December 4, 2021 – Emporia State took on Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon from White Auditorium. The Hornets were unable to maintain a double-digit halftime lead as they fell in overtime 78-76 to the Tigers.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 14-8 lead after scoring six straight points. Following the small run,
Jumah'Ri Turner scored on consecutive possessions to trim the lead to 14-12. After a pair of Tiger free throws to give Fort Hays State an 18-15 lead, Emporia State closed out the final nine minutes of the first half on a 22-6 run.
Highlighting this hot stretch by the Hornets was
Jumah'Ri Turner who scored 10 more and
Mayuom Buom who scored 8 of his own. The run was capped by
Tray Buchanan who was able to attack the rim and score with 4 seconds remaining in the half to give the Hornets a 37-24 lead going into the halftime break.
Through the first half,
Jumah'Ri Turner led all scorers with 17 points to lead Emporia State.
Coming out of halftime, Fort Hays State went on a 16-7 run to trim the Emporia State lead to 44-40. Efforts by Emporia State to hold off a Tiger rally held strong until the 6:08 mark in the second half when a three-pointer gave Fort Hays State their first lead since the six-minute mark in the first half.
The Tigers held onto the lead until 1:41 remaining in the game when
Tray Buchanan drained a three-pointer from the corner and was fouled in the process. Buchanan completed the four-point play to give Emporia State a 69-68 lead. Following a free throw by the Tigers the next possession, both the Hornets and the Tigers had good looks to win the game but neither shot fell as the game went into overtime.
The Hornets won the tip to start overtime and went inside to
Mayuom Buom who converted to give Emporia State a 71-69 lead. The lead would change hands a few times including after a fastbreak three-pointer by
Tray Buchanan to give the Hornets a 76-74 lead with 2:11 left in overtime. Fort Hays State converted a pair of shots from inside the pain in the final minute to take a 78-76 lead over Emporia State. The Hornets missed a three-point attempt in the final seconds as they would fall to the Tigers 78-76.
Tray Buchanan led three Hornets in double-figures with 29 points including 11-11 from the free-throw line.
Jumah'Ri Turner and
Mayuom Buom added 21 and 14 respectively. Buom tallied 13 rebounds to give himself a double-double on the afternoon.
Peyton Rogers-Schmidt tallied a pair of blocks.
The Hornets will return to action as they travel to Wichita to take on the Newman Jets on Wednesday December 8. Tip-off from Wichita is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
