LADY HORNETS OPEN MIAA PLAY AGAINST #21 NEB.-KEARNEY ON THURSDAY

Women's Basketball | 12/1/2021 9:06:00 PM

Game #7
Emporia State Lady Hornets (5-1, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. #21 Neb.-Kearney Lopers (5-1, 0-0 MIAA)
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021 • 5:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • Slaymaker Court/White Auditorium
Series Record: ESU leads 35-14 Last Meeting: at UNK 59, ESU 54 (Nov. 19, 2020)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: themiaanetwork.com
Live Stats • Ticket Info • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: #1 Fort Hays State • Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 • 1:30 p.m.
Emporia, Kan. • Slaymaker Court/White Auditorium

TIME TO GET STARTED
Emporia State opens MIAA play against Neb.-Kearney in White Auditorium. The Lady Hornets are 25-5 in their previous 30 MIAA openers with a 26-4 record in home conference openers.

LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Hornets jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back in a 90-49 victory over Peru State on Saturday evening in White Auditorium. Emporia State led 26-10 at the end of the first quarter as Ehlaina Hartman scored 11 of her 18 points in the opening period.  The Bobcats cut the lead to 12 as Lycia Peevey scored the first two buckets of the second quarter.  The Lady Hornets used a 10-0 run to go up 38-16 with 5:19 left in the half and the lead would not go below 19 points the rest of the night. Tre'Zure Jobe had 21 points to lead four Lady Hornets in double figures.  She was joined by Karsen Schultz and Ehlaina Hartman with 18 points each while Kali Martin added 14 points. Schultz had a team high nine rebounds and dished four assists to tie Jobe for team high honors.

THE COACHES
Toby Wynn is 69-24 in his fourth year as the head coach of the Lady Hornets. He is the second coach to win at least 18 games and go to the NCAA Tournament in his first three years at Emporia State. He has won 418 total games after going 349-84 in 13 years at Seward CC with four Jayhawk Conference regular season championships and two Region VI Tourney titles.  He is 3-3 against Neb.-Kearney.
Carrie Eighmey is 118-62 in her seventh season at Neb.-Kearney and 186-93 in her tenth season overall. She is 4-7 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE LADY HORNETS
Emporia State is 5-1 on the season and receiving votes in the WBCA National Poll. They are leading the MIAA in scoring, made three-pointers, free throw percentage and blocked shots. Four Lady Hornets are averaging in double figures. Tre'Zure Jobe is averaging a league best 22.8 points per game. Karsen Schultz is averaging 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

ABOUT THE LOPERS
Neb.-Kearney is 5-1 on the season and ranked #21 in the WBCA National Poll. They are leading the MIAA in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, assists and assist to turnover ratio. Haley Simental is leading the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio. Elisa Backes is their leading scorer at 11.8 points per game as eight Lopers average over five points per game.

SERIES HISTORY
 The Lady Hornets lead the overall series 35-13 and have won 12 of the last 16 meetings. This is just the seventh game between the two in White Auditorium since UNK joined the MIAA in 2012 and ESU has won five of the previous six.

LAST TIME AGAINST UNK
The Lady Hornets fell 59-54 at Neb.-Kearney in the season opener in a battle of the top two teams in the 2020-21 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.  Tre'Zure Jobe led all scorers with 22 points and grabbed six rebounds with three steals.  Kali Martin scored 11 points while Daley Handy added ten points and eight rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Hornets play host to #1 Fort Hays State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in White Auditorium.
 
WYNNING
Toby Wynn was formally introduced as the seventh head coach in Lady Hornet history on April 9, 2018 and became just the second Emporia State coach to reach the NCAA Tournament in his first season. He is 69-24 as the head coach at Emporia State. The Booker, Texas native went 349-84 in 13 seasons at Seward CC and is 418-108 in his 16th season as a head coach. His 22 regular season wins were the second most by a first year coach in Lady Hornet history. He has won at least 20 games in 15 of 16 seasons as a head coach, including four 30 win seasons and at least 25 wins in each of his last five years in Liberal.  

ROAD WARRIORS
Emporia State is 297-119 (.714) away from home, 104-32 (.765) in neutral site games and 62-16 (.795) against non-MIAA teams at neutral sites since 1997-98 with five 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 six regionals. Emporia State is 52-46 (.531) away from White Auditorium against Top 25 teams. The Lady Hornets are 156-66 (.703) on the road in MIAA league play since 1997-98. Emporia State is 37-17 (.685) in NCAA Tournament games away from White Auditorium.

HOME COOKIN'
The Lady Hornets have won 316 of the last 349 (.905) games in White Auditorium. They are undefeated in postseason games in White Auditorium with a 15-0 record in MIAA Tournament play and a 6-0 record in the NCAA Tournament.  Emporia State has only lost 15 games to unranked NCAA teams in White Auditorium since 1997. The Lady Hornets are 463-101 (.821) overall since 1979 at home, hold the MIAA record for consecutive home wins with 62 set from 1997-2001, and have won 27 of their last 31 home games. Emporia State is 13-8 (.619) against top ten teams in White Auditorium since 1995.

TAKING ON THE BEST
The Lady Hornets have won three contests against teams that were defending national champions at the time.  Emporia State defeated the 2018 national champion Jennies 65-62 on Feb. 9, 2019; they defeated the 2016 national champions Lubbock Christian 60-50 on Dec. 3, 2016 in the first ever regular season matchup between a #1 ranked team and a defending national champion in White Auditorium history; and they ended then #1 ranked and 2005 national champion Washburn's 51 game winning streak with a 61-59 win in overtime of the regional championship game on March 13, 2006 in Topeka.

GAME OF RUNS
Emporia State has had six runs of 10-0 or greater in the first six games of this season, including a 24-0 run against Bethel. Last year they had 21 runs of 10-0 or greater, including an 18-0 run against Newman, a 15-0 run in less than two minutes against Central Oklahoma and a 16-0 run over more than eight minutes against Washburn.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Lady Hornets have topped the 100-point barrier 75 times and have eclipsed the 110 point mark 30 times in their history. Since 1997-98, the Lady Hornets are 316-4 (.988) when scoring at least 80 points. The first loss was to North Dakota, 87-81 in the 1999 Final Four, the second came at West Texas A&M, 86-83 in the 2009 NCAA South Central Regional Semifinals the third was at Central Oklahoma 87-86 in the final regular season game of 2017-18 and the most recent was 96-88 in double overtime to Washburn on January 5, 2019. Emporia State was 167-22 (.884) in the previous 23 seasons when scoring at least 80 points. Conversely Emporia State is 168-2 (.988) all-time when holding opponents to 50 points or less.

RANKINGS
Emporia State is receiving votes in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Coaches Poll. They were ranked #25 in the February 9, 2021 poll, marking the 24th consecutive season the Lady Hornets have been in ranked in the Top 25 of the WBCA Poll during a season. The Lady Hornets have been in the Coaches Top 25 a total of 284 weeks since first appearing in the 1997-98 preseason poll and have been in the top ten for a WBCA Division II record 190 weeks.  

BRING IT ON    
The Lady Hornets are 87-60 (.592) against WBCA Top 25 teams since 1997-98.  Emporia State is 35-18 (.660) in neutral site games with top 25 foes since 1997. The Lady Hornets are 31-14 (.689) in White Auditorium against Top 25 teams since 1997. Emporia State has 36 wins against Top 10 teams, including four victories against #1 ranked teams in the last eight seasons.

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
Emporia State first earned a #1 national ranking by the WBCA in 2004-05, next in 2006-07, again after winning the 2009-10 national championship, they opened 2015-16 and held onto the spot through their first seven games and they were in the top spot for four games last season. The Lady Hornets are 20-6 all-time when playing as the #1 team in the nation. The Lady Hornets have won 20 games in 22 of the last 25 seasons and their current streak of 25 straight winning seasons is the longest active streak in the MIAA. Emporia State has made the NCAA Tournament 22 times in the last 25 years and their 40-20 record in the tourney is ranked fourth among active Division II schools in total tournament wins. Emporia State has made six Elite Eight trips, the most of any team since 1997. The Lady Hornets won their first national championship in 2010, 12 years after making their first appearance in the national title game and they have advanced to four Final Fours since 1998.
The Lady Hornets have won seven MIAA regular season championships and nine MIAA Tournament titles. Emporia State has appeared in 15 of the last 24 MIAA Tournament Championship games and have made it to the semifinals in 22 of the last 25 seasons.

LADY HORNETS NCAA HISTORY
The Lady Hornets have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times in the last 25 years and their 40-20 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 2015, and were also in the Elite Eight in 2000 and 2006. They have been to the regional final 14 times.

MIAA TOURNEY EXCELLENCE
Emporia State won an unprecedented five straight MIAA Tournament Championships and an MIAA record 16 straight games in tournament play from 2013-2018. They are the first team to have two different streaks of at least four straight tournament championships. The Lady Hornets won four straight championships from 1998-2001 and were in seven straight title games between 2011 and 2017 with championships in the final five tournaments of that run. Emporia State is 47-17 all-time in MIAA Tournament play with a 15-0 record in White Auditorium.

NEWBIES
Tre'Zure Jobe became just the sixth freshman to earn All-Tournament honors at the 2020 MIAA Tournament.  Five of the six freshmen honorees have been Lady Hornets as she joins Lindenwood's Lindsay Medlen (2017) and Lady Hornets Kelly Moten (2014), Kelsey Balcom (2011), Michelle Stueve (2005), and Casey Henningsen (2004) in earning all-tourney honors in their first year. A total of seven Lady Hornets have been named MIAA Freshman of the Year.

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.

HERE THEY COME
The Lady Hornets drew an average of 1,442 fans to their 15 home games on Slaymaker Court in White Auditorium during the 2019-20 season to rank sixth nationally. Emporia State outdrew 243 NCAA Division I schools, including six "Power 5" schools.  Emporia State played in front of an NCAA Division II season high 6,455 in the 2020 MIAA Tournament Championship game in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.  Prior to the pandemic the Lady Hornets had played in front of at least 1,000 fans in White Auditorium in 305 of their previous 306 games.  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 in 2005-06 to finish third in the nation and led the nation with an average attendance of 2,348 fans in 2004-05. Emporia State has been in the top six of the nation in attendance in each of the last 23 years, not counting the COVID restricted 2020-21 season.

ON THE AIR
The Lady Hornets have been on national television five times in the last 20 years. They are 3-2 after their loss in the Final Four on the CBS Sports Network in 2015. They defeated Ft. Lewis 65-53 in the national championship game on ESPN2 in 2010. Emporia State'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 the MIAA Broadcasting Network while this year will mark the eighth Lady Hornet appearance on the MIAA Network as part of the league championship game.

LADY HORNET SUCCESS ON THE COURT...
The Lady Hornets have the best record in MIAA play in the 21st century. Emporia State is 319-99 (.763) in MIAA play since the 2000 season and 545-151 (.783) overall in that time. The Lady Hornets are even better if you add two more years to the equation. Since the 1997-98 season, Emporia State is 382-100 (.793) in MIAA play and 608-155 (.797) overall. The Lady Hornets have been ranked in the top ten of the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll 190 times, the most of any NCAA Division II school.  Emporia State has been to 22 NCAA Tournaments, made the Regional Championship or "Sweet 16" 14 times, has made six trips to the Elite Eight, four to the Final Four, two national title game appearances and won the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship. The Lady Hornets have won seven MIAA Regular season and nine Tournament 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 15 of the last 22 MIAA Tournament championship games, made it to the semifinals in 22 of the last 25 MIAA Tournaments and won nine tourney titles.

...AND IN THE CLASSROOM
Emporia State sat atop the 2016-17 Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Academic Top 25 list. The Lady Hornets had a school record 3.744 team GPA during the 2016-17 academic year. Lady Hornets have been honored as Academic All-Americans four 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. As a team the Lady Hornets had a 3.23 team GPA in the fall of 2019.

TRIFECTA
Emporia State is the first program in NCAA Division II history to lead the nation in attendance (2005), win a national championship (2010), and be honored with the top GPA in the nation (2017) in the WBCA Academic Top 25 list.

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

MARCH MEANS SOMETHING
The Lady Hornets are 43-15 (.741) in their last 58 March post season games. Emporia State has made it to the championship game in 16 of the last 22 post season tournaments they have played in under three different coaches, appearing in eight MIAA Tournament, seven NCAA Regional Tournament Championship games and the 2010 National Championship game, while making the semifinals at the Elite Eight in 2015. Emporia State is 87-37 (.702) all-time in MIAA and NCAA Tournament games with a 40-20 (.667) record in the NCAA Tourney.
 
MARCH MADNESS
The Lady Hornets have qualified for their 22nd NCAA Tournament since first becoming eligible for it in 1992. They rank eighth all-time in NCAA Division II tournament appearances and their 19 trips are the most in the 21st century.  Emporia State has won 40 NCAA Tournament games to rank fifth all-time and fourth among active Division II schools. Since their first win in 1997 they have won more NCAA Tournament games than any school in the country.

NOT SUCH A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The host team for the NCAA Regional the Lady Hornets compete in has won the tournament only four times in the last 16 tries. The first eight years of the streak were in the South Central Region. 2021 was just the eighth time the host team has advanced to the regional final in the last 14 years with Washburn falling to Emporia State in 2006 in Lee Arena, West Texas A&M defeating Central Oklahoma in 2009 in Canyon, Texas, Ft. Hays State falling to Emporia State in 2014 in Hays, Pittsburg State defeating Emporia State in 2017 in Pittsburg, Central Missouri defeating Augustana in 2018 in Sioux Falls, S.D., Ft. Hays State losing to Southwestern Oklahoma in Hays in 2019, and Central Missouri defeating Neb.-Kearney in 2021.

TIP-INS
• The Lady Hornets have won 20 games 22 times in the last 25 years and 27 times in school history.
• The Lady Hornets have won 25 games 13 times in school history.
• The Lady Hornets have won 30 games four times in school history.
• The Lady Hornets are 970-416 (.700) overall in their 48th year of action and were the eighth NCAA Division II program to reach 900 wins.
• 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 (20th - 50.6 in 2001).
• The Lady Hornets have had 11 of the last 22 MIAA MVPs, seven of the last 19 Freshmen of the Year and have won four MIAA Defensive Player of the Year awards since 2011-12.

STREAKS AND SUCH
• The Lady Hornets have won at least ten home games in 25 straight seasons.
• The Lady Hornets 62 game winning streak from Feb. 27, 1997 through Jan. 13, 2001 is an MIAA record and the fifth longest in NCAA Division II history.
• The Lady Hornets ended the then 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 their regional six times in the last 14 years (at Ft. Hays State 66-61 in 2015; at Washburn 65-58 in 2013; at Washburn 71-65 in 2012; at West Texas A&M 76-69 in 2010; at Washburn in 2006; and at Drury in 2005).
• Emporia State is 2-1 against teams on a 30 game winning streak in the NCAA Tournament. They snapped Gannon's 37 game winning streak in the 2010 national semifinals and Washburn's 32 game in-season streak in the 2006 South Central Regional finals. ESU lost to eventual national runner-up Southwestern Oklahoma 71-65 in the first round of the 2019 Central Regional.

END GAME
The Lady Hornets are 576-21 (.965) since 1997 when leading at the 5:00 mark.