 12 points and ten rebounds against Ft. Hays State in White Auditorium. She had 13 points and a career high 13 rebounds at Washburn. She scored nine points and was four of five from the field with seven rebounds at Neb.-Kearney. She had 15 points and ten boards against Missouri Western. She had 15 points and ten rebounds at Lindenwood. She had 12 points and seven rebounds against Missouri Southern. She scored 11 points with five rebounds in 17 minutes against Southwest Baptist. She scored 16 points against West Texas. She scored eight points with seven rebounds at Northwest Missouri. She had 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Southwestern. She scored 11 points on five of seven shooting against Midwestern State.  She had 16 points and ten rebounds against Tabor for her first double-double as a Lady Hornet.  She scored 16 points with a pair of three-pointers at Newman. She had 12 points against Indianapolis. She scored six points with five rebounds at Kansas. She scored 11 points and was five of six from inside the three-point line against Central Methodist. She comes to Emporia State after three seasons at the University of Minnesota. In three years with the Gophers, she played in 96 games with 64 starts and averaged 5.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.  
 
ACME PRODUCTS
Desiree Wylie (Sr./Killeen, Texas) is ranked ninth in the MIAA in rebounding. She had 11 points against Southwestern Oklahoma State. She scored nine points against Southwest Baptist in the semifinals. She was five of seven from the field for 12 points against Neb.-Kearney. She had 13 points and eight rebounds against Northeastern State. She had ten points and eight boards at Ft. Hays State. She pulled 11 rebounds against Central Oklahoma. She had her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds against Pittsburg State. She was six of nine from the field for 12 points and pulled down ten rebounds against Central Missouri. She had 13 rebounds at Lincoln. She had 11 points and 11 rebounds against Southwest Baptist. She scored 14 points and tied her career high 14 rebounds against Southwestern. She had 13 points and nine rebounds against Midwestern State.  She had 11 rebounds against Indianapolis. Last year she had ten points with six rebounds at Pittsburg State. She scored a career high 16 points with nine rebounds against Lindenwood. She scored 11 points on four of six shooting and pulled down eight rebounds against Lincoln. She scored 12 points on five of eight shooting at Neb.-Kearney last season. She scored 15 points against Central Oklahoma and added nine rebounds. She scored ten points with eight rebounds in 13 minutes against Ft. Hays State. She had a career high 14 rebounds against Central Methodist. She had 12 rebounds against Abilene Christian. She recorded a double-double in her first game with the Lady Hornets, getting 12 points and 11 rebounds against Newman. She was the third leading scorer and sixth leading rebounder in NJCAA Division I as a sophomore for Ranger College.  She averaged 20.7 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY
Kelly Moten (Fr.-RS/Gary, Ind.) scored nine points with eight rebounds, four assists and four steals against Southwestern Oklahoma State. She scored career highs in back to back games in the MIAA Tournament as she became the fourth freshman to earn All-Tournament honors. She had 17 points, five rebounds and five steals against Central Missouri in the championship game. She scored 15 points with six rebounds and five assists against Southwest Baptist in the semifinals. She was seven of seven from the free throw line and finished with 14 points against Neb.-Kearney. She scored ten points in ten minutes against Ft. Hays State in White Auditorium. She had a career high four steals against Central Oklahoma. She scored 11 points with four assists against Pittsburg State. She had 14 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals against Central Missouri. She had 13 points with five rebounds and seven assists against Missouri Western. She had eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals against Southwest Baptist. She had 14 points and nine rebounds against West Texas and added five assists. She scored 13 points with three made treys at Northwest Missouri. She dished a career high seven assists with seven rebounds against Tabor.  She had 12 points against Concordia-St. Paul and pulled seven rebounds against CSU-East Bay. She had seven points and five rebounds off the bench at Kansas.  She was an honorable mention Indiana Basketball Coaches Association All-State selection for Roosevelt HS. She has scored 252 points to rank 11th on the Lady Hornets all-time freshman scoring list and eighth since moving to the NCAA.

DO IT AGAIN
Haley Parker (Sr./Lawrence, Kan.) is ranked second in the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio and 11th in assists. She was three of four from the field and scored eight points against Southwestern Oklahoma State. She had five assists and no turnovers against Central Missouri in the MIAA Championship game. She had ten points and was five of six from the line against Central Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. She had six assists and no turnovers against Northeastern State. She scored 11 points and shot four of six from the field against Ft. Hays State in White Auditorium. She scored ten points against Central Oklahoma. She was four of four from the field and tied her career high with six assists against Central Missouri. She was five of six from the line and dished six assists at Lindenwood. She scored ten points on four of five shooting at Lincoln. She dished a career high six assists against Southwest Baptist. She had six points, four rebounds and four assists against Southwestern. She scored a career high 15 points including a four of four effort from behind the three-point line against Tabor.  She had 11 points, three assists, and two steals against Central Methodist. She scored a season high 11 points at Washburn last year, including a seven of seven effort from the free throw line. She hit two free throws with 1.2 seconds to ice the win at West Texas A&M. She went six for six from the free throw line and scored eight points against Kansas as a sophomore. She scored 14 points on six of ten shooting at Missouri Southern as a freshman.

NOTHING GOOD COMES EASILY
Amber Vandiver (Jr./Westminster, Colo.) is ranked 16th in the MIAA in rebounding. She scored nine points against Southwest Baptist in the semifinals. She was perfect from the field and free throw line for eight points against Central Oklahoma in the MIAA quarterfinals. She scored a career high 20 points with seven rebounds against Ft. Hays State in White Auditorium. She scored ten points and had six rebounds, five offensive at Ft. Hays State. She had ten rebounds at Northeastern State. She scored 16 points against Central Missouri. She scored 11 points and had 12 rebounds against Missouri Western. She was three of three from the field for six points with eight rebounds at Lindenwood. She had nine rebounds at Lincoln. She scored 15 points on six of nine shooting with six rebounds in 18 minutes against Baker. She pulled down 11 rebounds against Missouri Southern. She scored nine points with eight rebounds against Southwest Baptist. She had ten points and nine rebounds against Southwestern. She had 11 rebounds against Midwestern State.  She had 11 boards at Newman. She had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Concordia-St. Paul. She transferred to Emporia State last year at the semester from Boise State. She averaged 6.8 points and 6.2 rebounds as a sophomore in 11 games for the Broncos before transferring. She was an All-State selection in both Idaho and Wyoming for Boise Capital HS as a senior and Laramie HS as a junior.

HOLLOWAY WITH THE FALL AWAY
Megan Holloway  (Fr./Salina, Kan.) was three of four from the field for seven points against Washburn. She started and scored eight points at Neb.-Kearney. She had three rebounds against Central Oklahoma. She had seven points in nine minutes against Missouri Southern. She scored five points on two of two shooting from the field with two assists against West Texas. She had three rebounds at Northwest Missouri. She scored 11 points in her Lady Hornet regular season debut against Indianapolis. She was a first-team All-Class 5A selection as a senior after earning second-team honors as a junior. She was a two-time first-team All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail league pick. She averaged 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Cougars as a senior.

SAWING WOOD
Sarah Wood (Jr./Superior, Neb.) pulled four rebounds with a block and an assist against Southwest Baptist in the semis. She scored two points with four rebounds against Neb.-Kearney. She had four points at Central Oklahoma. She saw her first action of the season at Ft. Hays State after sitting out all of the fall with an injury. She had ten rebounds against Washburn in the MIAA Tournament Championship Game last year. She scored a season high 12 points with eight rebounds at Central Oklahoma. She had 11 points on three of three shooting from the field against Lincoln. She pulled down a career high 11 rebounds at CSU-Pueblo. She had eight points and six rebounds against Tarleton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a freshman.

A STOUT ADDITION
Morgan Stout (So./Madison, Kan.) pulled a rebound against Central Oklahoma. She made her first three-point attempt and had two rebounds against Baker. She  joined the team at the semester break. She began her collegiate career at Missouri Western and played in eight games during the 2010-11 season for the Griffons. She had career highs of five points against Pittsburg State and five rebounds against Lincoln for the Griffons.  She was a first-team All-Lyon County League selection for Madison HS as a senior.

BRING IT ON    
The Lady Hornets are 62-42 (.596) against Top 25 teams since 1997-98.  Emporia State is 25-9 (.735) at home against Top 25 teams since 1997. The Lady Hornets have 23 wins against Top 10 teams, including four against #1 teams in the last six seasons. Emporia State is 22-14 (.611) in neutral site games with top 25 foes since 1997.  

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
Emporia State won their first national championship in 2010, 12 years after making their first appearance in the national title game. The Lady Hornets were ranked 5th in this year's preseason USA Today Sports/WBCA Coaches Poll, the 17th straight year the Lady Hornets have received votes in the preseason poll and the highest preseason ranking since opening #3 in the 2006-07 poll.  The Lady Hornets have opened the season in the top 15 nationally in 12 of the last 17 years. The Lady Hornets have 18 straight winning seasons, the longest active streak in the MIAA. They have been in 18 straight MIAA tournaments, the second longest active streak in the MIAA. The Lady Hornets have won seven MIAA regular season championships in the last 16 years. They have made the NCAA Tournament 16 times in the last 18 years and their 31-14 record in the tourney is ranked fourth among active Division II schools in total wins. Emporia State has made five Elite Eight trips, tied with Delta State, Northern Kentucky and North Dakota for the most since 1997.

LET'S HANG SOME MORE
Aneta Kausaite, Jurgita Kausaite, Tara Holloway-Churchill, Emily Bloss-Carpenter, Michelle Stueve-Corpening, Cassondra Boston and Alli Volkens have had their jerseys retired in White Auditorium for earning All-American honors at Emporia State, graduating and playing at least two years for the Lady Hornets.

ALL-TIME ALL-MIAA TOURNAMENT TEAM
Lady Hornets Emily Bloss, Tara Holloway and Jurgita Kausaite were named to the ten person All-Time All-MIAA Tournament Team by a panel of past and current sports information directors and media members prior to the 2007 Tournament. Bloss averaged 17 points in her twelve tournament games, including a tournament record 76 points as a senior. Holloway scored 151 points in her career. Kausaite scored 120 points in six tournament games. Emporia State's is 26-12 all-time in MIAA Tournament play and the Lady Hornets are the last team to win four straight MIAA titles.

MIAA TOURNEY EXCELLENCE
Emporia State has won the last two MIAA Tournament Championships and are the first team to have two different streaks of at least four straight championship games.  The Lady Hornets won four straight championships from 1998-2001 and have been in the last four title games.  

SPEAKING OF THE MIAA TOURNAMENT
For the first 10 years in Kansas City the MIAA Championships had been an eight-team tournament for both the men and women. Beginning last season 12 teams qualified for the tournament. The top four seeds automatically advance to Kansas City, and seeds 5-12 play an opening round of games on campus sites. Emporia State is the only school to have both their men's and women's teams qualify in the top eight of the MIAA tournament since it moved to Kansas City in 2003.

NEWBIES
Kelly Moten became just the fourth freshman to earn All-Tournament honors at the MIAA Tournament.  All four freshmen were Lady Hornets and Moten is the first to earn the honors coming off the bench.

RANKINGS
Emporia State is ranked #7 in this week's USA Today Sports/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Lady Hornets ended last season ranked #18 in the Coaches Poll. The Lady Hornets have been in the Coaches Top 25 222 weeks since first appearing in the 1997-98 preseason poll and have been in the top ten for 157 weeks. Emporia State ended the 2009-10 season ranked #1 after winning the national championship.  The Lady Hornets were first ranked #1 in the Jan. 11, 2005 poll. Emporia State was last ranked #1 in the regular season in the Nov. 28, 2006 poll after opening at #3 in the 2006-07 Preseason Poll.  In other polls, the Lady Hornets are ranked #2 in both the Massey Ratings and the Bennett Basketball Rankings.

LADY HORNETS NCAA HISTORY
The Lady Hornets have made the NCAA Tournament for 16 times in the last 18 years and their 31-14 record in the tourney is ranked fourth all-time among active Division II schools in total tourney wins. Emporia State won the 2010 National Championship, were national runners-up in 1998, advanced to the Final Four in 1999 and were also in the Elite Eight in 2000 and 2006.   
 
HOME COOKIN'
The Lady Hornets have won 16 straight and 230 of the last 251 games at home. They have only lost 11 games to unranked NCAA teams in White Auditorium since 1997. The Lady Hornets are 380-89 (.810) overall since 1979 at home and hold the MIAA record for consecutive home wins with 62 set from 1997-2001. Emporia State is 10-4 against top ten teams in White Auditorium.

NOT SUCH A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Concordia-St. Paul's victory over Harding means the host team for the NCAA Regional the Lady Hornets compete in has won the tournament only once in the last ten years. The first eight years of the streak were in the South Central Region. In that same time, the host team has advanced to the regional final only twice with Emporia State defeating Washburn in 2006 in Lee Arena and West Texas A&M defeating Central Oklahoma in 2009 in Canyon, Texas.

HERE THEY COME
Emporia State has played in front of at least 1,000 fans in White Auditorium in every home game since January 2, 1999 - a span of 223 games. Last season, the Lady Hornets averaged 1,942 per game to rank fourth nationally. The Lady Hornets national championship game drew a standing room only crowd of 3,405 to the St. Joseph Civic Arena in 2010. The Lady Hornets averaged a school record 2,684 fans over 13 home dates in 2005-06 to finish third in the nation and led the nation with an average attendance of 2,348 fans for their 15 home dates in 2004-05. Emporia State has been in the top six of the nation in attendance in each of the last 16 years.

ON THE AIR
The Lady Hornets have been seen on national television four times in the last 14 years and are 3-1 in those games following their 65-53 national championship win over Ft. Lewis on ESPN2 in 2010. ESU's 97-94 overtime victory over then #1 Gannon was shown on ESPNU. The Lady Hornets 74-67 victory over Washburn in 2007 was televised nation wide on CSTV. It was the first time a basketball game was televised nationally from White Auditorium and the first time an MIAA regular season basketball game, men or women, had been telecast nationwide. The Lady Hornets national championship game against North Dakota in 1998 was seen on ESPN. The Turnpike Tussle game against Washburn in White Auditorium on Jan. 15, 2011 was available across Mid-America on the MIAA Broadcasting Network while the Lady Hornets appearances in the last four MIAA Tournament Championship Games have all been televised by the MIAA Network.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Lady Hornets have topped the 100-point barrier 66 times and have eclipsed the 110 point mark 27 times in their history. Since 1997-98, the Lady Hornets are 244-2 (.992) when scoring at least 80 points. The first loss was to North Dakota, 87-81 in the 1999 Final Four and the second came at West Texas A&M, 86-83 in the 2009 NCAA South Central Regional Semifinals. Emporia State was 167-22 (.884) in the previous 23 seasons when scoring at least 80 points. Conversely Emporia State is 132-2 (.985) all-time when holding opponents to 50 points or less.

LOCK DOWN
Emporia State led the nation in scoring defense during the 2000-01 season, allowing just 50.6 points per game to rank 20th all-time in single season defense in NCAA Division II.  The Lady Hornets have not allowed a team to score 100 points against them since a 106-75 loss to West Texas A&M on Nov. 29, 1991 a streak of 699 games.
 
TOUGH ENOUGH
The MIAA is 73-33 in non-league action this season and was 87-33 against outside competition last season. The MIAA has produced two of the last eight National Champions and four different schools have been to the Elite Eight since 2008. The MIAA has had a team in the Elite Eight in 20 of the last 29 seasons.  According to this week's Massey Ratings, six of the top ten strength of schedules in the nation are MIAA teams with Emporia State's SOS ranked #1 in the nation. The Bennett Basketball Rankings have three of the top four SOS teams from the MIAA.

WINNING
With this year's MIAA Tournament Championship, every four year player at Emporia State since the incoming freshman class of 1994-95 has won at least a share of an MIAA regular season championship, a regional championship, or MIAA Tournament Championship. The Lady Hornets ended 2009-10 ranked #1 in the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll after winning the national championship. The Lady Hornets have spent 157 polls in the top ten since 1997-98. After advancing to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in eight years in 2006, Emporia State opened the 2006-07 season with a #3 preseason ranking in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. It was the highest preseason ranking ever for the Lady Hornets by the WBCA. The Lady Hornets have been ranked in the WBCA Top 25 in each of the last 17 seasons.

CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
The Lady Hornets national championship in 2010 came in the school's second trip to the title game. This is Emporia State's 16th trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last 18 years and they have reached the Sweet 16 ten times. They have won five NCAA South Central Regional Championships to advance to the Elite Eight and have been to three Final Fours. The Lady Hornets have opened NCAA Tournament play with a win in 14 of their 16 tourneys. They have won seven MIAA regular season championships, six MIAA tournament championships and five NCAA South Central Regional championships since 1997. The Lady Hornets have played in ten NCAA Regional Championship Games and 11 MIAA Tournament Championship Games in the last 16 years. Emporia State has been to 11 title games in the last 17 years.

LADY HORNET SUCCESS ON THE COURT...
The Lady Hornets have the best record in MIAA play in the 21st century. ESU is 216-63 (.774) in MIAA play since the 2000 season and 372-99 (.790) overall in that time. The Lady Hornets are even better in the MIAA if you add two more years to the equation. Since the 1997-98 season, Emporia State is 247-64 (.794) in MIAA play and 435-103 (.809) overall. The Lady Hornets have been ranked in the top ten of the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll 157 times, the most of any current NCAA Division II school.  Emporia State has been to 16 NCAA Tournaments, made the Regional Championship or "Sweet 16" ten times, has made five trips to the Elite Eight, three to the Final Four, two national title game appearances and won the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship. The Lady Hornets have won eight MIAA Championships and are the only team to win four straight undisputed (untied regular season and tournament) MIAA Championships pulling the trick from 1998-2001. They have been in four straight MIAA Tournament Championships games, been to 11 of the last 17 MIAA Tournament Title Games and won six tourney titles.

...AND IN THE CLASSROOM
Lady Hornets have been honored as Academic All-Americans three times since joining the NCAA. Michelle Stueve was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second-team in 2007-08 and was a three-time Academic All-District VII performer. Emily Bloss was a three-time Academic All-American and was named the Academic All-American of the Year in 2001.

END GAME
The Lady Hornets are 243-5 (.980) when leading at the 5:00 mark since the start of the 2004-05 season and are 410-11 (.974) since 1997 with a lead at the 5:00 mark.  

ABOUT THE CENTRAL REGION
The MIAA moved to the Central Region last year with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Great American Conference. Last year's Regional tournament was stacked with tradition with four former national champions in the field and five of the eight teams have played for a national title at some point.  Emporia State is one of three MIAA teams to win National Championship, capturing the most recent title in 2010 and playing for the national title in 1998. Washburn won the 2005 National Championship while Central Missouri captured the 1984 National Championship and were runners-up in 1985. The NSIC's Minnesota State-Mankato won the 2009 National Championship.  Arkansas Tech, currently in the GAC, played for the national championship in 1999 as a member of the Gulf South Conference. They lost to North Dakota, who had eliminated Emporia State in the Final Four.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
A total of 18 of the Lady Hornets games this season have been against teams that received votes in the WBCA Top 25 at some point this year.  Two of them played in their regional championship game last year. All nine of their non-conference opponents were above .500 with a combined record of 200-73 (.732) entering the tournament which improves to a .752 winning percentage when you remove their losses to Emporia State. Five of their nine non-conference opponents played for their individual league tournament championships. All of their opponents were a combined 389-244 (.615) on the season. According to the Massey Ratings, the Lady Hornets have the #1 ranked strength of schedule in the country and are ranked #3 in the Bennett Rankings.  Emporia State's opponents combined record was 384-270 (.587) last season.

 STREAKS AND SUCH
•The Lady Hornets have hit a three pointer in 262 straight games dating back to a zero for 14 effort at Washburn on Feb. 15, 2006.
•The Lady Hornets have held their last 699 opponents to under 100 points dating back to a 106-75 loss to West Texas A&M in Hays, Kan. on Nov. 29, 1991.
•The Lady Hornets have won 20 straight non-conference games in White Auditorium dating back to a 58-51 loss to Harris-Stowe on December 8, 2007.
•The Lady Hornets have won 16 straight games in White Auditorium dating back to a 66-56 loss to Northeastern State on February 23, 2013.
•The Lady Hornets have won at least ten home games in 18 straight seasons.
•The Lady Hornets ended the longest winning streak in NCAA Division II history (51 games) with their 61-59 overtime victory over Washburn on March 13, 2006 in the South Central Regional final and the longest single season winning streak (37 games) with their 97-94 overtime victory over Gannon on March 24, 2010 in the national semifinals.
•The Lady Hornets have defeated the host team in the last three regional tournaments they have played in (at Washburn 65-58 in 2013; at Washburn 71-65 in 2012; at West Texas A&M 76-69 in 2010).
•The Lady Hornets won six straight games against nationally ranked teams prior to falling in the regional championship game last year, the longest streak since winning seven straight over the 1999-2000 through 2000-01 seasons and the longest single season streak since winning seven straight on the way to the 1998 national championship game.
•Previous to the Northeastern State game in Tahlequah, the last time the Lady Hornets failed to place a player in double figures was in a 64-42 loss to Washburn on Jan. 25, 1995 - a streak of 588 games.

TIP-INS
• The Lady Hornets have won 20 games in 12 straight seasons, 17 times in the last 18 years and 22 times in the program's 38 year history.
• The Lady Hornets have won 25 games ten times in school history.
• The Lady Hornets have won 30 games three times in school history.
• The Lady Hornets are 797-364 (.686) overall in 38 years of action.
• The Lady Hornets are the only team to appear in the NCAA top twenty season records for scoring offense (17th - 90.0 in 1998; 8th - 91.3 in 1999; 18th - 89.9 in 2000) and scoring defense (18th - 50.6 in 2001).
• The Lady Hornets have had nine of the last 16 MIAA MVPs, five of the last 12 Freshmen of the Year and won the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2011-12.