February 16, 2023 – Emporia State battled Central Missouri in a back-and-forth battle on Thursday night as the Hornets used a late three in regulation to force overtime before defeating the Mules 68-66.
The Hornets and Mules traded blows for much of the first half as neither team led by more than one possession until the 9:00 mark of the first half.
Following a layup by Central Missouri to give the Mules a 10-9 lead with 12:06 remaining in the first half, the Hornets scored eight consecutive points as they built a 17-10 lead at the 7:58 mark, their largest lead of the game.
Over the next seven minutes, the Mules outscored Emporia State 15-3 as they built a five point lead in the final minute of the first half.
The Hornets were able to shave three points off of the deficit as
Kaden Evans hit a pullup three with under ten seconds remaining to settle the halftime score at 25-23, with Emporia State trailing by a pair.
At the half, seven different Hornets scored with
Alijah Comithier leading the way with 6 points. As a team, Emporia State shot 1-11 from three, with the
Kaden Evans three in the closing seconds the only made three of the first half.
Both the Hornets and Mules were even with 17 rebounds and 6 turnovers in the first half.
Following the halftime break, Central Missouri jumped out to a quick start, as they built a 35-27 lead, their largest of the game, by the 14:33 mark of the second half.
Emporia State responded to the early run as they put together a 13-4 scoring run as they regained the lead, 40-39, with 11:05 remaining in the second half. Over the next eight minutes, the margin remained within one possession until Mules took a 54-50 lead with 3:02 remaining.
The Hornets regained the lead with 49.3 seconds remaining as
Kaden Evans hit a corner three to put Emporia State ahead 56-54.
Following the Evans three, Central Missouri was able to tie the game and eventually regain the lead that they were able to hold over the Hornets until the final moments of the second half.
With 3.1 seconds remaining in the second half and the Hornets trailing the Mules 60-57,
Kaden Evans knocked down a three in front of the Emporia State bench to tie the game and force overtime.
In the overtime period, Emporia State took an early advantage following an
Owen Long jumpshot but again fell behind in the final two minutes.
The Hornets trailed 66-64 in the final minute of overtime when as
Mayuom Buom drew a shooting foul. Buom knocked down both free throws and after the Hornets earned a defensive stop, they earned a final possession to take the lead.
With ten seconds remaining,
Alijah Comithier secured an offensive rebound and putback layup to put the Hornets ahead 68-66. Emporia State forced one final step on the final possession to clinch the 68-66 road win over Central Missouri.
Kaden Evans and
Owen Long led the Hornets with 14 points each and were joined in double figures by
Atavian Butler and
Alijah Comithier who scored 11 and 10 points respectively.
As a team, the Hornets outrebounded the Mules 42-36 and forced 12 Central Missouri turnovers.
Emporia State advances to 19-6 on the season, 13-6 in the MIAA with the win over Central Missouri.
The Hornets will return to action for their final road game of the regular season as they take on Lincoln on Saturday, February 18. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 3:30 p.m. from Jefferson City, Mo.
