January 11, 2024 – The Emporia State men fell 71-63 against Lincoln on the road Thursday night.
In a game with eight ties and seven lead changes, the Hornets were unable to withstand a late Blue Tiger scoring run on Thursday night.
The first basket of the game came on a pull-up three from
Kaden Evans which started an 8-2 scoring run for the Hornets over the first three minutes of the game.
Kaden Evans continued to make an impact as he tallied three steals and eight points leading up to the first media timeout with Emporia State leading 13-7 at the 14:25 mark of the first half.
Lincoln scored out of the timeout before
Solomon Oraegbu converted an and-one to give Emporia State a 16-9 lead, the largest of the game for the Hornets. Following the basket and free throw from Oraegbu, the Blue Tigers outscored the Hornets 13-2, including ten straight points to take a 22-18 entering the under ten media timeout with 8:27 remaining in the first half.
Following the timeout, Emporia State trimmed the lead back to one before a three from the Blue Tigers gave the hosts a 25-21 advantage with 7:37 to play in the first half. The Hornets would respond with five straight points, a three from Oraegbu late in the shot clock and a dunk from
Darius Yohe as Emporia State retook a 26-25 lead with just under six minutes left in the half.
The lead changed hands multiple times over the next few minutes with the Hornets taking a 33-30 following a three from
Kaden Evans, his third of the first half, with 2:24 remaining until the break.
Emporia State was unable to score in the final two minutes, with a shot from the Blue Tigers on the final possession giving Lincoln a 35-33 halftime lead over the Hornets.
In the first half, Emporia State shot 11-26 from the floor, 4-8 from three and 7-11 from the free throw line. The first half featured eight ties and seven lead changes between the Hornets and Blue Tigers.
Following the break, the Hornets put together a 9-2 scoring run that lasted until the 14:36 mark of the second half as they took a 42-37 lead over the Blue Tigers. Lincoln scored just before the under 15 media timeout to return the score to a one-possession game.
Lincoln was able to outscore Emporia State 9-4 over the next four minutes as the hosts led the Hornets 48-46 with 9:49 remaining in the game.
Both teams traded baskets following the under ten timeout as the game remained just a one-possession game until the 5:04 mark as a three from the Blue Tigers gave Lincoln a 60-54 lead over the Hornets entering the final media timeout at 4:49.
Solomon Oraegbu scored on the first possession out of the timeout to trim the Lincoln lead to 60-56 before the Blue Tigers scored five points in the next two possessions, giving Lincoln a 65-56 advantage, their largest of the game, forcing an Emporia State timeout.
Emporia State was able to close the deficit to four points following a three-pointer and a pair of free throws from
Alijah Comithier as the Lincoln lead was shortened to 65-61 with 1:53 to play.
Over the final two minutes, Emporia State managed to make just two free throws as they fell 71-63 in their road matchup against Lincoln on Thursday night.
Solomon Oraegbu led the Hornets with 22 points.
Atavian Butler scored 12 points with two rebounds and two steals.
Kaden Evans recorded 11 points on 4-6 shooting and 3-4 from three while matching a career-high 6 steals.
Emporia State will return to action on Saturday, January 13 as they continue their road trip with a matchup against Central Missouri. Tipoff from Warrensburg, Mo. is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
