February 4, 2023 – Emporia State fell to Missouri Western on Saturday afternoon in a road matchup in which neither team led by more than eight points. The Hornets held the Griffons below 40% shooting but were unable to survive a late push as Emporia State fell 65-60.
Both teams started slowly on the offensive end of the floor as Missouri Western held a 7-6 lead over Emporia State entering the first media timeout with 13:53 remaining in the first half.
The Griffons were able to build on their lead over the next five minutes as they built a 19-11 lead, their largest of the game, at the 8:23 mark of the first half which forced a timeout from the Hornets.
Over the next five minutes, Emporia State rallied back to reclaim a 24-23 lead with 3:21 remaining as
Owen Long assisted a dunk from
Peyton Rogers-Schmidt. After both teams scored on the following possessions, Missouri Western scored the final points of the first half with 1:32 remaining as the Hornets entered the halftime break trailing the Griffons 28-27.
At the half,
Alijah Comithier led all scorers with 14 points.
Peyton Rogers-Schmidt led four more Hornets on the scoresheet with 6 points in the first half while also recording four rebounds.
As a team, Emporia State outrebounded the Griffons 18-17 and outscored Missouri Western 14-12 in the paint.
Following the halftime break, the Hornets started quickly as they opened the second half on a 12-3 scoring run that lasted until the 16:31 mark as they built a 39-31 lead, their largest of the game.
Both teams traded points over the next four minutes as the Hornets held a 45-37 advantage with 12:21 remaining in the game.
Missouri Western responded over the next four minutes as they put together a 14-3 scoring run which put the Griffons back in front of the Hornets 51-48 with 8:12 remaining in the game.
Emporia State was able to put together an 8-0 scoring run that lasted until 6:19 remaining and was capped off by a
Sam Baker three off an assist from
Owen Long, his eighth assist of the game.
The Hornets were unable to hold of the Griffons over the final six minutes as Missouri Western closed the game on a 14-4 scoring run as Emporia State fell on the road against the Griffons 65-60.
Alijah Comithier led all scorers with 21 points while also leading the Hornets with 7 rebounds in the game.
Peyton Rogers-Schmidt and
Kaden Evans joined Comithier in double-figures with 14 and 10 points respectively.
Owen Long tallied a game and season-high 8 assists.
Emporia State currently sits at 17-6 overall and 11-6 in MIAA play and will return home for their next game on Saturday, February 11 against Newman. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 3:30 p.m. from White Auditorium.
