COMMENCEMENT SATURDAY CONTEST FOR EMPORIA STATE AGAINST NORTHEASTERN STATE

Men's Basketball | 12/15/2021 3:01:00 PM

Game #11
Emporia State Hornets (7-3, 2-2 MIAA)
vs. Northeastern State RiverHawks (6-3, 1-2 MIAA)
Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 • 7:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium
Series Record: ESU leads 14-11 Last Meeting: at ESU 97, NSU 72 (Feb. 24, 2021)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM  Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: www.themiaanetwork.com/esuhornets
Live Stats • Ticket Info • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Rogers State • Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 • 3:30 p.m.
Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium

GRADUATION PARTY    
The Hornets take on Northeastern State following Emporia State's commencement exercises.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State allowed Central Oklahoma to shoot 63% from the field in the second half in a 91-67 loss in Edmond. The Hornets jumped out to a 10-4 lead to start the game and led 15-9 with 13:56 left in the first half. The Bronchos went on a 9-0 run to take an 18-15 lead with 12:02 remaining. Adam Nance hit a three-pointer to pull ESU within 36-31 with 1:09 left.  Callen Hayden scored four points in the final 41 seconds to give UCO a 40-31 lead at the break. The Bronchos extended the run to 10-0 as Emporia State called a timeout just 45 seconds into the second half.  UCO went on another 10-0 run to take a 58-35 lead with 14:43 left.  Tray Buchanan had a game high 29 points but was the only Hornet in double figures.  

THE COACHES
Craig Doty is 42-49 in his fourth season at Emporia State. In his ninth season as a head coach at the D2, NAIA, and NJCAA level he is 203-98 with three national championships. He was 49-22 in two seasons at Graceland, and won the 2018 NAIA National Championship. 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 5-2 against Northeastern State.
Ja Havens is 11-20 in his second year  at Northeastern State and 142-94 in his ninth year overall. He is 0-2 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 7-3, 2-2 in the MIAA. The Hornets lead the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio, free throw percentage, fewest turnovers and fouls per game. Tray Buchanan is leading the nation in scoring while Kaden Evans is leading the nation in assist to turnover ratio. Jumah'Ri Turner is seventh in the league in scoring.  

ABOUT THE RIVERHAWKS
Northeastern State is 2-7 overall and 1-2 in the MIAA. The RiverHawks are in the top three of the MIAA in field goal percentage, three-point percentage defense, defensive rebounds, assist to turnover ratio, assists and blocked shots. Emeka Obukwelu is fifth in the MIAA in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the all-time series 13-11 and have won five of the last seven meetings.

LAST TIME VS NORTHEASTERN ST.
Emporia State put six players in double figures in a 97-72 win over Northeastern State. The Hornets took their biggest lead at 88-50 with 8:41 left and led 95-61 with 2:52 remaining before the RiverHawks closed the game on an 11-2 run for the final score of 97-72. Jumah'Ri Turner led Emporia State with 20 points, Duncan Fort had a career high 18 points on seven of nine shooting in just 18 minutes and Austin Downing had 13 points, and seven assists. Gage McGuire added 17 points, Mayuom Buom had 12 and Mason Thiessen scored 11 points.

UP NEXT
Emporia State plays Rogers State in a Monday matinee. Tip in White Auditorium is at 3:30 p.m.

DOTY MAGIC
Three-time National Champion head coach Craig Doty is in his fourth season as head coach at Emporia State. He is 203-99 in his ninth year at the NCAA D2, NAIA and NJCAA levels, including an 96-70 mark in conference play. Doty is 90-71 as a head coach at four year schools with a 42-49 record since taking over for the Hornets.
He is 69-29 (.704) in games played in February and March with a 29-6 (.829) record in the post-season. Three of those six 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 112-54 win over Tabor marked the 102nd time the Hornets have cracked the century mark in their history.  They have reached 100 points six times in 91 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), five times under Shaun Vandiver (199 games in seven 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. So far this season the MIAA is 16-17 against the rest of the region with a 9-6 record against the GAC and a 7-11 record against the NSIC. The NSIC has an 10-3 record against the GAC and is 17-14 in region while the GAC is 9-19 in region.

FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Hornets are 406-193 (.678) since 1979 in White Auditorium. Emporia State has won 190 of their last 278 games (.683) 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 17 of the last 19 seasons.

HORNETS RANK IN NATION IN ATTENDANCE
Prior to the COVID pandemic restricting attendance, the Emporia State men's basketball team had 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.

STATE OF KANSAS CHAMPS
Emporia State went 6-1 against the other MIAA schools from the state of Kansas last season for the best winning percentage amongst the five Division II Sunflower State schools.  The Hornets have not gone undefeated against Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State and Washburn in a season since 1957-58.

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.

BRIEF BURSTS, LONG DELAYS AND RESCHEDULES
Between various COVID protocols at both Emporia State and their opponents, and the weather the Hornets had six games postponed and rescheduled last year. Due to Northeastern State being in COVID protocols at the time, the Rogers State game on February 13 was the only game in a 13 day window for the Hornets. Emporia State has had periods where they played four games in eight days, three games in three days and stretches of 14 days and 19 days without a game. Despite all of the delays, including weather delays, the entire MIAA schedule was completed.  

HOT START
Emporia State's 5-1 start in the MIAA last year 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.
Since joining the MIAA for the 1991-92 season, Emporia State has won at least seven of their first ten games 11 times.  The last time the Hornets started a season 8-2 was during the 2008-09 season.