December 16, 2023 – Emporia State led for most of their road matchup with Northwest Missouri, but were unable to hold off the Bearcats late as the Lady Hornets fell 55-48 in overtime on Saturday afternoon from Bearcat Arena.
In the first quarter, Emporia State jumped out to a 4-0 lead on an opening jumper from
Katie Horyna and a pair of
Faith Paramore free throws. The Lady Hornets were able to maintain their advantage throughout the first as they entered the second quarter leading 15-8 following a layup from Paramore on the final shot of the quarter.
The Lady Hornets continued their momentum into the second quarter as they outscored the Bearcats 9-0 over the first 4:23 of the quarter as another Paramore layup gave Emporia State a 24-8 lead, and capped off an 11-0 scoring run dating back to the final basket of the first quarter.
Northwest Missouri was able to rebound over the final five minutes of the first half, outscoring Emporia State 10-1, including a pair of baskets in the final minute as the Lady Hornet lead was trimmed to 25-18 entering the locker room.
In the first half, Emporia State shot 41.7% from the floor and held the Bearcats to 23.1% and 1-10 from three.
Following the halftime break, the first basket for either team came on a three from
Gracie Gilpin as the Lady Hornet lead was restored to double digits. After the first two points from the Bearcats in the second half, Gilpin knocked down another three as Emporia State led 31-20, their largest advantage of the second half.
Over the final seven minutes of the third quarter, Emporia State managed just one field goal as Northwest Missouri closed the gap to 35-33 entering the fourth.
To begin the fourth, a
Katie Horyna three on the opening possession followed by an and-one from
Faith Paramore put the Lady Hornets ahead 41-33 with 8:55 remaining in the game. Northwest Missouri scored four consecutive points before a three from
Stevie Stinchcomb returned the Emporia State advantage to 44-37 with 7:27 remaining.
The final points of the fourth quarter came on a jumper from
Faith Paramore with 4:48 remaining to give Emporia State a 46-41 lead.
Over the final five minutes of the fourth, Northwest Missouri outscored the Lady Hornets 5-0. Both teams had possession in the final ten seconds of regulation but were unable to take advantage as the game headed to overtime with the score tied 46-46.
In the overtime period, the Bearcats outscored the Lady Hornets 9-2 as Emporia State shot just 1-8 from the field as they fell 55-48 on Saturday afternoon from Maryville, Mo.
Faith Paramore led the Lady Hornets with 19 points and added nine rebounds.
Katie Horyna scored seven points while
Gracie Gilpin had six points and five rebounds.
Queen Ulabo had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Emporia State will return to action on December 30 from White Auditorium as they play host to Bethel College following the Christmas break. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
