January 18, 2017-Emporia State outscored Pittsburg State by 13 in the second half on the way to a 58-51 win over Pittsburg State on Wednesday in White Auditorium. Josh Pedersen led the Hornets with a career high 25 points and nine rebounds.
Emporia State fell behind 7-0 to start the game and were in danger of not scoring by the first media timeout before Brandon Hall hit a three-pointer with 15:04 left in the half. A Pedersen three-pointer pulled the Hornets within four with 7:46 left when the Gorillas went on a 7-0 run to take a 25-14 lead with 6:11 remaining in the half. Emporia State then held Pitt State without a point over the remainder of the half while scoring five to cut the halftime deficit to 25-19.
The Hornets extended their run to 9-0 to start the second half and pulled within 25-23 on a Pedersen three with 19:04 left. The Gorillas pushed the lead back to six points with 15:49 left on a fast break layup by RJ Pair. A Pair jumper gave Pitt State a 39-35 lead with 10:45 remaining when the Hornets went on a 9-0 run to take the lead for good. Pedersen scored the first seven points of the run and Tyler Jordan ended it with a break away steal and dunk to give Emporia State a 44-39 lead with 8:10 left.
The Gorillas cut the lead to one at 49-48 with 4:58 remaining on a pair of Elijah Gaines free throws. Jevon Taylor then hit a three pointer and Brian Morton got another steal and dunk for a 54-48 lead with 4:08 left. Pedersen put an exclamation point on the night with a dunk following a steal by Morton with 8.2 seconds left for the final score.
Pedersen was the only Hornet in double figures with his career high 25 and tied his career high with a game high nine rebounds. Garin Vandiver had eight points and eight rebounds for the Hornets, who have won five of their last six games.
The next action for Emporia State will be on Sunday afternoon when they play host to Missouri Southern. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. on Slaymaker Court in White Auditorium.
