Return to White Auditorium for Lady Hornets as they play host to #19 Neb.-Kearney

Women's Basketball | 1/17/2023 2:49:00 PM

Game #18
Emporia State Lady Hornets (9-8, 4-7 MIAA)
vs. #19 Neb.-Kearney Lopers (16-3, 9-2 MIAA)
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 • 5:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium
Series Record: ESU leads 35-15 Last Meeting: UNK 59, at ESU 58 (Dec. 2, 2021)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: themiaanetwork.com
Live Stats • Ticket Info • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: vs. Fort Hays State • Sunday, January 22, 2023 • 1:30 p.m.
Emporia, Kan. • WL White Auditorium

RETURN TO WHITE AUDITORIUM      
The Lady Hornets will play seven of their next 11 games at White Auditorium starting on Wednesday against #19 Neb.-Kearney. It is the first of four straight home games for Emporia State with games on Wednesdays and Sundays due to the Flint Hills Shooutout and Lyon County League high school tournaments in White Auditorium.

LAST TIME OUT
Early turnovers cost the Lady Hornets in an 86-69 loss at Missouri Southern on Saturday in Joplin.
Emporia State trailed 5-4 with 6:22 left in the first quarter when the Lions went on a 16-2 run and led 27-10 after the first period.  MSSU scored 11 of their 27 points off seven ESU turnovers in the first quarter.  The Lady Hornets out-scored the Lions 19-16 in the second to trail 43-29 at the break. An Ehlaina Hartman layup had ESU within 54-41 midway through the third quarter but MSSU responded with a 10-0 ru to go up 64-41 with 2:49 left in the period. The Lady Hornets would out-score the Lions 25-19 in the fourth for the final score.
Sidney Tinner tied her career high with 12 points and added seven rebounds. She was joined in double figures by Kylee Scheer and Ehlaina Hartman with 11 points each off the bench   

THE COACHES
Toby Wynn is 88-45 in his fifth 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 437 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 3-4 against Neb.-Kearney.
Carrie Eighmey is 153-72 in her eighth season at Neb.-Kearney and 221-103 in her 11th season overall. She is 5-7 against Emporia State.

ABOUT THE LADY HORNETS
Emporia State is 9-8 overall, 4-7 in the MIAA. The Lady Hornets lead the MIAA in turnover margin, turnovers forced, steals and offensive rebounds, but are shooting just .246 from the three-point line. Tre'Zure Jobe leading the MIAA in scoring at 20.6 points and 3.5 steals per game but is the only Lady Hornet averaging double figures on the season. Victoria Price is second in steals at 3.1 per game. Neither of them played in the last two games due to illness and injury. Faith Paramore is the leading active scorer at 9.3 points per game.

ABOUT THE LOPERS
Neb.-Kearney is 16-3, 9-2 in the MIAA and ranked #19 in the WBCA National Poll. They lead the nation in scoring defense at 49.6 points per game and are third in the nation in turnovers per game. Klaire Kirsch is third in the MIAA in rebounding.

SERIES HISTORY
The Lady Hornets lead the overall series 35-15 and the two have split the last ten games. .

LAST TIME AGAINST UNK
A 10-1 game ending run by #21 Neb.-Kearney resulted in a 59-58 loss by the Lady Hornets in White Auditorium.  Karsen Schultz got a look from the top of the key but it came up just short at the buzzer as the Lopers completed the 59-58 win. Tre'Zure Jobe led all scorers with 20 points.  Emily Weathers tied her career high with ten rebounds while Karsen Schultz had four steals for the Lady Hornets.

UP NEXT
The Lady Hornets play host to Fort Hays State on Sunday, January 22. The Sunday tip is due to the Flint Hills League Shootout in White Auditorium. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m.

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 88-45 as the head coach at Emporia State. The Booker, Texas native went 349-84 in 13 seasons at Seward CC and is 437-129 in his 18th 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.  

HOME COOKIN'
The Lady Hornets have won 324 of the last 365 (.888) 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 18 games to unranked NCAA teams in White Auditorium since 1997. The Lady Hornets are 471-109 (.812) overall since 1979 at home and hold the MIAA record for consecutive home wins with 62 set from 1997-2001. Emporia State is 13-10 (.565) against top ten teams in White Auditorium since 1995.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Lady Hornets are 308-132 (.700) away from home, 106-33 (.763) in neutral site games and 64-16 (.800) against non-MIAA teams at neutral sites since 1997-98 with five of the losses in the Elite Eight. Emporia State opened the season on an eight game road trip and went 7-1. 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 52-47 (.525) away from White Auditorium against Top 25 teams. The Lady Hornets are 163-77 (.679) on the road in MIAA league play since 1997-98. Emporia State is 37-17 (.685) in NCAA Tournament games away from White Auditorium.

GAME OF RUNS
The Lady Hornets have had ten 10-0 runs so far this year. Emporia State had 18 runs of 10-0 or greater last season, including a 24-0 run against Bethel. In 2020-21 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 324-5 (.985) when scoring at least 80 points. Emporia State was 167-22 (.884) in the previous 23 seasons when scoring at least 80 points. Conversely Emporia State is 172-2 (.989) all-time when holding opponents to 50 points or less.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE
From 2018-22 the Lady Hornets averaged 10.6 steals and 9.4 made three-pointers per game on .336 shooting from beyond the arc.  This year they are averaging 13.0 steals but just 6.5 made threes on .249 shooting.

Season	3FGM-3FGA	Pct.(MIAA Rank)	3FGM/G(MIAA Rank)	Steals/G(MIAA Rank)
2018-19	260-770	.338 (5th)	8.4 (1st)	10.3 (1st)
2019-20	311-886	.351 (1st)	10.0 (1st)	12.7 (1st)
2020-21	256-735	.348 (1st)	10.2 (1st)	9.8 (1st)
2021-22	261-846	.309 (8th)	9.0 (1st)	9.2 (3rd)
2022-23	111-445	.249 (14th)	6.5 (6th)	13.0 (1st)

RANKINGS
Emporia State twice received votes last year in the 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 87-64 (.576) 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 31-17 (.646) 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.

TAKING ON THE BEST
In their history 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 match-up 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.
Last season three of the Lady Hornets losses were to teams that were ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA National Poll and six came against teams that had received votes at some point during the year.

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 26 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 25 MIAA Tournament Championship games and have made it to the semifinals in 22 of the last 26 seasons.

HERE THEY COME
The Lady Hornets drew 1,863 to their home opener against Northwest Missouri. It was the largest home opening crowd since the 2014-15 season.  They are averaging 1,108 through four games this season.
For the 24th straight year, not counting COVID, Emporia State ranked in the top six in attendance among the over 300 NCAA Division II basketball playing schools. The Lady Hornets drew an average of 1,108 fans to their 14 home games on Slaymaker Court in White Auditorium during the 2021-22 season to rank fourth nationally. Emporia State had a season high 2,007 for their game against Washburn on February 26 on Senior Day. Emporia State outdrew 249 NCAA Division I schools, including six from the "Power 5" conferences - three each from the ACC and PAC-12. They also outdrew 19 teams that made the NCAA Tournament four of which won a game including Elite Eight participant Creighton.  Within the Division II ranks, the Hornets outdrew 62 of the 64 teams that were selected for the NCAA Tournament, including seven of the eight #1 seeds and every team that made the Elite Eight.
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 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.

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 featured game on MIAA Broadcasting Network.

LADY HORNETS NCAA HISTORY
The Lady Hornets have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times in the last 26 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 47-18 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.

LADY HORNET SUCCESS ON THE COURT...
The Lady Hornets have the best record in MIAA play in the 21st century. Emporia State is 333-117 (.740) in MIAA play since the 2000 season and 564-171 (.767) 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 396-118 (.770) in MIAA play and 627-175 (.782) 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
The Lady Hornets had a combined GPA of 3.39 in the fall semester with four players posting a 4.00. 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 MADNESS
The Lady Hornets qualified for 22 NCAA Tournaments 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.

MARCH MEANS SOMETHING
The Lady Hornets are 43-16 (.729) in their last 59 March post season games. Emporia State has made it to the championship game in 16 of the last 23 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 87-38 (.696) all-time in MIAA and NCAA Tournament games with a 40-20 (.667) record in the NCAA Tourney.
 
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. Last year was just the ninth 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, Central Missouri defeating Neb.-Kearney in 2021, and Fort Hays State losing 70-69 to Missouri Western in 2022. The Lady Hornets have eliminated the host school six times since 2004.

TOUGH ENOUGH
The NCAA Central Region is made up of teams in the MIAA, Northern Sun and Great American Conferences. The MIAA is 21-12 (.636) against the rest of the region this year, going 12-4 (.750) against the GAC and 9-8 (.529) against the NSIC. The NSIC has won all four matchups with the GAC. According to the latest NCAA statistics the MIAA is 39-23 (.629) against other Division II schools this year while the NSIC is 41-22 (.651) and the GAC is just 22-28 (.440) against other Division II schools. In all games played the MIAA has gone 61-23 (.726) against non-conference competition while playing the toughest combined schedule in the nation.

TIP-INS
• The Lady Hornets have won 20 games 22 times in the last 26 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 989-437 (.694) overall in their 49th 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 62 game home court 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 16 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.
• The Lady Hornets have made 26 straight trips to the MIAA Tournament.
• The current six game losing streak is the longest losing streak by the Lady Hornets since dropping six straight from Feb. 1-19, 1995.

END GAME
The Lady Hornets are 594-22 (.964) since 1997 when leading at the 5:00 mark.