Women's Basketball | 3/25/2020 5:13:00 PM

Game #35
#15 Emporia State Lady Hornets (29-5, 16-4 MIAA)
vs. #6 Ft. Lewis Sky Hawks (35-3, 18-1 RMAC)
Frid., March 26 • 7:00 p.m. • St. Joseph, Mo. • Civic Arena (3,700)
Series Record: ESU leads 1-0 Last Meeting: ESU 93, FLC 47 (11/29/90)
Radio: KFFX 104.9 FM (6:40 p.m.) Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: ESPN2 Internet Video: ncaa.com

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The #15 Lady Hornets will make their first ap­pearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game since 1998 as they take on #6 Ft. Lewis on ESPN2.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The #15 Lady Hornets rallied from 18 points down with 8:48 left to defeat previously unbeaten and #1 Gannon 97-94 in the NCAA D-II Final Four. The teams would go to halftime with ESU leading 40-39 despite shooting just .324 from the field compared to GU's .500 shooting and being outrebounded by six. The Knights took a 76-58 lead with 8:48 remaining in the game when the Lady Hornets went on a 15-0 run to cut the lead to 76-73 with 4:54 remaining. The Knights went up by four with :45 left but Alli Volkens scored the final four points of regulation to tie it at 87 and go to overtime. ESU took the lead for good on a pair of free throws from Lacy Corker with 47.0 seconds left. Cassondra Boston ended with a game high 21 points while Volkens added 20 points for the Lady Hornets.
 
THE COACHES
Brandon Schneider is 305-72 (.809) in his 12th year as head coach. He is the 2010 WBCA Regional Coach of the Year. He is responsible for over 40% of ESU's all-time victories. He is the second winningest active coach by percentage in Division II. The Lady Hornets have gone to the NCAA Tournament in 11 of his 12 seasons as head coach. He is 38-26 against Top 25 teams in his career and has four wins against #1 ranked teams. He is 20-10 in NCAA Tournament games. This is his first meeting with FLC.
Mark Kellogg is 119-37 in his fifth year at FLC. This is his first meeting with ESU. .
 
SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS
Ft. Lewis is 35-3 on the year, ranked #6 in the WBCA Top 25 and have advanced to the national championship for the first time in school history. They were 18-1 in the RMAC, losing their first game at Metro State. For the third time in the Elite Eight, ESU will be taking on a team with four 1,000 point scorers in it's lineup. Allison Rosel averages 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game to lead the Skyhawks. Four other players average between 8.8 and 12.8 points for FLC. Abby Jackson is ranked second in the nation in three point field goal percentage.
 
THE SERIES
This is the second meeting between Emporia State and Ft. Lewis with the Lady Hornets winning the first meeting 93-47 at the Mesa State Thanksgiving Tournament. Stefanie Quayle led ESU with 20 points and five steals while sisters Shelley and Sheri Moore each grabbed six rebounds.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
ESU and Ft. Lewis have three common opponents with FLC going 2-1 and ESU 3-0 in those games. The Skyhawks defeated San Francisco State 89-74 and Eastern New Mexico 70-53 and lost to West Texas A&M 73-64. The Lady Hornets defeated Eastern New Mexico 82-50, San Francisco State 55-48 and West Texas A&M 76-69.
 
TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
This will be the 11th NCAA tournament game for the Lady Hornets senior class and their first trip to the Elite Eight. Lacy Corker was a red-shirt on ESU's last Elite Eight team in 2006.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Hornets are scheduled to return to Emporia on Saturday morning.
 
HOME COOKIN'
ESU has won 183 of the last 197 games at home. They have only lost nine games to unranked NCAA teams in White Auditorium since 1997. ESU has not lost consecutive home games since Feb. 7-10, 1996. The Lady Hornets are 335-83 (.801) overall since 1979 at home and hold the MIAA record for consecutive home wins with 62 set from 1997-2001.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
ESU is 144-57 (.715) away from home, 48-18 (.723) in neutral site games and 29-8 (.778) against non-MIAA teams at neutral sites under Schneider with three 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 the last six regional tournaments and have eliminated the host team in three tournaments. The win over Gannon was ESU's third against a #1 team in the nation in the NCAA tourney since 2005. The Lady Hornets are 86-29 (.747) on the road in MIAA league play since 1997-98.
 
BOSTON POPS
Cassondra Boston (Sr./Des Moines, Iowa) earned WBCA/State Farm All-American honors, was named the MVP of the MIAA, was a unanimous first-team All-MIAA selection and the Daktronics South Central Region Player of the Year. She had 21 points and five assists against Gannon with five three pointers. She is leading the MIAA in scoring and is second in free throw percentage, third in assists, fourth in made three-pointers, fifth in field goal percentage and is eighth in assist to turnover ratio and three point field goal percentage. She had 19 points and eight assists in the quarterfinal win over Michigan Tech, with 15 points coming in the second half. She was the Most Outstanding Player at the South Central Regional after averaging 18.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the tournament. She scored 11 points and dished seven assists against Northeastern State in the Regional final. She had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists against West Texas A&M in the regional semifinals. She was 13 of 13 from the line against WTAMU and has made 25 straight free throws over the last four games. She had a game high 22 points with five rebounds and five assists against Tarleton in the first round. She was named to the MIAA All-Tournament team after scoring 22 points with five steals against UCM in the semifinals and 23 points with seven assists against FHSU in the first round. She has been named the MIAA Player of the Week four times this year. She had her first career double-double with 33 points and 10 assists against SBU. She was named MVP of the Lady Hornet Classic. She was first-team All-MIAA and second-team Daktronics All-Region as a junior. She was named to the 2009 MIAA All-Tournament team after scoring a season high 25 points with six assists against Washburn in the championship game. She had 24 points in the win against Washburn in White Auditorium. As a sophomore she set the ESU single game record with nine treys against Cameron and a career high 34 points and scored 29 points against KU. She was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year and scored 20 points in ESU's nationally televised win over #3 Washburn in 2006-07. She had a game high 21 points in an exhibition win over K-State in her first game in a Lady Hornet uniform. She has made 89 three-pointers this season to rank third on the Lady Hornet single season list and is fourth with 165 made free throws this season. She has 1,832 points in her career to rank fifth at ESU and needs eight to pass 2000 Player of the Year Tara Holloway for fourth. She is second in career three pointers, fifth in made free throws, sixth in assists and ninth in made field goals. Boston was named First-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District. She has already graduated from ESU with a BS in accounting is taking MBA classes this semester.
 
ALLI V
Alli Volkens (Jr./Reinbeck, Iowa) was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection. She made six of seven shots, all after halftime on her way to 20 points against Gannon. She has made 16 of 18 shots in the Elite Eight and is shooting .700 from the field in the NCAA Tournament. She is ranked fourth in the MIAA in rebounding, second in the league in offensive boards, is fifth in blocked shots, ninth in free throw percentage and 20th in scoring. She had a career high 28 points on ten of 11 shooting against Michigan Tech in the Quarterfinals. She also had a team high eight rebounds. She scored 22 points, including 15 straight for the Lady Hornets in 5:39 in the second half. She was named to the All-Tournament team at the South Central Regional after averaging 16.0 points on .594 shooting and 6.0 rebounds in the three games. She scored 19 points on eight of ten shooting from the field against West Texas A&M in the semifinals. She scored 21 points with seven rebounds against Tarleton State in the first round of the regional. She had 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks against UCM in the MIAA Tournament. She had a double-double with ten points and ten boards against WU. She scored 18 of her 20 points at SBU in the second half, hitting her last seven shots of the game. She scored a game high 20 points with seven rebounds off the bench against Central Missouri. She had a double-double with 11 points and a season high 14 rebounds against MWSU. She had 13 points and five rebounds at NWMSU. She scored 11 points with nine rebounds against Eastern New Mexico in her first action of the season. She had 13 points and a career high 16 rebounds against NWMSU last season. She had a career high five blocked shots against Tabor as a sophomore. She had a career high 24 points and nine rebounds against Shaw as a freshman. She is fifth in career blocks at ESU with 127 in 96 games.
 
ST. AUGUSTYN
Jamie Augustyn (Sr./Burlington, Kan) was named to the MIAA All-Defensive Team. She tied her career high with five three pointers against Gannon. She has connected on 17 of 32 (.531) three pointers in nine NCAA tournament games in her career. She is second in the MIAA in three-point percentage and seventh in three-pointers made. She had 12 points on four of four shooting from behind the arc against Northeastern State in the regional title game. She scored ten points against West Texas. She had two treys and three steals in the first round against Tarleton State. She was four for four from behind the three-point line at FHSU. She hit three treys and tied her career high with seven rebounds against Northwest Missouri. She led ESU with 13 points on four three pointers at Washburn. She scored 12 points in the first half at CSU-East Bay on four three pointers. She pulled down seven rebounds at Missouri Western. She had a career high 19 points in ESU's win over UA-Fort Smith. She had six rebounds at #20 Kansas in exhibition play. Her 74 made three-pointers this season rank fifth among Lady Hornets and she is seventh at ESU with 135 career made three pointers.
 
MILLER TIME
Brittney Miller (So./Paola, Kan.) scored 18 points with nine rebounds against Gannon and went nine of ten from the free throw line. She is ranked 12th in the MIAA in rebounding and ninth in defensive rebounding. She scored 12 points against Northeastern State to reach double figures for the first time in eight games. She had a team high eight rebounds against West Texas in the regional semifinals. She scored six points with seven rebounds against Tarleton State. She had nine points and nine rebounds against Washburn. She had 10 points and six rebounds against Southwest Baptist. She had 17 points and eight rebounds against Nebraska-Omaha. She had her third double double of the year with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Missouri Western. She had 13 points and ten boards and tied her career high with three assists against Ft. Hays State. She had ten points and a season high ten rebounds at SBU for her first double-double of the season. She scored a career high 21 points on eight of 11 shooting at CSU-East Bay and added seven rebounds. She pulled down seven rebounds with a career high three blocked shots against Central Missouri. She had ten points and six rebounds against Missouri Western in her first start of the season. She had ten points as she saw her first extended playing time of the season against Avila. She was named a first team All-MIAA and All-South Central Region selection in volleyball this season for the Hornets. She had then career highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds at Ft. Hays State last season for her first career double-double. She redshirted in basketball during 2007-08 after she injured her ACL.
 
SOPHIE'S CHOICE
Sophia Lenard (Sr./Wilmington, Calif.) matched her season high with 22 points in the quarterfinals against Michigan Tech. She was named to the South Central Regional All-Tournament team after scoring 12 points in the regional championship game against Northeastern State. She scored 13 points against West Texas in the regional semifinals. She was three for three from behind the three point line against Tarleton State. She has missed three games this season, played less than ten minutes in six others and missed the exhibition season while recovering from off season knee surgery. She is a game time decision the rest of the year. She tied for the team lead with seven rebounds against FHSU in the MIAA quarterfinals. She had 11 points and four rebounds against Washburn. She scored a season high 22 points against Northwest Missouri. She tied her career highs with four made three pointers and seven rebounds at UNO. She was named to the MIAA All-Defensive Team last year. She scored a career high 26 points with six rebounds against Washburn in Lee Arena last season. She had a career high nine assists at Mo. Southern last season.
 
CORKED BAT
Lacy Corker (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) has made 12 straight free throws after hitting two in overtime to give ESU the lead against Gannon. She scored ten points against Tarleton State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. She had 13 points and four assists against UCM in the MIAA semifinals. She scored a career high 22 points at FHSU and added a game high seven assists. She tied for the team lead with seven rebounds at Pittsburg State. She scored 17 points against Missouri Southern. She had a then career high 18 points and five steals against UNO. She had a career high seven rebounds at Northwest Missouri. She scored 12 points against St. Mary's in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. She had five assists against Washburn in the 2009 MIAA title game. She had a career high 11 assists against Harris-Stowe State. She is ninth in career assists at ESU.
 
ROSS AND RACHEL
Rachel Hanf (Fr./Paola, Kan.) was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year. She scored ten points on three of five shooting with three assists against Gannon. She scored 15 points against Missouri Southern on four of six shooting from the field. She set a career high with 17 points against Missouri Western with four three pointers. She scored 15 points on seven of 11 shooting against Ft. Hays State. She had a career high nine boards at Missouri Western. She scored 13 points at Northwest Missouri. She led ESU with five assists against Eastern New Mexico. She had 12 points, five steals, four rebounds and four assists in her debut against Benedictine.
 
TAYLOR MADE
Negesti Taylor (Jr./Harrisburg, Penn.) had eight rebounds against Gannon. She is 13th in the MIAA in rebounding, ranking seventh in offensive boards and is tenth in blocked shots. She scored six points on two of three shooting with two free throws against Michigan Tech in the quarterfinals, the most she had scored since getting six on Feb. 13 against Missouri Southern. She has five double figure rebound games and five more games with nine rebounds. She had 11 points against Nebraska-Omaha. She had a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds against NWMSU. She blocked a career high four shots against Ft. Hays State. She had a game high nine rebounds and two blocks at WU. She scored a career high 13 points against UA-Ft. Smith. She was named to the All-Tournament team at the Lady Hornet Classic after recording a double-double against Evangel. She had ten boards against both Evangel and Eastern New Mexico. She pulled 11 rebounds against Benedictine.
 
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Jocelyn Cummings (Fr./Overland Park, Kan.) had a game high eight rebounds in the regional final against Northeastern State. She scored seven points against Central Missouri in the MIAA Tournament semifinals. She had eight rebounds at FHSU in her first start since December 2. She had a game high nine rebounds at Central Missouri. She had nine points and was three of three from the field with a three pointer at Truman. She had 13 points and 11 rebounds against Benedictine to become the first Lady Hornet freshman to record a double-double in her first game since Emily Bloss did it in 1997-98.
 
SHAKE AND BAKE
Ashley Ferrell (Jr./Ft. Worth, Texas) scored four points on back to back buckets in the first half against Northeastern State. She had four rebounds in nine minutes against Missouri Southern. She scored six points in six minutes against Missouri Western. She had two rebounds in one minute at WU after having not played the five previous games with a foot injury. She had 15 rebounds at CSU-East Bay. She had 11 points and ten boards against Eastern New Mexico. She led ESU with 11 rebounds and scored eight points against Benedictine.
 
HELLO, NEWMAN
Kelsey Newman (Fr./Lincoln, Neb.) played four minutes against Missouri Southern after missing ten games with a stress fracture. She had a career high three rebounds at UNO. She scored nine points on four of seven shooting in 12 minutes against Avila. She scored 11 points off the bench against Eastern New Mexico.
 
BRING IT ON
The Lady Hornets are 44-30 against Top 25 teams since 1997-98. ESU is 15-10 in neutral site games with top 25 foes since 1997. The Lady Hornets have 13 wins against Top 10 teams, including four against #1 teams in the last six seasons. ESU is 18-6 at home against Top 25 teams since 1997.
 
SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
Emporia State opened the season with a #7 preseason ranking in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll, the sixth straight year ESU has opened the season in the top 15. It is the tenth time in Brandon Schneider's 12 years as head coach the Lady Hornets have opened the season in the top 15 nationally. ESU has been ranked in the WBCA Top 25 at some point in each of the last 13 seasons. The Lady Hornets now have a streak of 14 straight winning seasons, the longest active streak in the MIAA. The Lady Hornets have won seven MIAA regular season championships in the last 13 years. They have made 13 trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last 14 years. ESU has made five Elite Eight appearances in that time, tied with Delta State, Northern Kentucky and North Dakota for the most since 1997.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
The Lady Hornets have topped the 100-point barrier 47 times since Brandon Schneider became head coach and have eclipsed the 110 point mark 19 times under Schneider. Since 1997-98, the Lady Hornets are 216-2 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. ESU was 167-22 in the previous 23 seasons when scoring at least 80 points. ESU is leading the MIAA in scoring this year as they have for the past six straight years and 11 of the last 13 seasons. ESU topped the 100 point mark five times last year and have at least three 100 point games in each of the last six seasons. Conversely ESU is 116-1 all-time when holding opponents to 50 points or less.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE AND THE NATION
The Lady Hornets lead the MIAA in scoring, scoring margin, rebounds, rebound margin, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds percentage, and three point field goal percentage, and are in the top three of 15 categories. They are ranked third in the nation in made three pointers, seventh in rebound margin and ninth in scoring offense. The Lady Hornets are ranked in the top 25 nationally in six categories. In NCAA Tournament games, ESU's three point field goal percentage is second among the 64 teams that made the tournament and tops among the eight teams in St. Joseph.
 
ON THE AIR
This will be the fourth time the Lady Hornets have been seen on national television, following the 97-94 overtime victory on ESPNU. The Lady Hornets 74-67 victory over Washburn in 2007 was televised nation wide on CSTV. It was the second time ESU had been shown on a nation wide broadcast and the first time a basketball game was televised nationally from White Auditorium. It was 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 nationwide on ESPN. ESU's 54-47 victory over then #8 Washburn was on state-wide television on KTWU-11 and Kansas-22. The MIAA and B2 Networks have reached a multi-year agreement making B2 the exclusive home for broadband broadcasts of all MIAA athletics. Games can be accessed through the league website, individual school sites or www.b2tv.com.
 
HERE THEY COME
ESU has played in front of at least 1,000 fans in White Auditorium in every home game since January 2, 1999 - a span of 172 games. The Lady Hornets had a season high 4,045 against WU to push the season average to 2,118 to currently lead the MIAA. ESU ranked fourth nationally in attendance last year at 2,051 after finishing second in the nation in average attendance with 2,273 in 2007-08. 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 12 years.
 
RANKINGS
The Lady Hornets are ranked #15 in this week's ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. This is the 104th straight week and 174th week overall that ESU has been in the Coaches Top 25 since first appearing in the 1997-98 preseason poll. This marks the 13th straight year the Lady Hornets have been nationally ranked. ESU was ranked #1 in the Jan. 11, 2005 poll, the first time the Lady Hornets have achieved the top ranking in NCAA Division II Basketball. ESU was last ranked #1 in the Nov. 28, 2006 poll after opening at #3 in the 2006-07 Preseason Poll.
 
LADY HORNET SUCCESS ON THE COURT...
The Lady Hornets have the best record in MIAA play in the 21st century. ESU is 158-42 (.790) in MIAA play since the 2000 season and 275-69 (.799) overall in that time. The Lady Hornets dominance increases if you add two more years to the equation. Since the 1997-98 season, ESU is 189-43 (.815) in MIAA play and 338-73 (.822) overall. The Lady Hornets have been ranked in the top ten of the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll 124 times since 1997-98, the most of any current NCAA Division II school and second to current Division I North Dakota. ESU has won seven MIAA Championships, have been to the Regional Championship, or "Sweet 16", eight times, have made four trips to the Elite Eight, three to the Final Four and this will be their second national title game. The Lady Hornets 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 seven of the last 13 MIAA Tournament Championship Games with four tourney titles.
 
...AND IN THE CLASSROOM
Cassondra Boston is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII performer after earning first-team honors this season. She has already graduated with a BS in accounting. Michelle Stueve was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second-team in 2008-09 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.
 
ABOUT THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
There are three South Central Region teams ranked in the top 15 nationally. South Central Region teams have advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship Game on nine occasions including five of the last 12 years. Five of the nine teams have come from the MIAA, including Emporia State who lost the 1998 title game to North Dakota 92-76 in Pine Bluff, Ark. However ESU is the first team from the regional to make the final four since 2005 and is the first to make multiple trips to the championship game since Central Missouri in 1984 and 1985. Two MIAA teams have won national championships, Central Missouri in 1984 and WU in 2005. ESU is 33-7 (.821) against the LSC and Heartland Conference under Brandon Schneider.
 
EXCELLENCE
Since the incoming freshman class of 1994-95, every four year player at ESU has won at least a share of an MIAA regular season championship or a regional championship. The Lady Hornets are ranked #15 in this week's ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. This was the sixth straight year ESU has opened the season in the top 15 and the Lady Hornets have spent 124 polls in the top ten since 1997-98. Prior to the Jan. 24, 2007 poll, when they dropped to #11, the Lady Hornets had been in the top ten for 36 straight polls over three years. After advancing to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in eight years in 2006, ESU 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 13 seasons and have received votes in 182 of 186 polls during that time. ESU now has a streak of 14 straight winning seasons, the longest active streak in the MIAA.
 
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 24-11 all-time in MIAA Tournament play and the Lady Hornets are the last team to win four straight MIAA titles.
 
LET'S HANG SOME MORE
Aneta Kausaite, Jurgita Kausaite, Tara Holloway-Churchill, Emily Bloss-Carpenter and Michelle Stueve-Corpening 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.
 
TOUGH ENOUGH
Two MIAA teams are currently ranked in the WBCA Top 15. Ten of the 11 teams in the league have a winning percentage of over .600 outside the league since the beginning of the 1999-2000 season, with the lone school with a winning percentage below .600 being newcomer Neb.-Omaha.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
This is the Lady Hornets second national championship game appearance and the first since 1998. It is ESU's 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last 14 years and they have now reached the Sweet 16 eight times. They have won five NCAA South Central Regional Championships to advance to the Elite Eight. This is ESU's third Final Four and the first since 1999. They have won seven MIAA regular season championships, four MIAA tournament championships and five NCAA South Central Regional championships since 1997. The Lady Hornets have played in eight NCAA Regional Championship Games and seven MIAA Tournament Championship Games in the last 13 years. In regular season action, ESU has finished in the top three of the MIAA in 12 of the last 13 years.
 
LOCK DOWN
Although the Lady Hornets have been among the national leaders in a number of offensive categories over the last 13 years, the Emporia State defense has been solid as well. ESU led the nation in scoring average 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 573 games.
 
END GAME
The Lady Hornets are 148-2 when leading at the 5:00 mark since the start of the 2004-05 season and are 315-8 since 1997 with a lead at the 5:00 mark. The last time ESU lost a game with a lead at the 5:00 mark was a 65-59 decision at Central Missouri in 2007. The Lady Hornets led 55-50 before the Jennies hit nine of 11 free throws in the final 3:48 for the win.
 
STREAKS AND SUCH
•The Lady Hornets have hit a three pointer in 136 straight games dating back to a zero for 14 effort at Washburn on Feb. 15, 2006.
•The Lady Hornets have held their last 573 opponents to under 100 points dating back to a 106-75 loss to West Texas A&M in Hays, Kan. on Nov. 29, 1991.
•At 305-72 (.809), Brandon Schneider has the most wins by a coach at a single MIAA school. Dave Slifer is the all-time leader in MIAA wins at 311-139 (.693) in stints at Missouri Western and Central Missouri.
•This will be Emporia State's fourth national championship game in a sport in the last five years - softball in 2006 and 2008, and baseball in 2009.
 
TIP-INS
• The Lady Hornets have won 20 games in eight straight seasons, 13 times in the last 14 years and 18 times in the program's 32 year history.
• The Lady Hornets have won 25 games nine times in school history, eight times in the last nine years.
• The Lady Hornets are 701-334 (.677) overall in 35 years of action.
• The Lady Hornets are 61-11 (.847) following a loss and 34-8 (.810) in MIAA action following a loss under Brandon Schneider.
• The Lady Hornets are 20-5 (.800) when coming home following a road loss under Schneider.
• The Lady Hornets are 121-21 (.852) in non-MIAA play under Schneider with seven losses in NCAA play.
• The Lady Hornets have gone undefeated in non-conference action in five of 12 years under Schneider.
• The Lady Hornets have ended an MIAA team's undefeated start of at least ten games five times in the 21st century.
• 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 14 MIAA MVPs (Cassondra Boston-2010, Ida Edwards-2009, Michelle Stueve-2008, Kristie McClain-2003, Emily Bloss-2001, Tara Holloway-2000, Jurgita Kausaite-1999, Aneta Kausaite-1998 & 1997) and three of the last eight Freshmen of the Year (Nicole Patry-2002, Michelle Stueve-2005, Cassondra Boston-2007, Rachel Hanf-2010).
• The Lady Hornets 25 wins in NCAA Tournament action is fifth all-time among active members at the Division II level and seventh among all schools despite only being eligible for the tournament for 18 years.