November 8, 2015-Top ranked Emporia State led Division I Kansas by as many as 11 points in the first half, but a pair of four minute scoring droughts cost the Lady Hornets in a 68-57 loss to the Jayhawks on Sunday in Allen Fieldhouse.
GOOD START
Both teams were hot from the field in the first quarter, with each hitting 50% of their shots in the opening ten minutes. Sandra Ngoie made her presence felt early in her Lady Hornet debut, scoring all ten of her points in the opening period with eight coming in the first 3:09 of the game. Her layup with 10 seconds left gave Emporia State a 19-14 lead at the first break.
SECOND PERIOD, FIRST DROUGHT
After a Kylee Kopatich jumper pulled the Jayhawks to within 19-16 with 9:13 left in the second, the Lady Hornets went on a 7-0 run that forced Kansas into a timeout with 6:59 remaining in the half. Emporia State upped their lead to 11 three times over the next two minutes and led by nine at 34-25 with 4:12 left in the period on a Jacee Kramer layup. The Lady Hornets would then go on a 3:55 scoring drought and the Jayhawks took their first lead since 2-0 on a three-pointer from Timeka O'Neal with 55 seconds left. Kelly Moten sent Emporia State into the lockerrooms with a 36-35 lead when she hit a fast break layup with just under 17 seconds left in the half to break the scoring drought.
THIRD PERIOD TURNOVERS
Kansas would take advantage nine Emporia State turnovers in the pivotal third quarter that would lead to ten Jayhawk points as they outscored the Lady Hornets 19-12 in the third. KU took an 11 point lead at 50-39 with 6:08 remaining on Lauren Aldridge's old fashioned three-point play. Emporia State would finish the period on a 9-4 run of their own to head into the final quarter down 54-48.
FOURTH PERIOD, SECOND DROUGHT
Emporia State would cut the Kansas lead to three on two occassions in the fourth quarter, the last coming with 6:17 left on a layup by Moten. The Lady Hornets would be held scoreless over the next 4:26 as the Jayhawks built a 68-55 lead. Moten would get a rebound and go coast to coast for a layup with 1:51 left that snapped the scoreless drought and cut the lead to 11 with 1:51 remaining. Emporia State would have two more chances to cut the lead to single digits but a pair of turnovers prevented that from happening and Moten's score would be the last of the game.
THE NUMBERS
Kelly Moten had a game high 19 points and eight boards while dishing a team high five assists. She was joined in double figures by Sandra Ngoie with ten, all of them in the first quarter, and eight rebounds as well. The Lady Hornets outrebounded the Jayhawks 39-34 but were outscored 15-9 off turnovers and 11-2 at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
The #1 Lady Hornets open the regular season on Friday night at Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, Okla. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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