EMPORIA STATE AND FORT HAYS STATE MEET AGAIN ON THE HARDWOODS

Men's Basketball | 12/4/2021 1:07:00 AM

Game #8
Emporia State Hornets (6-1, 1-0 MIAA)
vs. Fort Hays State Tigers (5-0, 1-0 MIAA)
Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 • 3:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • Slaymaker Court/WL White Auditorium
Series Record: FHSU leads 101-88 • Last Meeting: ESU 68, at FHSU 66 (Nov. 21, 2020)
Radio: KVOE 96.9FM/1400AM  Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: www.themiaanetwork.com/esuhornets
Live Stats • Ticket Info • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Newman • Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 • 7:30 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. • Fugate Gymnasium

KEEP IT UP    
Emporia State continues MIAA play in White Auditorium against Fort Hays State in a battle of the top offense and defense in the MIAA in termsof scoring and field goal percentage this season. The two teams are ranked #1 and #2 in the MIAA in scoring margin and one of them is the top ranked team in 11 of 20 statistical categories.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State stormed back from a ten point first half deficit to take an 81-70 victory over Neb.-Kearney to open MIAA play at White Auditorium. After being held to one free throw in the first half, the nation's leading scorer Tray Buchanan scored 23 points in the second half to fuel the comeback. Buchanan had 24 points to lead all scorers while Jumah'Ri Turner added 18 and Mayuom Buom had 16 points.  Peyton Rogers-Schmidt had a team high seven rebounds while Kaden Evans had four steals and three assists.
 
THE COACHES
Craig Doty is 41-47 in his fourth season at Emporia State. In his ninth season as a head coach at the D2, NAIA, and NJCAA level he is 202-96 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 2-3 against Fort Hays State.
Mark Johnson is 390-197 in his 21st year at Ft. Hays State. He is 22-11 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 6-1, 1-0 in the MIAA. The Hornets lead the MIAA in scoring, field goal percentage and assist to turnover ratio. Tray Buchanan is leading the nation in scoring at 26.9 points per game and is leading the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage. Jumah'Ri Turner is fifth in the league at 17.9 points per game. Kaden Evans is leading the nation in assist to turnover ratio.

ABOUT THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State is 6-0, 1-0 in the MIAA. They lead the nation in scoring defense at 49.0 points per game and lead the MIAA in scoring margin, field goal percentage defense, rebounds, rebound margin and blocked shots. Jared Vitztum is fourth in the MIAA in rebounding.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 190th meeting between the two with Fort Hays State holding a 101-88 lead. Emporia State has won two of the last three.

LAST TIME VS FORT HAYS STATE
In a game that saw 12 ties and 14 lead changes, Emporia State defeated Fort Hays State 68-66 in Hays. Austin Downing hit two free throws with 11.5 seconds left to give ESU a 67-64 lead. Up three the Hornets fouled with 5.9 left and Alvin Thompson hit both to make it 67-66. Jumah'Ri Turner connected on one of two free throws for the final score. Downing led Emporia State with 19 points followed by Turner with 18.

UP NEXT
Emporia State travels to Wichita on Wednesday, December 8 to take on Newman. Tip-off from Fugate Gymnasium is set for 7:30 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 202-97 in his ninth year at the NCAA D2, NAIA and NJCAA levels, including an 94-64 mark in conference play. Doty is 88-69 as a head coach at four year schools with a 40-47 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 88 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 league is 15-17 against the rest of the region with an 8-6 record against the GAC and a 7-11 record against the NSIC. The NSIC has an 9-5 record against the GAC.

FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Hornets are 406-192 (.679) since 1979 in White Auditorium. Emporia State has won 190 of their last 277 games (.686) 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.