#21 Hornet men put five in double figures in 85-74 win over Rogers State

December 6, 2023-Five Hornets scored in double figures as #21 Emporia State defeated Rogers State 85-74 on Wednesday night in White Auditorium. It was the eighth straight win for the Hornets.
 
The Hillcats jumped out to a 7-2 lead just over four minutes into the game before the Hornets used a 10-0 run to take the lead for good.  Solomon Oraegbu scored six of his game high 30 points during the run including a pull up jumper with 12:00 left to give Emporia State a 12-7 lead. Three-pointers from Kaden Evans on back to back possessions gave the Hornets their biggest lead of the half at 11 points with 2:59 remaining in the period. The Hillcats went on a 6-0 run to get within 33-28 with 31 seconds left but Oraegbu beat the buzzer on a driving layup to give Emporia State a 35-28 lead at the break.
 
The Hornets shot 51.7% from the field in the opening 20 minutes and were a blistering 13 of 19 (68.4%) from inside the three-point line.
 
The lead stayed at ten points or below to start the second half and a pair of Isaac Johnson free throws got the Hillcats within 42-35 with 17:03 remaining. The Hornets then went on a 15-4 run to take a 57-39 lead with 13:16 left on the second of back to back threes from Evans again.  An Alijah Comitheir three-pointer game Emporia State the biggest lead of the night at 69-48 with 8:21 left.  The Hornets still led by 18 with 6:15 left when the Hillcats used an 8-0 run to get within ten points at 73-63 with 3:31 remaining.  An old fashioned three-point play from Owen Long gave the Hornets a 78-65 lead with 2:29 left. Rogers State hit three-pointers on their next three possessions, the last from Evan Anderson with 1:05 left to get with six at 80-74. That would be their last score and ESU hit three of four free throws in the final 52 seconds to seal the win.
 
Emporia State shot even better from the field in the second half, connecting at a 54.2% clip from the field including a five of ten effort from beyond the arc.
 
Solomon Oraegbu led all scorers with an ESU career high 30 points, seven rebounds and three assists.  Drew Tennial had his first double-double as a Hornet with 12 points and ten rebounds. Kaden Evans scored 14 points, Alijah Comitheir had 12 and Owen Long added ten points. Darrius Yohe had five points, five rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals in 15 minutes off the bench.
 
Emporia State will be back in action on Saturday night when they play host to Northeastern State. Tip-off from Slaymaker Court is set for 8:00 p.m. due to the Paul Terry Classic high school tournament in White Auditorium.

NOTES:
The eight consecutive wins are the most by a Hornet team since they opened the 2006-07 season 16-0.