March 12, 2023-Emporia State scored 22 points in the final four minutes but Minnesota – Duluth did just enough to hang on as the Hornets saw their season come to an end with an 84-79 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Maryville, Mo.
The scoring was hard to come by in the first seven minutes as the Hornets and Bulldogs were tied at 9 with 13:48 left in the half. Emporia State then went on a 10-0 run with
Alijah Comithier scoring the final eight, to take a 19-9 lead with 11:02 left in the half.
Owen Long hit a three-pointer with 5:20 left to give the Hornets a 26-16 lead when the Bulldogs went on a run of their own. UMD scored 13 of the next 16 points to tie the game at 29 with 2:29 left in the period. The two teams traded scores the remainder of the half and Charlie Katona got a tip in at the buzzer to send the teams to the lockerrooms tied at 36.
Both teams hit 13 field goals in the opening 20 minutes with Duluth getting five three-pointers to four for Emporia State while the Hornet went six of six from the free throw line compared to a five of eight effort from the Bulldogs.
There were three ties and two lead changes with Emporia State's 46-42 lead with 15:05 left the biggest lead of the first seven and a half minutes. Comithier hit a pull up jumper with 12:33 left to get ESU within 51-50. UMD then went on a 13-3 run to go up 64-53 with 7:30 left. The deficit reached 15 with 4:13 left when Emporia State began their final push.
Kaden Evans scored inside and Comithier hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to ten. After UMD pushed it back to 14 when Lincoln Meister got behind the Hornet press. Long connected on a step back followed by a driving layup followed by a three-pointer from
Sam Baker to get the Hornets within seven at 76-69. with 1:10 left.
Peyton Rogers-Schmidt grabbed and offensive rebound, dunked and got fouled with 29.6 seconds left to pull the Hornets within 80-76. The Bulldogs hit four of six free throws in the final27.1 seconds to secure the win and advance to the Central Regional Championship game.
Emporia State was led by
Owen Long with 25 points including five three-pointers.
Peyton Rogers-Schmidt had 12 points and a career high 13 rebounds while
Alijah Comithier added 17 points and
Atavian Butler had 12 points.
The Hornets end the season 23-9, setting a school record for wins in the NCAA era as well as picking up their first NCAA Tournament win. Only one of the 14 players on the NCAA Tournament roster has used up their eligibility although three others are set to graduate.
