EMPORIA STATE LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST PITTSBURG STATE

Men's Basketball | 1/12/2021 4:46:00 PM

Game #10
Emporia State Hornets (5-4, 5-4 MIAA)
vs. Pittsburg State Gorillas (5-4, 5-4 MIAA)
Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 • 7:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium
Series Record: ESU leads 99-95 Last Meeting: PSU 77, at ESU 74 (2/6/2020)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM  Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: themiaanetwork.com/esuhornets
Live Stats • ESU COVID Attendance Policy • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Missouri Southern • Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 • 3:30 p.m.
Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium

HOME AGAIN    
After a three game road trip last week, Emporia State returns to White Auditorium to take on Pittsburg State.

LAST TIME OUT
Playing their third road game in six days, Emporia State ran into a buzzsaw as #1 Northwest Missouri hit 19 treys on the way to a 92-71 win. There were five lead changes and three ties in the first 5:35 of the game. The Hornets led 14-13 when the Bearcats went on an 8-0 run to take a 21-14 lead with 13:09 remaining in the half.  The two teams combined to shoot 30 of 52 (.577) from the field and 15 of 24 (.625) from behind the three-point line in the opening 20 minutes. The Bearcats opened the second half on a 13-2 run to take a 58-40 lead at the first media timeout. The lead would eventually reach 31 before the Hornets went on a 15-5 run on the way to the 92-71 final score. Austin Downing had 17 points while Jumah'Ri Turner added 13 points.  
 
THE COACHES
Craig Doty is 29-38 in his third season at Emporia State. In his ninth season as a head coach at the D2, NAIA, and NJCAA level he is 191-87 with three national championships. In two seasons at Graceland, he was 49-22 and won the 2018 NAIA National Championship in Municipal Auditorium. Prior to Graceland, Doty spent four years as the head coach at Rock Valley College winning two national championships and appearing in three straight NJCAA Division III title games to finish with a 113-28 record. He is 0-2 against Pittsburg State.
Kim Anderson is 51-48 in his fourth season at Pittsburg State and 352-210 in his 19th year overall. He is 3-0 against Emporia State while at Pitt State and 17-10 in his career.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 5-4 on the season. ESU leads the MIAA in scoring defense. Jumah'Ri Turner is tenth in the MIAA in field goal percentage, 11th in scoring and 13th in steals. Emporia State's bench production is second in the MIAA at 26.9 points per game.  

ABOUT THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is 5-4 on the season and have won three of their last four games, all at home. They are third in the MIAA in made three-pointers with Martin Vogts ranked second in three-pointes made and third in three-point percentage.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 195th meeting between the two teams with Emporia State holding a 99-95 overall advantage. The home team has won 15 of the last 19 meetings and is 117-71 overall.

LAST TIME VS PITTSBURG STATE
In a game that saw eight ties and 24 lead changes, Emporia State fell 77-74 to Pittsburg State. Jah-Kobe Womack hit a three to give Pitt State their biggest lead of the night at 77-71 with :56.3 left. Justin Williams answered with a three-pointer at the :44.8 mark to get the Hornets back within three points and Duncan Fort grabbed a rebound with 13.4 seconds left.  After a timeout Fort missed a three-pointer and the Hornets could not get another shot off in time as the Gorillas won 77-74. Jumah'Ri Turner led the Hornets with 16 points.

UP NEXT
The Hornets take on Missouri Southern Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3:30 pm in White Auditorium.
BRIEF BURSTS AROUND LONG DELAYS
Emporia State is scheduled to have three games over the next 11 days. Last week the Hornets played four games in eight days. The first game of that stretch came 14 days after playing three games in three days from December 17-19. That burst came after going 19 days without a game due to COVID protocols.

HOT START
Emporia State's 5-1 start in the MIAA was their best since going 5-1 to open the 2010-11 season. The Hornets started MIAA play with three road wins for the first time in their 30 years as a conference member. The last time Emporia State started conference play 3-0 was during the 2010-11 season against Northwest Missouri, Missouri Western and Neb.-Omaha, all in White Auditorium. The best start to MIAA play for the Hornets came in 2006-07 as they won their first seven conference games on the way to a 16-0 start to the season.

DOTY MAGIC
Three-time National Champion head coach Craig Doty is in his third season as head coach at Emporia State. He is 191-88 in his ninth year at the NCAA D2, NAIA and NJCAA levels, including an 88-59 mark in conference play. Doty is 78-60 as a head coach at four year schools with a 29-38 record since taking over for the Hornets.
A great builder of teams, he is 66-24 (.733) in games played in February and March with an unprecedented 29-5 record in the post-season. Two of those five post season losses were to the eventual national champion.
Doty led Rock Valley College and Graceland University to national prominence earlier in his career. In just two seasons at Graceland, Doty's program had a 49-22 record and won the 2018 NAIA Division I National Championship in the school's first trip to the national tournament at Kansas City's historic Municipal Auditorium. The Yellowjackets started the 2017-18 season 10-8 and ended the year winning 19 of their final 21 games. Along the way Doty earned NAIA National Coach of the Year, HoopDirt.com NAIA National Coach of the Year, and the 2018 Don Meyer Award.
Doty's programs at Rock Valley College won NJCAA Division III National titles in 2014 and 2016 while his 2015 squad came up just short finishing National Runner-up.

CENTURY MARK
Emporia State's 104-63 win over Saint Mary in 2018-19 marked the 100th time the Hornets have cracked the century mark in their history.  They have reached 100 points five times in 67 games under Coach Doty, matching their total for the previous eight seasons combined.  
The Hornets scored at least 100 points 60 times under coach Ron Slaymaker (827 total games in 28 seasons), 26 times under coach David Moe (288 games in 10 seasons), three times under coach Gus Fish (602 games in 25 seasons) and once under coach Marc Comstock (82 games in three seasons).

TOUGH ENOUGH
The NCAA Central Region is made up of teams in the MIAA, Northern Sun and Great American Conferences. During the non-conference portion of this season the MIAA went 23-18 against the rest of the region with a 13-8 record against the NSIC and a 10-10 record against the GAC. The GAC had an 8-4 record against the NSIC.

FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Hornets are 399-188 (.680) since 1979 in White Auditorium. Emporia State has won 183 of their last 266 games (.688) in White Auditorium dating back to the 2002-03 season. In the last 35 years, they have twice had home court winning streaks of 23 games, the first was from 1985-87 with the most recent one coming from February 12, 2003-December 18, 2004.  They have posted home winning seasons in 16 of the last 18 seasons.

ATTENDANCE PROTOCOLS
Working with Lyon County Public Health, Emporia State has limited attendance at White Auditorium to a player pass list for both teams through the first two months of the season.  

HORNETS RANK IN NATION IN ATTENDANCE
The Emporia State men's basketball team continued a string of 18 straight years ranking in the top 25 in attendance among the over 300 NCAA Division II basketball playing schools.
The Hornets drew 21,675 total fans for an average of 1,355 fans to their 16 home games at Slaymaker Court in White Auditorium during the 2019-20 season to rank 18th nationally.  
Emporia State outdrew 109 NCAA Division I schools in total attendance during the 2019-20 school year. Within the Division II ranks, the Hornets outdrew 55 of the 64 teams that were selected for the NCAA Tournament, including five of the eight #1 seeds.
The Hornets were among seven MIAA teams in the top 25 nationally. As a conference the MIAA drew 251,994 fans to 196 games to lead all Division II conference in average attendance at 1,286 fans per game. It is the 12th straight year the MIAA has led the nation in average attendance. The MIAA's total attendance was better than seven NCAA Division I conferences. The Central Region had a total of nine teams ranked in the top 25 as two teams from the NSIC were on the list as well.

ON THE 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, 2014  city commission meeting.

AND IN THE RAFTERS
Dale Cushinberry (1966-69) - Cushinberry 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 462 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.

LISTEN & WATCH LIVE
Video webcasts for all of Emporia State's regular season home games are available on a pay per view basis from the MIAA Network. Content is available live and is immediately archived for on-demand viewing after each event at www.themiaanetwork.com. Audio of all Emporia State games are available on KFFX 104.9FM and at www.kvoe.com with Greg Rahe on the call. KFFX is in their 32nd straight year as the radio home of Hornet Athletics, the longest active streak between a commercial station and an MIAA school. All games will also be available on the internet at www.kvoe.com.

TURNING PRO
Emporia State's Julius Jackson became the third Hornet men's basketball player to sign professionally following the 2018-19 season when he signed a professional contract with Raiders Basket Jarvenpaa in Finland. Hassan Thomas signed with Sampaense Basket of Portugal Proliga while Malik Hluchoweckyj signed with KK Bratunac of the Bosnia BiH Liga also signed pro contracts overseas while Kooper Glick played with the Washington Generals - the regular opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters. It is the first time in school history the Hornets  had four players from the same class sign to play professionally in the same year.

#1 DALLAS BAILEY
6-6 • 230 • Senior • Forward
Denver, Colo. • Lakewood HS/Iowa Central CC
As a Senior in 2020-21
He is ranked 17th in the MIAA in rebounding and 22nd in assists. He had a career high 13 rebounds at Missouri Western. He had a career high 16 points with four made three-pointers against Central Missouri. He scored a then career high 13 points with three treys against Lincoln. He seven rebounds and four assists at Northeastern State. He pulled seven rebounds at Fort Hays State. He scored seven points with a career high five assists at Neb.-Kearney.
As a Junior in 2019-20
Suffered a broken bone in his foot on the first trip down the court at Central Missouri and was out for the rest of the season. He scored a career high 12 points on four three-pointers against Central Oklahoma. He had a career high of 11 rebounds against Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri. He scored a career high ten points at Washburn. He had seven rebounds against William Jewell with three steals. He had six rebounds against Southwestern Oklahoma.
Previously
He averaged 14.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore for the Iowa Central CC. He had a season high 30 points against the Grand View JV and 18 rebounds against North Iowa Area CC. As a freshman he averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds for the Tritons. He averaged 17 points a game for Lakewood HS in Denver as a senior in 2016-17.

#3 GAGE MCGUIRE
6-7 • Sophomore • Forward
Coldwater, Mich. • Coldwater HS
As a Sophomore in 2020-21
He is ranked 24th in the MIAA in rebounding. He is averaging 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds over his last five games. He scored a career high 18 points at Rogers State. He scored 15 points against Newman. He had his first career double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds against Central Missouri. He had eight points, six rebounds and four assists against Lincoln. He scored 11 points and added five rebounds at Northeastern State.  
As a Freshman in 2019-20
He was 24th in the MIAA in blocked shots. He had eight points and nine rebounds against Rogers State. He scored 13 points on six of ten shooting at Central Oklahoma. He had his second straight game with a career high in rebounds with 11 boards at Rogers State. He had ten rebounds to go with eight points against Mo. Southern. He scored 16 points on six of eight shooting at Neb.-Kearney. He had five points and five rebounds against Mo. Western. He went three for three from the three-point line against Tabor.
Previously
He averaged 10.3 rebounds per game as a senior after averaging 18.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game for Coldwater HS as a junior. He is a two time AP Class A All-State selection for the Cardinals and was the Interstate 8 Conference MVP.

#5 AUSTIN DOWNING
6-0 • Graduate • Guard
Atchinson, Kan. • Quincy/Neosho CC/Eudora HS
As a Senior in 2020-21
He is 13th in the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio, 14th in assists, and 24th in scoring. He has reached double figures in eight of nine games this year. He had 17 points at Northwest Missouri. He scored 16 points with five assists and two steals against Central Missouri. He had four assists at Wichita State. He played just eight minutes against Lincoln and scored five points. He scored 15 points at Northeastern State. He had 19 points and three steals at Fort Hays State. He scored team high 14 points with five assists at Neb.-Kearney.
Previously
He averaged 12.2 points and 4.9 assists in 18 games for the Hawks before an ankle injury ended his season. He had 21 points, ten rebounds and six assists in a win over Illinois-Springfield right before the injury. He played in five games in 2018-19, averaging 11.2 points per game before a shoulder injury forced him into a medical redshirt. He averaged 15.1 points and 4.6 assists per game as a sophomore at Neosho CC with a career high 30 points against Allen CC, 13 assists against Pratt CC and 11 rebounds against both Seward CC and Dodge City CC. The Atchinson,Kan. native was a First-Team All-Frontier League selection and averaged a team-best 15 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists per game at Eudora HS.

#10 JUMAH'RI TURNER
6-2 • Senior • Guard
Minneapolis, Minn. • John F. Kennedy HS/Rochester CC
As a Senior in 2020-21
He is ranked 11 in the MIAA in scoring, fifth in free throw percentage, tenth in field goal percentage, 13th in steals, and 15th in made three-pointers. He scored 13 points at Northwest Missouri. He had 26 points at Missouri Western. He pulled seven rebounds at Rogers State. He had 21 points a four steals against Newman. He had 14 points and three steals against Central Missouri. He scored 18 points at Wichita State. He had 11 points on four of five shooting in the first half against Lincoln. He had a season high 21 points at Northeastern State.
 As a Junior in 2019-20
He led the MIAA and ranked third in the nation in free throw percentage and ranked 18th in the conference in scoring. He scored 16 points against Pittsburg State. He had 25 points at Lincoln. He scored a career high 32 points on eight of nine shooting from the field and five of five from beyond the arc against Central Oklahoma. He scored 18 points against Missouri Western. He had 22 points against both Northwest Missouri and Washburn. He scored 18 points against Fort Hays State. He had 19 points, five rebounds and four assists against Neb.-Kearney. He scored 22 points with five rebounds against William Jewell. He had 30 points with eight rebounds against Rockhurst. He scored 16 points on five of seven shooting against Kansas Wesleyan. He had 24 points against Southwestern Oklahoma after taking a medical redshirt in 2018-19.
Previously
He was an NJCAA Division III third-team All-American in 2018-19 as he averaged 22.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for Rochester (Minn.) Community and Technical College. He scored 14.0 points and grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game as a freshman for RCTC. He was an all-conference performer for John F. Kennedy HS in Bloomington, Minn.

#11 KONG KONG
6-7 • Junior • Forward
Mankato, Minn. • Rochester C&TC/Mankato East HS
As a Junior in 2020-21
He scored eight points at Northwest Missouri. He had four rebounds at Rogers State. He scored seven points in a span of 2:03 at Wichita State.
Previously
He averaged 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 32 starts as a sophomore for the Yellowjackets as they advanced to the NJCAA D-III National Semifinals. He had a career high 25 points against St. Cloud TCC and pulled 16 rebounds on three different occasions. He was a first-team NJCAA Division III All-American. He averaged eight points per game for Mankato East HS as the Cougars went 25-7 his senior year.

#14 DUNCAN FORT
6-6 • Senior • Forward
Osage City, Kan. • Osage City HS
As a Senior in 2020-21
He had seven boards against Newman and Central Missouri. He scored eight points against Lincoln with two made three pointers. He pulled six boards at Northeastern State. He had five rebounds at Fort Hays State.
As a Junior in 2019-20
He grabbed a career high 11 rebounds against Rogers State. He had career highs of 16 points and eight rebounds at Newman. He scored 15 points with eight rebounds while going seven of nine from the field against Newman. He scored ten points on three of four shooting and had five rebounds at Ft. Hays State. He had six rebounds and six points at Washburn. He had six rebounds and a steal at K-State.
As a Sophomore in 2018-19
He scored nine points with seven rebounds against Northeastern State in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament. He had seven points at Central Oklahoma. He scored seven points on three of four shooting against Missouri Southern. He had nine points and seven rebounds at Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored a career high 13 points against McPherson.   
As a Freshman in 2017-18
He scored a then career high 12 points, all in the second half, at Pittsburg State. He had six points and five rebounds at Missouri. He scored five points with four rebounds at Iowa State. He had seven points and two rebounds at Kansas State. He red-shirted the 2016-17 season.   
Previously
He was a first-team All-Kansas player for Osage City HS in 2015-16. His father Dennis played for the Hornets from 1985-89.

#20 BEN SMITH
6-6 • Sophomore • Forward
Edmond, Okla. • Western Texas CC/Edmond Santa Fe HS
As a Sophomore in 2020-21
He is shooting .538 from the field and .444 from beyond the three-point line on the season. He had a career high 12 points with three dunks in just 13 minutes against Lincoln. He had a dunk and three rebounds at Fort Hays State.
Previously
He averaged 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a freshman at Western Texas CC. Those numbers went up to 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in his 17 starts. He had a season high 31 points against Frank Phillips College. He was ranked in the top ten of Oklahoma HS prospects by OKPreps as a senior at Edmond Santa Fe HS and earned Big All-City honors from The Daily Oklahoman.

#21 TYREEK ROBINSON
6-6 • Sophomore • Forward
Kissimmee, Fla. • Gateway HS
As a Sophomore in 2020-21
He had three points and a rebound in four minutes at Northwest Missouri. He scored two points with three rebounds against Newman. He saw his first action of the season against Lincoln.
As a Freshman in 2019-20
He had six rebounds against Rogers State. He pulled eight rebounds against Northeastern State. He scored six points and matched his career high with eight rebounds in his first career start at Central Oklahoma. He pulled eight rebounds at Newman. He had six points and six rebounds at Northeastern State. He scored five points with four rebounds against Missouri Southern. He had a career high ten points and was four of four from the field against Central Oklahoma. He was planning on red-shirting until injuries forced him to remove the red-shirt prior to the Fort Hays State game.
Previously
He averaged 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks per game as a junior at Gateway HS. He had several offers to play football at the NCAA Division I level.  Has been attending Coach Doty's Midwest Elite Basketball camps since grade school.

#22 MAYUOM BOUM
6-10 • RSFreshman • Center
Lincoln, Neb. • Lincoln Southwest HS
As a RS Freshman in 2020-21
He is ranked seventh in the MIAA in blocked shots. He scored seven points with six rebounds and two blocks in his first start at Missouri Western. He had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks at Wichita State. He scored ten points on five of six shooting against Lincoln. He had eight points, four rebounds and a blocked shot at Neb.-Kearney. He is in his second season at Emporia State after redshirting last year with the Hornets.
Previously
He averaged 10.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per game and shot 55% for Lincoln Southwest HS. He was the Lincoln city champion in the 400m during the track season for the Silver Hawks. He grew 11 inches from eighth grade to his senior year and did not turn 18 until November of 2019.

#23 MARQUIS MCCRAY
6-4 • Senior • Forward • Wichita, Kan.
Wichita Heights HS/Dodge City CC
As A RS-Senior in 2020-21
He had six points at Wichita State. He scored a career high ten points with five rebounds and four assists against Lincoln. He scored four points in six minutes at Fort Hays State.
As A Senior in 2019-20
He injured his ankle in the exhibition game at Kansas State in 2019 and received a medical redshirt.
As A Junior in 2018-19
He played in ten games in 2018-19. He had two assists in three minutes at Southwest Baptist. He scored a career high nine points with ten boards at Pittsburg State.    
Previously
He started 13 of 31 games for the Conquistadors as a sophomore and averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a senior at Wichita Heights HS.

#30 MASON THIESSEN
6-10 • Sophomore • Center
Inman, Kan. • Inman HS
As a Sophomore in 2020-21
He is third in the MIAA in blocked shots. He scored eight points with six rebounds and a block at Northwest Missouri. He had two blocks at Missouri Western. He made four of five free throws and had two blocked shots against Central Missouri. He had six rebounds and two blocks at Northeastern State. He scored 11 points at Ft. Hays State. He scored seven points with five rebounds at Neb.-Kearney.
As a Freshman in 2019-20
He was sixth in the MIAA in blocked shots. He missed three of the last four games. He scored ten points with two blocks at Northeastern State. He had 13 points on five of five shooting from the field against Pittsburg State. He pulled eight rebounds at Central Missouri. He had ten points, six rebounds, four blocks and four assists against Newman. He pulled seven rebounds at Fort Hays State. He scored nine points on three of five shooting from the field with three rebounds and two blocks against Missouri Western. He went four of four from beyond the arc and was six of seven overall for 16 points against Neb.-Kearney. He pulled eight rebounds with two blocks against Rockhurst. He pulled six rebounds against Southwestern Oklahoma. He had nine rebounds with two blocks and a made three-pointer at Kansas State.
Previously
He averaged 22.0 points per game at the state tournament as Inman finished third in the state. He averaged 17.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game on the season. He earned first-team All-State honors as a senior after being named honorable mention All-State as a junior.

#32 NICK REID
6-7 • Freshman • Guard
Central City, Iowa • Central City HS
As a Freshman in 2020-21
He scored a career high nine points at Northwest Missouri. He scored three points with two assists against Newman. He hit his first shot as a Hornet and finished with eight points and three rebounds at Neb.-Kearney.
Previously
He was a two-time All-State selection after becoming the seventh Iowa high school player to score 2,000 points with 1,000 rebounds in a career. He averaged 27.9 points and 20.0 rebounds per game as a senior. He had a career high 76 points in a game as a junior.

#24 BRENDEN VAN DYKE
6-8 • Senior • Forward
Avondale, Ariz. • Westview HS/Cowley CC
As A Senior in 2020-21
He injured his knee injury at Wichita State and is now out for the season. He scored ten points with eight rebounds at Northeastern State. He had five points, four rebounds, an assists, a steal, and a block at Fort Hays State. He had eight points, five rebounds and a career high three steals at Neb.-Kearney in his first action since injuring his knee last year.
As a Junior in 2019-20
He was second in the MIAA in blocked shots and ninth in rebounding when he dropped out of the league leaders after injuring his knee against Missouri Western. He scored 14 points on six of seven shooting against Northwest Missouri. He scored a career high 16 points with six rebounds, three blocks and three assists against Baker. He scored 11 points on four of five shooting and had six rebounds against Fort Hays State. He pulled 11 rebounds against William Jewell. He scored 15 points at Arkansas Tech. He had 13 points and 11 boards against Southwestern Okla. He scored 11 points with three rebounds at Kansas State.
Previously
He averaged 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 29 games as a sophomore at Cowley CC. He was a First-Team All-Jayhawk East and Second-Team All-Region VI performer. He averaged 14.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a senior at Westview HS.


HOW DO YOU SAY THAT
Jumah'Ri Turner        Jah-ma-ree
Kong Kong        Kong Kong
Mayuom Buom        My-oom Boom
Marquis McCray        Mar-kees
Mason Thiessen        Tee-sen