December 8, 2022 – The #16 Hornets saw their seven game winning streak come to an end with a 75-68 loss at Rogers State on Thursday night.
Emporia State started slow as the Hillcats built a 7-0 lead over the first two minutes of the game. The Hornets' first points came nearly three minutes into the game with
Alijah Comithier knocking down a pair of free throws. Following a Hillcat layup on the next possession, the Hornets put together a 14-5 scoring run.
The run was started with
Mayuom Buom layup before back-to-back threes from
Owen Long and
Kaden Evans cut the Hillcat lead to 11-10. After tying the game 14-14, an
Owen Long stepback jumpshot followed by a pair of Nachs Wahwassuck free throws gave the Hornets their largest lead of the game with 11:52 remaining in the first half.
Rogers State was able to outscore the Hornets 23-10 over the next 10:28 as they built their largest lead of the first half with a 37-28 advantage over Emporia State. The Hornets were able to stifle the Hillcat momentum with an three in the final 30 seconds of the half as Emporia State entered the halftime break trailing Rogers State 37-31.
In the first half, Emporia State shot just 29% from the field, including 3-16 from beyond the arc.
Early in the second half, the Hillcats expanded their lead as they outscored the Hornets 6-2 over the first two minutes as they took a 43-33 lead over Emporia State. The Hornets responded with a 12-4 run which included a three from both
Kaden Evans and
Sam Baker before six consecutive points from the Hornets cut the Hillcats advantage to 47-45.
The Hornets were able to trim the Rogers State advantage to one possession on multiple occasions but could not tip the scales in their favor as the Hillcats kept their distance, building a double-digit lead in the final minutes.
Emporia State would not fall quietly as they trimmed a twelve-point Rogers State lead to 73-68 in the final minute before falling 75-68 following a pair of Hillcat free throws with 13 seconds remaining.
Owen Long scored 21 points and was joined in double figures by
Nahcs Wahwassuck with 10. As a team, the Hornets shot just 37% from the field and 7-29 from beyond the arc in the game.
Emporia State will return to action on Sunday, December 11 from Tahlequah, Okla. as they take on Northeastern State. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:30 p.m.
